BRIDGESTONE | SUPER SINGLE TYRES
ARE THEY EASY TO FIT AND USE? Checking and adjusting the air pressure is very easy in super single tyres and consumes less than half the time than dual tyres. In dual tyres we also faced some diffi culty accessing the inner tyre valve and there was some risk of damaging the extension valve as a result. Visual inspections also take a longer time due to the limited accessibility to view the inner sidewall.
WHAT ABOUT SAFETY? When fi tting super singles, we don’t have to worry about mismatching between dual tyres. Dual tyres should have the same pattern, the same pressure and almost the same remaining tread depth, otherwise there can be a lot of abrasion, irregular wear and excessive heat in the case of tyre kissing (the sidewalls of dual tyres touching due to low pressure), It will have a major impact on tyre life and, accordingly, extra cost. Just a small puncture in one tyre might not be noticed by the driver but could ultimately lead to the loss of both tyres.
Another danger of dual tyres is that very
often stones get trapped between both tyres, which rub on the sidewalls creating wear and tear. Often, we end up changing both tyres then due to safety concerns. It is very diffi cult to manage such large
fl eets and make sure that all tyres are properly matched. During busy periods and very long trips, where vehicles are working far from our base, sometimes mounting spare tyres creates mismatching in our tyres but in case of super singles, this problem has not occurred.
WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? It takes less time and is easier to fi t one tyre than two tyres. The super single does not need special tools for mounting and dismounting, the same tools used for 315/80R22.5 can also be used for 385/65R22.5. The storage space required is smaller.
We need to keep a specifi c number of tyres in our warehouse to assure the mobility of our vehicles. For a company like Primefuels (Tanzania) Ltd. Having a big fl eet and servicing several delivery destinations in different
countries, it becomes imperative to optimize stocks as much as possible. Super singles reduce our stock inventory levels. Performance on the steering axle is also
much better than normal size tyres due to the wide tread which gives full stability to this axle, with long tyre life and good irregular wear resistance.
Fact file: Primefuels Ltd. Tanzania Established in 1996
Total number of vehicles: 110 (load carrying only) Main route: Dar es Salaam – Geita Off-road percentage: about 10%
Why are tyres important for Primefules? Tyres form a major part of annual operational expenditure and bears heavily on the roadworthiness of a vehicle from a safety point of view
real QUESTIONS real ANSWERS JUNE 2011
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