protective curb rib,” said Uys, adding that the Conti HSR3 and Conti HSR2 offer such protections. In terms of tire inventory, Philadelphia’s Faillace said the district keeps enough onsite inventory for three buses at two locations and five buses at his location, in case there’s an inspection or road service. He added that they work with three vendors that supply the tires that can be at the district in about two hours if they need tires immediately. “But we don’t like to stock too many because of the cost and because we can get them delivered quickly,” he said, adding that transportation staff try to order about 12 tires at a time to receive a discount. While Salt Lake City’s mechanics regularly inspect
all tires, Martinez relayed that the tire vendor manages all district inventory at its store. Company technicians bring new tires to the district and perform all mounting and balancing. “I have the wheels reconditioned each time and
replace valve stems when doing this. They come about every other month and complete a fleet survey (at no cost) of our tires as well. This involves their people
com[ing] in on a Saturday and look[ing] at each tire’s wear and inflation,” he added. “They send the info to us, and we decide if we need to rotate, perform an align- ment, repair or replace. Of course, if they find a flat, they just repair it at that time. “The only time my guys touch a tire is checking them at service time or when replacing parts like brakes or leaf springs,” Martinez said.
To Retread or Not to Retread? Retreading can save money and give tires a “new life.”
Using retreaded tires for the rear non-drive wheels is especially common and in fact recommended by the National School Bus Specifications and Procedures manual. “Each of these retread products deliver similar performance to the original tire,” said Uys. Electric buses may also raise different retreading and
replacement questions or needs. “In general, electric vehicles differ from their combus- tible engine counterparts in their vehicle configurations, suspensions and weight, all factors that have a unique impact on a tire’s casing and tread wear,” noted Bridge-
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