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Facts:
1. Air pressure is the
single most important component in tire maintenance.
2. It is also the most
neglected aspect of tire maintenance.
3. A tires worst enemy
is heat, and overloading a tire generates a lot of it
4. Proper or improper
monitoring will easily produce a 20% increase or decrease in your tire
program and related expenses. How? Read on.
The importance of
maintaining proper air pressures in tires cannot be overstated. Consider
the following:
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A tire is
considered flat when it contains 80% or less of the recommended air
pressure for the load it is carrying.
-
Tires running at
20% underinflated will yield a 16% decrease in mileage to removal
and at least a 2.5% decrease in fuel mileage.
-
Tires w/air
pressure set too low or too high become more vulnerable to road
hazards.
-
Any tire with
improper air pressure for the speed and load it carries will have a
footprint that is outside of the manufacturers design specs and will
therefore exhibit an irregular wear pattern, resulting in earlier
removal.
-
Unnecessary heat
endured by a casing will always shorten the life and future
retreadability of that casing.
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Tire pressures on
duals must be equal to each other. If one tire is 10 PSI more than
the one next to it, it increases the load on that tire and results
in faster wear out.
-
An increase of
speed from 55 MPH to 75 MPH without a corresponding change in air
pressure or load will reduce miles to removal by 20-30%.
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Excessive sidewall
deformations from low air pressure make it more susceptible to cuts
and curb damage
These factors and many
more can easily be combined to determine where your fleet falls as far
as it's maintenance program and room for savings and improvement.
Read on .....
Air
pressure Do's and Don'ts ,
Industry
Statistics |
