Question:
Front and rear truck tyre specifications Regulations in Law?
Sirs, I have been in the tyre industry for some time in the past but never could get hold of anything regarding the above. Manufacturers do have Steering axle, drive axle and multiple application tyres. It is obvious though that their recommendations are aimed at tyre life , economy and of course safety. Are there ANY regulations that
Are there ANY regulations that make it illegal for irresponsible truck owners to use drive-axle tyres on the front/steering wheels of their vehicles? The practice is obviously very risky to the extent that it could be criminal, in view of the fact that the handling characteristics are completely different for steering and drive axle tyres which could lead to serious accidents in case of such tyre failure. Your opinions on this would be greatly appreciated. Remember… it could be our own families ending up in such an accident…
Answer:
No there are no regulations limiting the use of drive axle tyres on steer or even trailer tyres on steer etc.
Each manufacturer has steer / drive / all terrain / trailer free rolling tyres / Quarry and mining tyres. They are all application specific. The responsible transporter must use best practice methods and gather as much technical information from the tyre manufacturer in order to optimise tyre life for his own specific application. That makes absolute sense.
However there are some applications that will require a very aggressive block type tread pattern and heavy duty construction type tyre to be fitted to each and every wheel position — Steer, drive and trailer but of course please revert back to rule no1 where you match the tyres characteristics to the transport application.
Stephen Norris|Field Engineer
BRIDGESTONE SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD
