As the ranks of lighter commercial trucks grow, so do the number of tires and retreads specifically engineered for them

Recognizing the growth in lighter-duty (Class 1-5) commercial vehicles, major tire and retread makers are offering products specifically designed to match up with the demands of the jobs these trucks perform.

According to tire engineers, key design factors for commercial light-truck tires include low initial pricing, long tread life, retreadability, good traction, and improved driver comfort (often defined as reduced harshness or enhanced "road feel").

Of course, given the range of vehicle applications spanning the Class 1-5 GVW range, no one tire can meet everyone's light-to-medium truck needs.

On the other hand, with so many tires tailored to commercial use, fleets don't have to be limited to one solution to put the right rubber on the road.

In fact, the three major tire suppliers to trucking - Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., Michelin North America Inc., and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., as well as the largest retreader, Bandag Inc. - have recently released new products aimed directly at commercial users of lighter vocational trucks.

And other suppliers, including Continental General and Yokohama, offer products suitable for various light-truck applications.

For example, Goodyear has introduced a new tire that was developed with input from a customer, FedEx, as well as two of its suppliers, Freightliner and Meritor. The G647 RSS (regional service steer) is a 225/70R19.5 F radial that's being offered to both OEM and replacement customers.

"The G647 came about because of concerns FedEx had about fast wear rates of steer tires on its package-delivery trucks," explains Mike Thomann, Goodyear's marketing director-commercial truck tires. "Those wear rates were related to the weight of the vehicles coupled with their stop-and-go, tight-turning service.

"Working with other suppliers, we analyzed the steering axle and made changes to the geometry of the front end that improved steer tire wear by 20-25%," Thomann continues. "Then we went to work to develop a tire for longer life in this service."

The result is the G647, which Thomann says improves tread life by 30% beyond the improvements gained by adjusting the FedEx vehicle's specs. He says the tire boasts a "dramatically different tread pattern, an innovative tread compound for high-scrub service, and an M+S (mud and snow) designation." Although developed and being marketed as a steer tire, Thomann notes that the G647 can "probably be used in all wheel positions."

Other G647 features that make it highly suitable for demanding P&D applications include raised sidewall protector ribs with wear indicators to reduce sidewall damage, and circumferential grooves and lateral blading to provide a high degree of wet traction.

According to Thomann, Goodyear tested the G647 RSS against the G15 - its "tire of choice for normal conditions" - in fast-rate-of-wear applications. In the testing, the new tire posted significant increases in overall mileage and wet traction.

The G647 is an all-steel radial, with a steel body core and steel plies, to allow retreading it more than once. "The value of all-steel construction vs. what's found in typical 'pickup truck' tires," notes Thomann, "is retreadability."

Although the G647 uses a deeper thread, 16.5/32nds instead of 15, Thomann says it incurs no more rolling resistance than previous tires. He says the tire would be "most appropriate fitted to any Class 4-5 vehicles with 19.5-in. wheels."

According to John Miller, engineering manager-commercial corporate accounts for Bridgestone/ Firestone Truck Tire Sales Co., an all-steel radial is needed even for shorthaul trucks if they're carrying heavy loads and retreadability is desired.

He points out that the all-steel R187 radial, available in 16- and 19.5-in. sizes, fits the bill as a "heavier-duty" tire for lower-GVW trucks. So much so, Miller reports, that Miami-based Ryder recently switched from spec'ing combination-construction (steel belts with polyester body plies) tires to the R187 on all the Isuzu NPR delivery trucks it's buying.

"Thanks to e-commerce, there's a big push on for more van deliveries," Miller notes. "Trucks like the NPR can use a combi tire but putting an all-steel radial on increases durability and retreadability.

"You may be able to retread a combi once, but you can get up to two retreads for sure on a steel casing," he continues. "What's more, unlike an all-steel tire, you can't retread a combi that's been punctured."

As for traction, Miller doesn't feel it's a big issue for delivery truck operators outside the Northeast and Midwest. He says many fleets in those regions rely on retreading to bring traction tread designs into their operations.

Besides retreadability, another major determinant of tire value is original tread mileage. Miller says tread life depends on the tread design and compound used as well as the vehicle application and the fleet's attention to inflation pressures. "You won't see a lot of irregular wear on delivery vehicles," he notes, "because there is significant scrub-off from hard turning."

According to Miller, delivery fleets are as concerned about driver comfort as their over-the-road brethren. "To help make the driver more comfortable," he points out, "all our tires are designed for reduced noise. Concern about drivers is also why some fleets spec smaller, 17.5-in. tires. They allow a lower deck height, which makes it less fatiguing to get in and out of the truck.

According to Randy Clark, director of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, "local delivery applications demand tires that are rugged and able to withstand scrubbing, pinches, and punctures."

He says Michelin's 22.5-in. XZE all-wheel position tire is "specifically designed for vehicles operating in delivery applications where harsh driving environments have a major impact on tire life."

Clark says the XZE boasts a five-rib, "wide shoulder" design with 22/32nds of original tread that affords it 10-15% more tread life than its XZA predecessor. It also boasts "curb guards" for sidewall protection; broad, buttressed shoulders to fight shoulder wear; and stone ejectors to resist stone drilling.

The XZE's zigzag tread pattern, according to Clark, provides for fast water evacuation to provide excellent wet traction. The tire also has full-depth sipes to improve traction in all wheel positions. Retreadability is enhanced by the XZE's four-belt crown package.

Roger Stansbie, national field engineering manager for Continental General Tire Co., points out that LMT 400/460 Series 19.5-in. tires were developed strictly for commercial-duty light trucks, such as Ford F450/550 vehicles.

"Driver comfort and handling are important attributes of these tires," says Stansbie, "as these vehicles carried over from the passenger side of the business."

The LMT 400 is designated for all-position service. According to Stansbie, it features a 16/32nds tread depth for long tread life and a tread design that provides excellent handling with low noise.

The LMT 460 is an all-terrain tire with tread depth of 18/32nds and an aggressive tread pattern that Stansbie says is suitable for both on- and off-road use.

Both the LMT 400 and 460 feature a three-belt, steel body ply casing that makes them "suitable for multiple retreads."

"Commercial tire buyers want all-steel construction if they plan to retread," says Bill Forsch, commercial products manager for Yokohama Tires. "However, on lighter-duty trucks, retreadability may not be as important to them as initial tread life and initial purchase price.

"We do see these fleet buyers concerned with tread patterns," he continues. "And that usually translates to getting the tire that will appeal the most to a fleet's drivers. The driver is king. They want tires that provide ride comfort, low noise, good traction, and stopping power. After driver acceptance, most light-truck operators want to realize 40,000 to 60,000 miles of original tread life."

Forsch points out that among Yokohama's commercial tire offerings for light- and medium-duty trucks are the RY215, a combi tire with polyester carcass and steel belts, and the TY025 traction, an all-steel tire.

No matter the tire make, the ability to retread the casing is essential to many operators of all sizes and types of commercial trucks. It's not surprising then that retreaders have hopped on the light commercial bandwagon with job-specific products.

For example, within the past two years, Bandag Inc. has introduced two new application-specific treads for Class 3-5 vehicles, the MetroMax rib and drive treads and the ATR-LT (light truck) "aggressive traction" tread.

According to manager of fleet communications Don Schauer, the ATR-LT is "specially designed for progressive traction in slippery conditions while the MetroMax boasts other features that make it highly suitable, as its name suggests, for city driving conditions.

Both the ATR-LT and the MetroMax drive have a tread depth of 16/32nds while the MetroMax rib has 13/32nds of tread. Schauer says all three designs were developed against "best-in-class" replacement tires." By comparison to those tires, he reports the MetroMax rib offers 35% more wear-out mileage; the MetroMax drive 30% more; and the ATR-LT 25% more.

Schauer notes the MetroMax underwent more than 33-million miles of testing with a major package-delivery fleet. Its design features include tread elements that help maximize traction; aggressive blading that optimizes wet, ice, and snow traction; and tie bars that minimize irregular wear.

He says the aggressive ATR-LT tread design provides up to 32% better startup traction in snow than the best-in-class tires it was compared against. The tread also features connected shoulder lugs to reduce irregular wear and stabilizing tie bars for improved tread wear performance.

Perhaps naturally, as a retreader, Bandag also endorses the use of all-steel tires on lighter commercial trucks.

"When purchasing original tires," Schauer advises, "if you want the ability to retread, be sure to purchase a tire intended for commercial use. The casing of a P-metric, or passenger car-type, tire usually includes fabric instead of the all-steel construction needed for retreadability."