Replacing the standard two thinner tires per wheel normally found on 18-wheeler Trailers with a single wide-base tire improves the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty tractor-trailer trucks and allows them to be made to run with more stability, according to studies by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Interstate tests by ORNL’s National Transportation Research Center show gas mileage increased nearly 3% with use of wider single tires on tractor-trailers. Bill Knee, who headed the study, said the change also allows widening of the trailer frame by six inches, providing a much more stable configuration.We noticed that there was about a 2.9% fuel saving in using the new generation single wide tires over the standard dual tires. These trucks do 125,000 miles per year on the average. They currently get five miles per gallon. You can see there is a considerable amount of savings dollar-wise that can be realized through tires like this.—Bill Knee With those figures, a 3% improvement in fuel economy would reduce fuel consumption by about 728 gallons per year per truck. The wide base tires improve fuel efficiency by decreasing weight and rolling resistance. Knee said tire formulation and the design of the tire are likely contributors to the fuel savings.
Diesel costs over $4 a gallon today, and these savings will yield upwards of $1000 annually in fuel savings per trailer hauled. Now multiply that by the number of 18-Wheelers on the road and we see lots of gallons and dollars saved due to a shift in standard equipment.
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