Front end allignment

[Loc]

Tuga,

I don't know what you herd, but those steer tires are no bull. I am not sure how to cow-ch this, but it is udderly important to use the steer tires as you can really tail the difference when you moove. I would get on the horn and see if you can corral some quickly and then hoof it on down to the tire store. I always pictured you as a cattle-ist for change. I think I have milked this one for most of what it is worth. You can run but you can't hide from the bad puns. Dont give this much thought because it may cause mental angus. Yes Jerry there was a "g" in angus.

Sorry, it was a late night and a early morning here in NYC.

SpongeBob,

There is really such a thing as steer tires. Most tire companies now call them all position tires instead of steer tires (made for the steer axle). On the bus I have steer tires or all position tires all the way around. There are lug or traction tires made for better traction on the drive axle (think of a logging truck application) which most companies now call drive tires. A lug tire is not ideal for a steer axle application. Let me know how the slide repair turns out. The steer tires are really popular in Austin.

Loc

[truk4u]

Spongebob,

Steer tires are common in the trucking business, so I think you stepped on your winkie!

[merle&louise]

PunMan,

Love those puns keep them coming! I emailed Michelin last night asking about the steer tires - will post as soon as I hear back from them. Have fun in the Big Apple. Is the Millenium parked on Fifth Avenue? (Like Jeff Bayley)

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Spongebob,

Steer tires are common in the trucking business, so I think you stepped on your winkie!

Well then I sit corrected ?

But I'll bet there is not one person on this site, that orders a specific "STEER" tire to put on the front of his bus, when he replaces tires?

If so what is the difference in the tire code designation to show that it is a steer tire, and not just a tire for all axels? LOC prove this one to me!

Bet you can't !

Gary S.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Gary, the opposite is true. We order tires that are acceptable for the steer position as well as the other positions. If we were to order "snow tires" with agressive lugged tread none of us would allow those tires anywhere except on the drives.

Tires have changed significantly from our first coach. The Michelins of the time on all buses I saw wore on the outside edges on the steer axle. The tire was apparently designed for less weight than our front axles carried and a new tire would quickly show more wear on the outsides even with air pressure equal to or in excess of the recommended pressures.

If the tire was not balanced the outer edges would scallop and the only recourse was to put them on the drive axle to true them back up. The tag axle would eat up a pair of scalloped tires in a few thousand miles. The newer tire designs never show the wear patterns like that anymore. That scalloping is what got me started with Equal and the elimination of scalloping when Equal was used was impressive. A tire balanced with weights would start to scallop within 5000 miles.

The newer tires are nowhere near as sensitive to uneven wear or scalloping.

Loc.......how much of your company's time was spent writing your puns? No wonder AIG is in the dumper.

[Ray Davis]

Ray, How was your fuel milage going cross country. I logged on about 5200 miles and got 5.9 and thats towing an going an average of 70 mph.

Sid, I got about 6.3MPG over 4500 miles, towing. Generally I tried to keep it around 65. At one stretch after a fill up I had gotten 9+ for about 100 miles! (I guess we were going down hill?)

This new bus has a ProDriver DC console in it, which I really like.


Ray

[Sid Tuls]

Sid, I got about 6.3MPG over 4500 miles, towing. Generally I tried to keep it around 65. At one stretch after a fill up I had gotten 9+ for about 100 miles! (I guess we were going down hill?)

This new bus has a ProDriver DC console in it, which I really like.


Ray

Ray what is a ProDriver DC ??

[0533]

I have logged about 12,500 miles since my purchase last fall. I reset the unit when I purchased it. When I look at the Pro Driver III readouts I see all activity for the entire period 12,500 miles. I averaged 7.19 miles to the gallon over the entire 12,500 mile period. Now as you know this includes idle times as well which can represent a good portion of the total. When I look at the Pro Driver while running down the road It reads out around 6.5 MPG at 70MPH while towing on Economy transmission mode, the rest is combo of idle hours I guess. The Pro Driver III is a great tool.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Jon forgive me for being so "DENSE" ? I understand the resaon behind using a balancing agent like Equal, but I still don't see a definitive answer to the question?


Is there a specific tire or tire code you sould ask for if you were needing to replace the front tires? "Steer Tires"


Or as I see it, any of the quality brand & proper tires rated for load for your bus are all you need to ask for to mount on the front ? Sorry for being such a nubie!

Gary S.

[0533]

Jon forgive me for being so "DENSE" ? I understand the resaon behind using a balancing agent like Equal, but I still don't see a definitive answer to the question?


Is there a specific tire or tire code you sould ask for if you were needing to replace the front tires? "Steer Tires"


Or as I see it, any of the quality brand & proper tires rated for load for your bus are all you need to ask for to mount on the front ? Sorry for being such a nubie!

Gary S.

Gary, I think the answer depends somewhat on what you feel your bus needs based on existing factors and how much you want to spend. The short answer is I do not think there is a tire that is only designated to the steer position.

I also feel that if you have a heavy front end or do not like the ride with your air pressure at 120 lbs. then you might consider the 365 70R 22.5 upgrade. This will offer a higher weight limit, lower air pressure, wider tires, deeper tread and a better overall ride, but it all comes with a price.

The Michelin 315/80 22.5 Energy is a great choice as well, great highway tire and can be placed on all 3 locations, the tag, drive and steer position. The 365's can only go on the steer and the tag position because of the width, and stud pattern. There is no way to mix and match the 365 70R 22.5 with the 315 80R 22.5 at the drive position.

So it really depends on your bus, your driving patterns and your pocketbook.