18 wheels on that semi or 10 ????????????????????????

I've been driving 18's ALL my life but I keep seeing these semi's with the BIG single tires all over the vehicle so I FINALLY have to ask. It's been bothering me a long time and I keep forgetting but now we're here -

What's the difference?
What's the cost?
What's the benefit ? If any.
What's the reason?

AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ANSWER and think of regarding these tires. I'm going to be needing new tires soon so I'd like some feedback about them if I'm going to make the switch. Thanks.

Joe
flyotr.com
 
I've been driving 18's ALL my life but I keep seeing these semi's with the BIG single tires all over the vehicle so I FINALLY have to ask. It's been bothering me a long time and I keep forgetting but now we're here -

What's the difference?
What's the cost?
What's the benefit ? If any.
What's the reason?

AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ANSWER and think of regarding these tires. I'm going to be needing new tires soon so I'd like some feedback about them if I'm going to make the switch. Thanks.

Joe
flyotr.com


you've "been driving 18's ALL your life"...??

but in "all your life", you never once looked into this..???

how long is "ALL your life" as a driver..??

seems to me that with all the information out there, you could have read at least 1 trucking magazine, spoke to other drivers either on the cb or at the truck stops or at your deliveries, surely at one time or another, you saw at least one truck and had the time to speak with it's driver..??

1) difference is less over-all weight of the vehicle, so one can put more freight on, and make a few extra dollars per load.

2) higher that single tires/wheels

3) see # 1 answer (but some might say more traction as well)

4) see # 1 reason

expect to pay (nearly double) the cost of those tires, and you'll need to buy wheels as well.

i'd never make the switch, i'd keep running what the equipment came with from the factory.

if however, i was to spec out a truck and trailer, THEN at that point and time, spec it out for such equipment.

but to switch over, hope you have a huge bundle of cash....

if you do make the switch over, then by golly, DO NOT buy used wheels..

you'll never be 100% sure they are true and round, and may NOT come with any warranty, you may be buying "as is"...

so new, would be the way to go.
 
They are called "Super Singles".

What's the difference?

One tire and wheel where two used to be.

What's the cost?

I don't know the exact costs, but they are about the same as the dual set they replace. Even though the wider tire and rim may cost more than one of the narrower tire and rim combination they replace, you are only buying 1 for each wheel end.

What's the benefit ? If any.

About 1/2 to 1 mpg PER TIRE improved fuel economy (so the people who sell them say, I dunno, I have yet to run a rig with them to check for myself).

What's the reason?

Better fuel economy.

AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ANSWER and think of regarding these tires.

One thing I have noticed is if you have a flat with a Super Single, well, there will not be anything but a rim holding up that end of the axle it is on. If you have ever had a steer axle flat then you will know what you will be up against when a drive or trailer tire fails.

You will need to immediately pull to the shoulder (provided there is a shoulder where the failure occurs) and stop, or risk destroying the special rim that the Super Singles require.

With duals on the drives and tandems you can usually at least slow down and run along in the right lane until there is a SAFE PLACE TO STOP, OFF OF THE FREEWAY, WHERE IDIOTS DO NOT CARE IF THEY ENDANGER YOUR LIFE OR THE LIFE OF THE GUY WHO COMES OUT TO REPLACE YOUR FLAT.

Another observation is that when rigs running Super Single retreads experience a cap separation, the alligator that comes off is twice as big, and does twice as much damage as a regular tire.

You gotta save a lot of fuel in the economy side of this equation if running Super Singles are gonna pay for themselves.

Of course if you are hauling hazmat and doing the tire pressure check every two hours, you will only have 10 tires to check, instead of 18.

So I guess there are tradeoffs either way.
 
Super Singles tire's suck in the winter time , they work ok in a warm climate only , cost is about the same in the end .
 
the lock rod flag king =
18 Wheels vs. single wide:

  1. What's the difference?
  2. What's the cost?
  3. What's the benefit? If any.
  4. What's the reason?
What has been pleasantly & clearly stated by, of and for WE THE PEOPLE of TB!!

CHEERS!!
 
I've been driving 18's ALL my life but I keep seeing these semi's with the BIG single tires all over the vehicle so I FINALLY have to ask. It's been bothering me a long time and I keep forgetting but now we're here -

What's the difference?
What's the cost?
What's the benefit ? If any.
What's the reason?

AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ANSWER and think of regarding these tires. I'm going to be needing new tires soon so I'd like some feedback about them if I'm going to make the switch. Thanks.



Joe
flyotr.com

Stay as far away from the super singles as possible...and then take two more steps back.
 
Every converter dolly at the OD terminal in my area has super singles on them.

i have been seeing several LTL companies that have this.

for me, i'd rather have set's of dual's as an added edge if one tire blows out.

the last tire you'd ever want to have blow out, is a single tire set up, on a dolly.

one time, when with my former LTL company, i had a single axle tractor. a tire blew on that tractor, while i was coming back from NJ, and pulling pups. luckily for me, there was a service area on I-95 in CT that i was able to pull into, just minutes after the blow out.

guess i'm old fashion and set in my ways enough, to rather have dual's on everything. (including twin screw tractor's)
 
i have been seeing several LTL companies that have this.

for me, i'd rather have set's of dual's as an added edge if one tire blows out.

the last tire you'd ever want to have blow out, is a single tire set up, on a dolly.

one time, when with my former LTL company, i had a single axle tractor. a tire blew on that tractor, while i was coming back from NJ, and pulling pups. luckily for me, there was a service area on I-95 in CT that i was able to pull into, just minutes after the blow out.

guess i'm old fashion and set in my ways enough, to rather have dual's on everything. (including twin screw tractor's)



I have been assigned a 10 wheeler for the last 16 years, Single axle mack and a Single axle 32 or 40' trailer but no super singles
 
Was about 50 yards behind a guy when his super single blewout. Took out the whole front end of the car next to him and the truck driver damn near lost it do to his immediate lack of control

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk
 
Was about 50 yards behind a guy when his super single blewout. Took out the whole front end of the car next to him.

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk

although you saw that happen, and i didn't, i can at least say this, how many of us have had the wonderful experience of some 4 wheeler riding along side of us for miles and miles..???

and of those times, how many of us have wished a tire would blow at that ride along..???

i know i have.

and it actually happened many years ago.

i had a blow out on Rte 301(s) in MD. i pulled into the "Dutch Inn Deli", and waited for a service truck.

he came over, and changed out my blown tire, for a spare we used to carry.

as i left that deli, and continued on Rte 301, there was an SUV riding along side of me for a few miles, then BAM...that tire the service guy switched out, blew out..

i ain't never seen a 4 wheeler pass me so fast.....

and i do know, that some of the "gator" hit that car....but she high tailed outta there.

so sometimes, wishes do come true....

now if i can only hit the lottery.....
 
although you saw that happen, and i didn't, i can at least say this, how many of us have had the wonderful experience of some 4 wheeler riding along side of us for miles and miles..???

and of those times, how many of us have wished a tire would blow at that ride along..???

i know i have.

and it actually happened many years ago.

i had a blow out on Rte 301(s) in MD. i pulled into the "Dutch Inn Deli", and waited for a service truck.

he came over, and changed out my blown tire, for a spare we used to carry.

as i left that deli, and continued on Rte 301, there was an SUV riding along side of me for a few miles, then BAM...that tire the service guy switched out, blew out..

i ain't never seen a 4 wheeler pass me so fast.....

and i do know, that some of the "gator" hit that car....but she high tailed outta there.

so sometimes, wishes do come true....

now if i can only hit the lottery.....

Yeah he had been hanging out by the trailer tandems for a mile or so. Probably had to change his underwear after too. It went so fast, he probably heard it after it already ripped his car apart.
 
Working for Overnite,doing 65 on Rt.390,I had a left rear outside tire blow on my 48 foot route trailer.
The mudflap bracket went up though the trailer floor & the flap flew back over the roof of a car driving next to me.
I rode into a tire outlet in Dansville,NY,with the 4 wheeler on my tail.

The driver was really shook-up,& was screaming at me,when I exited my day cab.
I asked if his car had any damage,he looked it over & said no,I asked him what he wanted me to do?

He didn't say anything just got back in his car & drove away.

So the thing is when any commercial tire blows anything can happen.
 
A couple years ago I had a load of 14 foot wide jet engine cowling tooling returning from Everett, WA to Wichita, KS. I was about 20 miles East of Boise on I-84, just past the Boise Stage Stop Truckstop when one of the trailer tires shed a hide.

Now the load is really nothing more than a bunch of reusable pallets stacked up and even with the extended mirrors it is difficult to see what is behind me.

I looked at the map on my laptop and saw the next exit was not too far so I just eased out of the throttle and cruised on down to it and pulled off. It wasn't until I was turning at the end of the ramp into a wide spot off of the county road that I noticed a car. This guy had been following me so closely that I had no idea he as even there.

I pretty much ignored the guy and stopped the truck. I grabbed my phone and was making the call to the Mother Ship to get the repair process started and hopped out to go back and have a look.

The Geezer in the car had stopped so close behind my trailer that I had to walk around the car to get to the other side of the trailer to check out the damage from the blowout.

The guy jumped out of his car and was clearly upset. He started jabbering away that I was gonna pay for the damage to his car. I looked and sure enough, some of the alligator had bounced off of his hood, and broken the windshield. His wife was sitting in the passenger seat, obviously shaken.

I told the guy the company number was on the door of the truck, and he was welcome to call it and make a claim. I also told him to be sure and tell them that he was tailgating me so closely that I could not see him, and that even after the tire failed he continued to tailgate me.

I also asked him what he thought he was doing, drafting? I mentioned that driving that close to a big truck was very unsafe, and it was fortunate that the tire tread had not gone through the windshield and injured his wife.

He got in his car and drove off, and I never heard a word from my company about it.

Got the tire replaced a short time later and continued on my merry way.

Without
 
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