June 28, 2011
Fuel-efficient truck tires
Manufacturers weigh in on SmartWay certification
Double Coin’s FT105 trailer tire is SmartWay-certified and designed for long mileage.
Low-rolling resistant tires are mandated on new trucks in California. And tire manufacturers are trying to keep up.
The law went into effect in January 2010, and applies to all 2011 tractors and trailers. To help verify that truck tires meet the proper fuel efficiency standards, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set up its SmartWay program.
(Michelin North America Inc. says Oregon has passed a similar piece of legislation to California’s, and is waiting on the regulations to be defined. “Many other states are considering similar regulations to reduce diesel emissions.”)
With SmartWay certification in the spotlight, we asked truck tire manufacturers the following question: “Does your company offer — and market as such — commercial tires featuring low-rolling resistance technology?” Here are their answers.
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions Group
Bridgestone has three steer tires, three drive tires and four trailer tires that are marketed with the SmartWay green leaf label, including Graetec wide-based tires. (See page 36 sidebar for a complete list of all brands that are SmartWay-certified.)
Bridgestone says its Graetec wide-base tire uses less materials, while its Bandag retreading process reuses materials. The result is “to make our resources last longer.”
The new Firestone brand FD695 PLUS drive tire is among three truck tires on the SmartWay list. The company says the tire is built for fuel efficiency without sacrificing removal mileage.
Bridgestone says it is designed for optimum performance on tandem-axle drive tractors in long-haul and regional operations. Its cap/base tread compounding design and deep 26/32-inch original tread depth help to increase wear life.
Continental Tire the Americas Inc.
Continental, with its Continental and General brands, has more SmartWay-verified truck tires on the market than any other company, according to the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership’s Web site.
“Continental continues to concentrate our research and development efforts in the area of lower rolling resistant truck tires and materials,” says Clif Armstrong, director of marketing for commercial vehicle tires.
“Fuel cost has a major impact on the success and profitability of everyone that operates trucks — whether it is one truck or hundreds of trucks. Fuel represents over 17% of a trucking fleet’s variable operating costs. Once diesel reached $3.29 a gallon, fuel became equal to salaries as the major operating expense.
“At average fleet operating conditions, rolling resistance accounts for about 35% of a truck’s fuel consumption. That’s a number you just can’t ignore when truck operators are trying to cut costs. So we try to educate our customers through events and information on our Web site how low-rolling resistance truck tires really do trump long mileage tires in the long run.”
Armstrong says Continental has proven that a tire with a deep lug tread pattern also can be fuel efficient. Its HDL 2DL Eco Plus drive tire has a full inch of tread depth, but meets the SmartWay standards.
“So it’s not just a matter of reducing tread depth. There are many other factors that can be adjusted to meet low-rolling resistance standards.
“In the future you’ll see Continental continue to make improvements to our tire tread cap and base, which accounts for 50% to 60% of a tire’s rolling resistance. Primarily, this is achieved via compounding.”
Continental’s ContiLifeCycle flat precure tread products utilize the same fuel-efficient compounds as its new tires, he says.
“Future research will involve improvements in material volume, optimization of deformation, new carbon blacks and innovations in multi-component treads.”
Double Coin Holdings Ltd.
Double Coin is one of two Chinese brands that market SmartWay-certified tires in the U.S. Its F-series covers all three axle positions.
“(They) all feature special compounds and technology throughout the tires to reduce rolling resistance and increase fuel mileage,” says Aaron Murphy, vice president of Double Coin’s U.S. subsidiary, China Manufacturers Alliance LLC. One of the company’s goals is the reduction of raw material and component weights “in order to achieve lower rolling resistance on all products by reducing finished good weight.” Others are in the works, he adds.
Falken Tire Corp.
“Falken’s corporate engineers developed the EcoRun brand incorporating the eco-friendliness of performance and price into its products,” says Nick Fousekis, senior manager of consumer marketing. “EcoRun tires will help drivers save money and fuel as the tires work more resourcefully.”
EcoRun line premium steer (RI-109), drive (BI-887) and trailer (RI-119) tires were introduced at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
Craige McFerrin, Falken’s TBR specialist and account manager, says each tire in the line is available in size 295/75R22.5. He expects size 11R22.5 to be added to the lineup in the second quarter of 2011.
Two other sizes — 11R24.5 and 285/75R24.5 — will be added by the fourth quarter.
GITI Tire (USA) Ltd.
“In the segment of commercial tires, GITI is at the vanguard of manufacturers that comply with regulations created to reduce the emission of toxic greenhouse gases,” says the company.
“For example, the GT Radial GSL213 FS (for steer axles) and GT Radial GT669+ FS (for drive axles) truck tires have already received the SmartWay verification from the EPA under the latest Rolling Resistance Coefficient requirements. And the GT Radial GT979FS (for trailer axles) is in the process of verification.”
GITI says it expects SmartWay verification for additional commercial tires in 2011 and 2012.
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