Steer Tires

[pafarmer]

Looking for opinions on what people think are the best steer tires for a tandem dump truck. I seem to wear them out quickly. tried several of the major brands and I am not to happy with any of them. Just wondering what others think and are seeing in terms of value for the dollar and wear life.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Are you sure the tires are the issue and not a front end problem? When the tires wear out, have they worn evenly? Have you weighed your axles with a load on? If the front end is overloaded the tires would wear quickly. I'd hate to see you spend money for what you think would be a better tire and see it wear too.

 

[pafarmer]

She's running a bit heavy now and again. Front end is decent. Repalced a bunch of parts. It's a 1993 and used daily so yeah its old and worn a bit but i maintain it well. Just wondering what people have been having luck with.

 

[06Pete]

Short tandems eat tires reguardless but I have had better luck with Good Year 286, 287, and 288 they have big shoulders with wide ribs. They give prety good mileage and havent been cupping or skuffing to bad. I also like BF goodritch 444 for rear tires excelent traction and good life.

 

[Randy88]

On one of my semi's we were wearing tires like crazy till we had a total alignment done, it wasn't off by much but it helped ten fold over for tire wear, now we don't wear them out we end up ruining them long before they are worn out, but I don't put many miles per year on my trucks, not like the over the road guys do.

 

[tireman]

Michelin XZY or XZY3(XZY probably gonna be cheaper, because it's a 2o+ year old model, but it's still around for a reason).No info on the XZY3, other than it looks like a quieter,more highway friendly version.Don't let the looks fool you, though.I can't personally vouch for the XZY3's grip in the slop, but the XZY2 looked similar, and I was very skeptical when I put them on my service truck.First time I got into some slick, sloppy ground I was quite impressed with how much bite they had.The Bridgestone M843 is another very good option.I had a pair of them on my last new service truck, and was very happy with them.Just remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[R W Merrick]

i agree with tireman. I have run all three of his recommendations (and a few others) on my triaxle and they are the three best i have tried.. I would use the m843s if i was mostly in the dirt and the xzy if i was mostly on the road. i liked the xzy3 but not enough to justify the premium over the xzy. i would caution people to make sure that you have the right size tire as well. I have seen many tandems and triaxles with the wrong size tires on. In PA we are allowed up to 20000 on the steer axle. If a truck comes from another area of the country where the weights are different or is a tractor conversion it will often have tires (and axles) rated for less weight.