For over 12 years, new generation wide-base singles (NGWBS) have gained popularity and wheel positions in the industry. More fleets and owner-operators are seeing the benefits this new wave of technology provides. The number of tire manufacturers now producing and delivering wide-base singles to the trucking market has increased dramatically. Yet despite this trend, many uncertainties still exist.
Here’s our Wide-Base Singles Facts Exposed:
- Availability: Currently, seven tire manufacturers produce wide-base singles for the North American market. Wide-base singles are available at locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, including most truck tire dealerships and truck stops.
- Downtime: Response times for wide-base singles calls are comparable to that of dual tires at MICHELIN® ONCallTM Emergency Road Service. There is normally less than a 15-minute wait difference between duals and NGWBS. Numerous roadside breakdown services also offer wide-base singles. As an example, there are almost 2,000 service dealers and travel plazas across the country currently carrying the MICHELIN X One tires. Less downtime translates into happy drivers who are driving more miles and delivering more loads.
- Preventative Maintenance: Tire pressure monitoring is a key component of a complete tire maintenance program. Utilizing tire pressure maintenance programs consistently will reduce the number of tire-related failures and roadside events. Pressure monitoring will alert the driver and help eliminate many situations of inadequate pressure and catastrophic events. As a result, downtime on the side of the road can be reduced. Depending on the nature of the truck’s route and application, carrying a spare may be to the advantage of the carrier if the load is not weight-sensitive or if the tractor and trailer are similarly equipped. If the operator is more concerned about fuel efficiency, then carrying a spare may not be a viable solution.
Proactive tire maintenance is, in many cases, the best action to prevent being “dead in the water.” According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) rules, the driver is the most important individual in making sure tires are not the cause for a citation. Pre-trip inspections are the most important thing that can be done to:
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Maintain proper tire pressure.
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Monitor tread depths.
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Watch for irregular wear.
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Inspect suspension components.
- Fuel Savings: The fuel savings advantage of NGWBS stems from the fact that they reduce the number of tires on a truck. By doing so, the number of flexing sidewalls is also decreased, lowering overall rolling resistance and increasing fuel economy. In comparison to fuel-efficient dual tires, some NGWBS provide a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 10 percent on a fully loaded tractor-trailer. With fuel costs escalating, this has a significant impact on the bottom line.
- Weight Savings: In addition to the fuel savings, trucks using wide-base singles experience weight savings as well. Trucks with NGWBS can save over 700 pounds per truck, allowing you to carry more payload and adding to the bottom line. Online calculators can help determine how much weight you would save in making the switch.
- Retreading: NGWBS are retreadable, lowering the overall cost of operation. Depending on the retread provider, there may be multiple NGWBS retread options available. High-quality wide single casings can be retreaded several times, so the original casing’s quality should factor in the decision when selecting the right NGWBS.
- Ease of Maintenance: It’s simple: ten is less than 18. This advantage is fairly obvious, but it has helpful implications. One up-front consequence is with fewer tires to deal with, there are fewer to mount, dismount, inspect or rotate, resulting in less maintenance and downtime.
Another factor is the ease of air pressure maintenance and pre-trip inspections. The majority of rapid air loss situations stem from poor pressure maintenance on the inside dual tire—a problem that is eliminated when switching to NGWBS. You can remove the need to get to and check that pesky inside dual tire.
- Conversion from duals: New and used truck dealers often times can convert a used truck currently on dual tires to wide single tires and work the conversion cost into the truck loan. Certain NGWBS are listed as a value-added option by “The Truck Blue Book,” adding value to a used truck. The used truck market is seeing an increased number of trucks with wide single tires. This presents an advantage to used truck purchasers to be able to acquire the new technology of wide single tires without the conversion cost of retrofitting.
- Options: NGWBS can deliver the fuel efficiency, traction and tread features whether you operate on-highway, off-highway or even in a regional or urban application. Michelin, for example, offers six different NGWBS treads, as well as six different retread options to serve various applications.
- Traction: Traction is a function of application, vehicle type, road conditions, etc… and there generally is not a specific difference between a dual tire and a wide base single when it comes to traction concerns. The key is to choose the correct tread for the correct application. There are many tire choices for each application and owner-operators should select a tire based on their specific needs.
For example, if the owner-operator is looking for fuel savings, their most appropriate Michelin selection would be the X One Line Energy D. Alternatively, the best choice for the longest-wearing application would be the XDN 2, and the best urban regional selection would be the XZUS, and the best on/off road choice would be the XZY 3. Each application has a number of options for choosing either NGWBS or dual tires for the appropriate product.
Through fuel, weight and maintenance savings, NGWBS can help lower your total cost of ownership, which puts more money back in your pocket. If you need more information, please visit www.gowidesavegreen.com.