Released Sunday at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting in Nashville, Accuride says the new wheels are 4 lbs. lighter than the previous models they replace, and will give the company the lightest-weight range of standard aluminum wheels, based on total weight, in the North American commercial vehicle industry.
“When it comes to giving fleets the ideal solution for their application, Accuride is the only wheel manufacturer capable of offering alternatives in either steel or aluminum,” says Rick Dauch, Accuride President and CEO. “Along with our advanced new Steel Armor coating for steel wheels, these new Accu-Lite Duplex aluminum wheels give fleets even more ways to save money by lowering total tractor-trailer weight, boosting fuel economy and payload, trimming maintenance costs and a host of related benefits. It comes down to our commitment to deliver value and reliability for our customers.”
As part of the latter half of Accuride’s “Fix & Grow” strategy, the new aluminum wheels are expected to be transitioned into the market in the second quarter, Accuride says.
Accuride’s new Duplex wheels – identified with part numbers 41142 and 41140 – will be the lightest-weight 22.5-in. x 14-in. Duplex aluminum wheels on the market today and replace previous part numbers 41660 and 41016, respectively. By reengineering the design of these prior Duplex models, Accuride says it has reduced the weight of PN 41660 by 3 lbs. and PN 41016 by 4 lbs. The wheels were assigned new part numbers to make it easier to identify them as zero-outset (PN41140) or 2 in. -outset (PN41142) wheels. Both 10-hand-hole, hub-piloted aluminum wheels are rated to support a maximum load of 12,800 lbs., the company says.
Accuride also ensures a superior finish by offering polish as standard on all of its Accu-Lite aluminum wheels. Both new 14-in. Duplex wheels are available with Accuride’s standard polish (SP) or extra-polish (XP) finishes, the company says.
Accuride says its Duplex tires also offers improved fuel efficiency or increased payload capacity by replacing traditional dual wheel sets with one wide-base 22.5-in. x 14-in. wheel on tandem-axle tractors and trailers. These new wheels reduce maintenance time and labor costs because the technician is only mounting or dismounting four wheels, not eight, Accuride says. Without the inner wheel to service, inspecting the wheel-tire assembly and inflating the tires is fast and efficient, the company says.
