Goodyear street/hwy treads

[CUMMINZ]

I am running 19. 5" 245s on my dually. They are Goodyear hwy treads and are absolutely great tires for the hwy but worthless in the snow & ice. Do snow tread tires help a dually?

 

[smitty3500]

Cumminz,



I was going to go with your same tire on the rear of my truck. I decided against it and went with a Firestone 690. The tire has a A/T tread that does well in all conditions, but still has a closed shoulder to help stability and road noise.



The 690's helped my Daully in the snow. Much more traction then the stock wheel tire. The 690's are Very popular drive tires for OTR rigs that see mixed driving conditions.

 

[CUMMINZ]

This the tire I am running all around and really like them but they were no good in western NC on a deer hunt this week.



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[jelag]

I put a retread on the back of my trucks... we use a Bandag retread that we get from the local Bandag re-caper... we use the same winter tire as the UPS trucks here in Spokane...

We run these tires all year around... and like you use a Bridgestone highway tire on the front... when we get a really bad winter we have 2 all season tires that are studded that we put on the front... .

We've had great results with this... seeing close to 100K miles of tread life and to date running these on 4 trucks we've yet to have a blowout... we've our share of nails, which we've found before the tire went flat...

We had a very bad year 2 years ago and this year is starting out the same... 24" snow in Nov. alone... a record...

We have close to 1000 Lbs in the bed to help... and we get around fine... .

 

[CDonaldson]

I run 19. 5's on my Ford dually, and am just now going to 19. 5's on my Dodge.



I have been running a set of 6 retreads from TreadWright on the Ford for a year now and they are kick***** tires. 245-70 R 19. 5's Guard Dog MT's These suckers look like NEW tires after a year of hammering them on New Mexico's HORRIBLE roads. They have a little whine, nothing you can't live with, wear like iron. Run smooth too. When I got them balanced the largest weight used on all 6 was 1. 25ozs, they are superbly balanced in mfg.



I was going to go with other NEW tires on the Dodge, but after taking a good look at my Ford's tires, I think I am going with the TreadWrights on the Dodge. I paid about $600 for the set of 6 delivered, another $80 for mounting and balancing, have over 20K on them and they have only worn a 1/32nd of an inch.



Back in the 'old days' retreads were taboo, but with today's technology, retreads are every bit as good, if not better than new expensive tires. I was suprised to learn that retreads are all that UPS and FedEx run on their trucks, my UPS driver told me that his retread tires have 95K miles on them, his truck is 19. 5's, looking at his tires just today and they have plenty of mileage left to go.





CD

 

[mhelburg]

Just beware that DOT does not allow retreads on the streer axle of commercial vehicles. Not really an issue for private haulers but if you get mistaken for, or are, a commerical hauler its an issue.

 

[CUMMINZ]

I had my tires regrooved.



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[MChrist]

Just beware that DOT does not allow retreads on the streer axle of commercial vehicles. Not really an issue for private haulers but if you get mistaken for, or are, a commerical hauler its an issue.

The statement that retreads are not allowed on the steer axle of commercial vehicles should be an easy one to proove or disprove, however all I seem to find is conflicting answers.



I don't run them on steers because I've always been told you can't, however I'm finding that information is not so cut and dry.



UPS definitely uses them on their steers, I've seen them. The regulations say clearly that they can't be used on the steers of buses. Somebody recently pulled up a statement that they can't be used on the steers where the front load (either per axle or per tire. . I don't recall) exceeds something like 4920 lbs.



Does anybody have a good, clear answer to this seemingly simple question?

 

[CUMMINZ]

Well finally here in NC we have had a very good snowfall and I was able to get this old dually out into the snow. I am very impressed with how these tires that I regrooved did in the snow. Well worth the cost of the effort.

 

[Killgore]

MChrist, vague and confusing is the best way to describe the D.O.T. regulations. I am unable to quote the actual restrictions but it involves the distance and maximum speed traveled within the travel radius of the truck from it's terminal (the 50-50 Rule, 50 miles and 50 MPH). When I was with Lafarge we ran recaps all the way around on readymix trucks. With twenty-five years in the industry I couldn't imagine how anybody in their right mind would do that with a truck grossing at times 68,000 lbs. on three axles. Our drivers raised all kinds of concerns and pitched a fit when they found out, but to no avail.
- Ed

 

[MChrist]

I wonder what their front tire failure rate was, compared to virgin front tires. I would think that if there was a problem with blow outs or separations, those trucks would be screwed. A full load of wet cement needs to be offloaded within 90 minutes if I recall.

 

[Killgore]

You're right, and some commercial specifications called for 60 minutes. When you calculate in a perishable product, drivers that are getting paid by the trip instead of by the hour, flotation tires on the steering axle, an extremely high center of gravity, and a shifting load that at times has the characteristics and properties of a liquid, it is a receipe for disaster. Out of 800 trucks that we were running at the time we had 22 rollovers and two fatalities in one year. None of this was acceptable and nearly all of it could have been avoided. How much of this was attributable to blow-outs on the steering axle is unknown. What I do know is that it isn't a good feeling mushing along with 40,000 lbs. five feet behind you that is subject to slam through the cab if you stand the truck on its' nose or roll over. I finally decided to do something that was safer and became a cop!
- Ed

 

[Killgore]

My apologies for stealing the thread. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to run a good set of recaps on the rear of my signature, but not on the steering axle. I'm rather fond of myself.
- Ed

 

[MChrist]

My apologies for stealing the thread. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to run a good set of recaps on the rear of my signature, but not on the steering axle. I'm rather fond of myself.
- Ed

I wouldn't run them on the steers, either..but I wonder if my reasoning is just because it's considered taboo, or illegal. I know for a 100%fact that our UPS driver has them on his steers. I saw a parked FedEx truck with them, too. And I can't find a single rule stating that you can't run them on the steers of a truck other than a bus.
At work, I'm running a comparison of 19.5" steer tires between Michelin ($450) Bridgestone ($400) and Sailun ($200). I know how the Michelins and Bridgestones act, feel, and last. The Sailuns are holding up just as well so far. I'll know more by the end of this year. My point is, if a $200 steer can hold up as well as a $400 steer, there is no point in running a retread on the steer.
What do you guys think?

 

[CUMMINZ]

The photos below were not retreads but regrooves.

 

[Killgore]

Understood, and they look good, CUMMINZ. No problem with what you did in my opinion.

MChrist and I had our discussion out of sinc. with your post.

I just have some severe reservations with recaps on the steering axle. Previous and potential sidewall damage in a recap that results in tire failure or the cap flying off and causing major damage to expensive fenders, etc., even though still being able to maintain control, is not acceptable for most folks that use these trucks for what they're designed - pulling and hauling (reference the 50-50 Rule that was previously posted).

I run the TST-TPMS on all tires, especially the fifth-wheel. Good rubber on the ground is cheap life insurance. Being aware of your surroundings is the first rule to not becoming a victim. (Hah! I don't know where that came from, but I think you get where I'm coming from?)
- Ed

 

[Killgore]

MChrist, I think the Sailuns are a good, economical alternative and I hope you will give us an update on your evaluation. What ply rating are you using?
- Ed

 

[SnoKing]

I wouldn't run them on the steers, either..but I wonder if my reasoning is just because it's considered taboo, or illegal. I know for a 100%fact that our UPS driver has them on his steers. I saw a parked FedEx truck with them, too. And I can't find a single rule stating that you can't run them on the steers of a truck other than a bus.
At work, I'm running a comparison of 19.5" steer tires between Michelin ($450) Bridgestone ($400) and Sailun ($200). I know how the Michelins and Bridgestones act, feel, and last. The Sailuns are holding up just as well so far. I'll know more by the end of this year. My point is, if a $200 steer can hold up as well as a $400 steer, there is no point in running a retread on the steer.
What do you guys think?

http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/anything-everything/24447-using-recaps-steer-tires.html

Chris

 

[Killgore]

And the discussion goes on...

If you've never been south during the Summer and seen what's on the side of the road, let me fill you in; armadillos and alligators. In trucker lingo, an 'alligator' is the cap off a recap.

If you work as an accountant in the corporate office, wear shiney shoes, and take off on Wednesday afternoon to play golf, you probably need to spend some time in the field and see how those that cover your expense account, inflated salary and country club dues really live. LOL

And lastly, there's not three people on this forum that give a hoot what the feds say or think. Common sense rules. If you're one of the 3% go on ahead and run 'em, and by the way, keep running that K&N air filter while you're at it.

Did I write that? I'm getting too old and cranky!
-
Ed

 

[MChrist]

And the discussion goes on...

If you've never been south during the Summer and seen what's on the side of the road, let me fill you in; armadillos and alligators. In trucker lingo, an 'alligator' is the cap off a recap.

If you work as an accountant in the corporate office, wear shiney shoes, and take off on Wednesday afternoon to play golf, you probably need to spend some time in the field and see how those that cover your expense account, inflated salary and country club dues really live. LOL

And lastly, there's not three people on this forum that give a hoot what the feds say or think. Common sense rules. If you're one of the 3% go on ahead and run 'em, and by the way, keep running that K&N air filter while you're at it.

Did I write that? I'm getting too old and cranky!
-
Ed

I agree that there are lots of "rubber gators" on the road, especially down south, but in researching this, I have found that several highway departments have investigated these "gators" and found that in almost every case, it isn't a retread that separated from the case, it's virgin tires AND retreads that are still connected to the steel belted casing. Take a look for yourself. When you see a gator, you will also see the steel belts connected. The highway departments also determined by examining the casings that the sidewalls blew out due to under/over pressure. When they went "boom", the whole casing ripped apart, tread still attached, and that's what you see. Take a closer look at the next gator and you'll see what I mean. Retreads have no steel belts in them, nor do virgin treads.
Retreads around me are around $150-$180/tire. Sailuns are /$200. They should last about 3 years on our smaller trucks. So in my case, $33/ truck/year is worth not having to explain all this to a driver freaking out about having retreads on the steers, and the negative stereotype retreads have.