Tyres are crucial for every vehicle. And when it comes to commercial vehicles that have to carry tonnes and tonnes of materials, it is essential that these vehicles have the best quality tyres!
Hence, it is a must to select the right set of tyres for your truck to enhance the handling quality of the truck, acceleration, and braking. Using a good quality tyre not only makes driving smooth but also improves the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
What is the USP of a good truck tyre?
- Good performance: The quality and durability of the truck tyre are determined by its performance. A good truck tyre is always fuel-efficient, handles the vehicle at high speeds well and remains stable during adverse conditions.
- Smooth ride: Some of the tyre designs create loads of road noise and experience significant road vibrations. A good tyre will never make you face these two issues. It comes with the best tread design that offers smoothness and delivers the best performance and traction on rough roads.
- Safety: Trucks are not easy to drive on roads, so a tyre you are choosing for the truck must have the ability to control the trucks at high speeds and on off-roads especially. A tyre’s quality is also determined by its gripping corners as it controls the truck in adverse conditions during rains and storms.
Popular types of truck tyres
1. Tubeless tyres
Between the tubeless and tube-type truck tyre, always go for the tubeless ones. Tubeless tyres for trucks make driving safer. When you are using a tubeless tyre, you are not required to use alloys wheels for installation of tyres. Steel wheels can also be used in tubeless tyres.
2. All-season truck tyres
Most of the tyres nowadays are all-season driving tyres. They are also known as OE tyres whose main focus is giving the best on-road performance. If you have chosen an all-season truck tyre for your vehicle, then you will be enjoying long miles with better fuel efficiency. The on-season truck tyres are an ideal solution as it offers you a moderate performance on roads. The main USP of an all-season truck tyre is fuel efficiency, road handling ability, and great comfort to drivers on the road.
3. All-Terrain: Known for on-road & off-road performance
If you are an adventurous truck driver, go with a terrain truck tyre. It offers extra-durability and better performance especially when you are driving a truck on hilly areas and tough roads. Terrain tyres, also known as snow-rate tyres, are paired 4×4 to effectively handle the winter’s worst conditions. If you are driving on potholed or rough roads, terrain tyres would be the ideal choice.
4. Mud terrain trucks tyre
Looking for a tyre that delivers the best off-road performance? Go with mud terrain tyres. These tyres are designed to make truck driving smooth on off-road environments. This truck tyre is an ideal option for those who drive off-road most of the time as compared to normal roads.
5. High Performance (HP) truck tyre
These types of tyres are made up of sticky rubber and tread depths. High performance tyres are designed especially for rain and snowy routes. A truck driver who is making most of the trips on hilly areas can consider installing this tyre.
6. Ultra-high performance truck tyre
It works similarly to HP tyres and is known for offering better performance on-road traction.
7. M+S (mud and snow)
Works best at three-peak mountain areas. These truck tyres came in the market after giving an internationally packed snow-traction test.
To avoid facing bumpy rides on the road, here are some tips and tricks for using the right quality of tyres.
Tyre size
To choose the right tyre for the truck, keep the size in mind. It is divided into three parts: rim size, width, and height of the tyre. Here, we have taken an example, 195/55 R 16 87V.
- 195 mm – Tread size
- 55% – depicts the percentage contribution to the height of the truck.
- R – radial construction of the tyre
- 16 inches – refers to the wheel diameter
- 87 inches- load index of the tyre
- V – depicts the speed of the tyre
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Rim size
Whenever you are choosing a tyre for your truck make sure that the rim size is the same as that of the tyre. If the rim size is bigger than the tyre, it will minimize the height of the truck’s sidewalls. As a result, you will face issues while handling the vehicle.
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Tread width
This decides the truck’s performance on the road. Choosing the right tread width improves the fuel efficiency and gives your truck a robust look.
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Sidewall height
Along with choosing the accurate rim size and the proper tread, it is a must that a tyre has a proper sidewall height. It makes tyre replacement easier.
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Size of the truck
When you are replacing the tyres of your truck, make sure there is no difference between the old and new truck tyre. It should be the same. Being a truck driver, if you are unaware of the size of the tyre, you can find this information from the owner’s manual. You will get to know everything about the tyre size.
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Read the tyre ratings and reviews properly
You can get to know about the tyre by reading the tyre’s sidewall ratings. It helps in understanding durability and tyre performance. The truck is a huge vehicle to drive, so the tyres installed on the truck match well with the size, width, and height of the truck.
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Check the tyre size and rating
Before changing the tyre, check for the size that is mentioned in the manual. It will help you in making the right decision. Another factor to keep in mind while selecting the size of the tyre is checking the speedometer to know at what speed you can drive the truck using that tyre. Changing the tyre size frequently affects the driving characteristics. Whenever you change the size of the tyre in comparison to the old tyre, the vehicle performance will get affected.
Features of large-size tyres· Increases the ground clearance
· Unsprung weight
· Make it easier for vehicles to roll over large objects in a hassle-free way
· Lower gas mileage
· Slower acceleration
· Long braking distances
Features of small size tyre
· Brakes, steering, and suspension performs better
· Increases the fuel mileage
· You can find this information on the tyre packaging. The better the tyre size and rating, the better the truck will perform on the road. Try to choose a tyre that falls in the middle of the rating scale.
Check for tyre speed rating
It refers to the loading speed of the truck. The common rating that defines the speed of the tyre is V and Z. V means the speed in 240 km/hr or 149 mph, and Z means the top speed. All this information is available on the tyre manual provided by the manufacturer.
Check for tyre markings
Each of the tyres is marked with width, rim size, load range, and sidewall height. Here are some examples to understand the tyre markings.
LT315.70R17 M+S 3 Peak II
· 315 – width in millimetres
· 70 is the ratio of sidewall height to width: 315 x 70 percent = 220.5-mm-tall sidewall
· R indicates radial
· 17 – size in inches
· 121- load rating of the truck
· 118 – Truckload rating, if the tire is used for a dual setup
· O – speed rating listed as a letter, not a number
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Check for tyre loading rating
It signifies the loading limit of the truck. Always go for a tyre rating that matches the truck size.
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Truck tyre tread rating
When it comes to checking truck tyre tread rating, most of the tires come with UTQG. It is a specification for temperature, traction, and treadwear. Theory depicts that the higher the treadwear rating, the longer the tyre durability.
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Warranty of the tyre
You should always choose a tyre that offers good coverage against all the defects. A good truck tyre always comes with a warranty that covers the tyre tread warranty. It guarantees a certain number of miles. If a tyre goes off-roading, then no warranty will be given. While choosing a truck tyre, clearly understand and read the warranty terms.
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Manufacture date
Whenever you are purchasing a truck tyre, check for the manufacturing date as well. It is represented in the form of a DOT code, an A4 digit number where the first two digits state the week, and the last two digits state the year of manufacturing.
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The reputation of the manufacturer
When you are purchasing a truck tyre, buy it from a renowned manufacturer only. It saves you from getting a bad-quality tyre.
List of the best Truck Tyres in India
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Jet steel JDC tyre- Apollo
The jet steel JDC truck tyre is known for features like open shoulders, solid tie bars, higher thread depth, superior tread compound, open grooves, solid tie bars, and block-type lug design. It offers good wear resistance and amazing mileage.
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Pro C-10 Ceat
It is one of the best models in the HCV segment. It offers uniform treadwear and high durability to the truck. It is made with NEC technology with better rubber distribution.
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Steel Muscle S3C8 – MRF
It offers high mileage with better loading applications. This truck tyre has a staggered block design with a high rubber content to maintain the truck’s durability. Better abrasion and resistance are the main USPs of this tyre.
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XDY 3
This truck tyre is known for offering usage flexibility to the truck driver on/off-road conditions. The best part about this tyre is that it comes with the best shock-resistance capabilities and sidewall protection.
Conclusion
When shopping for new truck tyres, you need to consider all the above variables to make the right decision. The best part of tyre selection is that there are many variabilities available in terms of tread patterns, sizing, and environmental conditions. If you are planning to take the truck on icy and snowy areas, go with a tire chain rather than purchasing a winter tire.
Always pay extra attention to the rubber compound while selecting a truck tyre. It is the main feature that minimizes the problem of the tyre’s traction and defines the tread characteristics. Before purchasing a tyre for a truck, always check the manufacturing date. As we discussed above too, it is mentioned in the form of a DOT code.
Following all the above guidelines will help you invest in the reputed tyres. After purchasing tyres for your truck, keep inspecting your vehicle performance at frequent intervals. The tyres are subject to wear and tear, so make sure that the replacement of the truck tyre takes place at the right time.
Tubeless tyres are a lot in demand today. In case you are willing to replace the old tyres, go with tubeless ones.
Once your truck is ready and fit with industry-best tyres, it is time to start finding loads for it! Make your profile on the Vahak app, attach your truck for free and start getting 1000+ loads daily. On the Vahak transport app, 10 lakh+ lorry and load owners post their requirements regularly. Post your truck details, connect with shippers and grow your revenue! Download the app today to begin.
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