Pressure Systems International’s (PSI) Commercial Fleet Tire Digest for this month is now available. The article focuses on wheel weights, specifically how to balance truck tires with weights.
PSI writes “Radial truck tires for Class 8 vehicles weigh around 135 lb. for the common 295/75R22.5 drive tire size and in the 180-lb. range for the 445/50R22.5 widebase tires. Having one of these excessively out of balance will have negative effects on tread wear and vehicle handling.
“Today’s truck tires are built around the world with state of the art hi-tech manufacturing equipment. Tires are not always in perfect balance brand new out of the factory but they are pretty close … If a tire does not run ‘true,’ irregular wear and vibration will develop leading to premature tire removals. In addition to reducing the safety of the vehicle, fuel economy also drops significantly if the tire is hopping over the highway due to an imbalance condition.”
To read more from PSI on the topic, including tips for balancing an aluminum wheel with lead weights, please CLICK HERE.
