100psi all around is incorrect, Bandag chief Greg Nielsen says
By Steve Skinner | December 3, 2013
One of Australia’s leading tyre experts says many trucking operators and drivers are running the wrong pressures in their tyres.
This is aside from the big issue of checking to ensure that the intended pressures are being maintained.
Greg Nielsen is Group Retread Business Manager with Bridgestone, which owns retread specialist Bandag.
Nielsen has been with Bandag for 32 years since he began as an apprentice fitter and turner at the company’s main plant in Brisbane, where he still works.
He’s told ATN that much of the trucking industry has a “100 pound syndrome”, where 100psi (pounds per square inch) is regarded as the norm on tyres all around a truck and trailer combination.
“Inflation pressures should always relate to the load on the tyre, and the size of the tyre makes a difference as well,” Nielsen advises.
“So you need to check tyre size and load and then you calculate the pressure.”
Nielsen says most operators are running maximum loads on the steer tyres, such as up to 6.5 tonnes spread over two tyres. So an R150 tyre on these trucks should be inflated at 120psi.
“But a lot of operators let steer tyres down to get a softer ride. So the tyre’s running under-inflated and that’s where you get the issues of wear,” Nielsen says.
“100psi is 20 per cent under-inflated. That’s huge. That tyre is on the way out, it’s not going to last, and if you get much lower than that, you risk the tyre blowing out. It doesn’t matter what brand it is.”
Nielsen advises that as a rule of thumb on drive and trailer tyres, which carry less load each than steers, the inflation should be 90psi.
He says this is actually a bit on the high side to allow for tyres not being checked as often as they should be.
Apart from the risk of excessive heat leading to blowouts, running tyres under-inflated can cost a lot of money because the damaged casings cannot be used for re-treading.
Check out the January edition of ATN for the full story on Bandag’s Brisbane manufacturing plant. Click here to secure your copy.
