Goodyear Fuel Efficient Truck Tires · 10/02/2006
With diesel prices up 77% in the last five years, it is no wonder if truck drivers—and fleet owners—are looking for ways to save on fuel. From tuning up their engines, to cutting back on idle time, to running the A/C less, pretty much anything that will help save on fuel costs is now very “in.”
Now Goodyear has entered the fuel-saving race, introducing a line of truck tires that, it says, could save truck drivers big money. Introduced at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas in August, Goodyear’s “Fuel Max” technology comprises “innovative tread designs, along with advanced compound and manufacturing technologies,” according to Steve McClellan, a Goodyear vice-president. Fuel Max technology is available on the company’s Unisteel G395 LHS steer tires, Unisteel G305 LHD drive tires, and Unisteel G316 LHT trail tires, as well as its UniCircle and precure retreadings.
In a test by the Society of Automotive Engineers, tires equipped with Fuel Max technology “showed an 8 percent improvement in vehicle fuel economy compared with standard goodyear over-the-road tires,” according to a statement. “Since no one drives at constant speed on flat terrain for a 10-hour shift,” the company said, “Goodyear engineers adjusted the SAE results to 4 percent fo estimate real-world conditions.”
According to Goodyear’s analysis, that 4% could translate into fuel savings of $2,100 per year, assuming you drive your truck 120,000 per year, it gets 6 miles per gallon, and you pay an average of $2.85 per gallon. (Actually, it’s more like $2,200 using their numbers.) With fuel prices having eased slightly since August, to $2.55 per gallon according to the Department of Energy, the savings are more like $1,900 or $2,000—but that’s still no small potatoes.
Goodyear’s press release did not mention the price of the tires, at a recent visit to a truck stop other tires were spotted ranging between $700 and $1,500 the pair, or $6,300 to $13,500 per vehicle for an 18-wheeler with nine pairs of tires. If your tires need replacing and the Goodyears are priced competitively, you might want to think about switching. But it’s still up in the air, at least to this writer, whether it’s worth ditching a set of good tires and refitting now given the possible cost of the tires and Goodyear’s projected savings.
— Rim & Tire Wholesalers
