Community Forums

Gordon Dewald · 05-15-2014, 01:12 PM

I have often wondered about the singles. Thank you for starting the thread.

It will be a few years before I need tires (getting it in July) so there is lots of time to see if anyone does go that way and what the response is.

I would think that the maintenance on a single would be very much easier than duals. Currently with extensions on I have to crawl and contort to check and air the inside tire. I have extensions but am reluctant to get longer ones.

I believe most of the blowouts are due to low pressure so in theory with easier tire maintenance perhaps there will be fewer blowouts resulting in less damage.

Tireman9 · 05-15-2014, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pops2

if you get a flat you got a flat if you have duallys youcan sometimes limp it in for repairs. think what your options are.

If you loose one tire in a dual pair the other tire is now 100% overloaded. To compensate you have to slow down to about 2 mph or you are risking blowing the remaining tire due to overload.

I have posted on this in my tire blog.

deSanford · 05-15-2014, 08:38 PM

At the Indio rally we had the super single installed on our Monaco. It was a BAD idea and we had them removed and our duels re installed. The rear end became unstable and the tire foot print of two tires is larger then one super single. Shocks and air-bags were designed for the duels. deSanford

Mike Thomas · 05-15-2014, 08:38 PM

Your axles have to be built to take the super singles. Early on, truck drivers tried it on their trucks built for duals and it lead to axle failures. Bottom line, you can bolt them on there, but it just ain't gonna work....

Dave Fernandez · 05-16-2014, 08:16 PM

I have the single rear tire for four years now and have had no problems. I get a better ride in the rear. I have had no problems in the rain. I was also in Gillette WY and after the heavy down pour which left a lot of mud where we were park I had no problem getting out.

They run cooler than my duals per my TPMS.

The increase in fuel mileage was .5 mpg.

The Alpine Coach has hydraulic disc brakes and the rotor is now in the air stream and stays cooler.

Overall I am glad I made the switch. I did get mine at the Indio Rally.

Gordon Dewald · 05-16-2014, 10:56 PM

This is from Cummins secrets of better mileage:

Wide Based Tires
Fleets can improve rolling resistance even more by using wide based tires on
drive and trailer axles. Closed track tire testing has shown as much as 4% MPG
improvement over conventional dual rib tires on drive and trailer axle positions.

Tread Depth and Pattern
According to Bridgestone, the tire tread accounts for 60–70% of the tires’ rolling resistance. Not only do the tires differ in rolling resistance when new, but as the tread wears, the rolling resistance of the tire changes.
A 7/32 tread wear represents ~10% reduction in rolling resistance (5% better mpg) compared to a new tire. Rib tires at all wheel positions will provide greatest fuel efficiency.
Tread pattern is important because lugs have deeper tread (more rolling resistance) than ribs. If we take a new ribbed tire as the standard, a new lugged tire is less fuel efficient by about 6%. A worn tire is about 7% more fuel efficient than a new tire.

stumpnc · 05-18-2014, 07:09 AM

I run the super singles on my Peterbilt Road Tractor. I pull chemical tankers for a living. I switched over 8 years ago.I am averaging almost 250,000 miles out of a set of tires. I am very satisfied with the service life I get from these tires. In 8 years of running my truck over 100,000 miles a year I have only had 3 instances where I found punctures in these tires and needed repairs. Plug patch from the inside. These tires are very very tough. I have heard all the stories from other drivers ,I don't like them, What if you get a flat, I can limp in ect.The bottom line most of these people have only heard about these tires and not actually run them themselves or had to Buy them! They are expensive on National Account I can buy the 455 series Michelin for about $940.00 each. Retail price is around 1250.00 each. I don't think it would be economically feasible to put these on a RV because of the cost. Rims will run you around 600.00 each for Alcoa. To the people that say they can limp in on a single, yeah you can limp it in But when you get to the tire shop expect to buy 2 new tires the extra heat that is generated can cause casing failure that you cannot see on the outside. The majority of the treads you see on the hiway ''Gators"" from tires that have come apart are from low air pressure. New tires and recaps can com apart ,but usually it's from low air pressure and heat. It seems that the majority of the RVers don't drive their coaches that many miles a year I myself couldn't justify the cost.