whats thew standard rim widdth on a 22.5?
Alcoa only shows one width for busses - 8.25"
Depends on your tire size. 9R on 6.00", 6.75" or 7.5" rim width. 10R, 235 on 6.75" rim width. 9R, 10R,11R, 235, 255, 265, 275 can go on 7.5" rim width. 11R, 12R, 255, 265, 275, 285, 295, 305, 315 (derated slightly) can go on a 8.25" rim width. 12R, 315 on a 9" rim width. 385 on 11.75" rim width. 425 on 12.25" rim width. 445 on 13.00" rim width. 445 and 455 XOne super singles on 14.00" rim width. So you can see that saying you have a 22.5" rim means nothing if you don't know both the width of the wheel and the overall size of the tire. Good Luck, TomC
Tom, working backward, does that mean that my 12R 22.5's have a 9" rim, and that I can't put 11R 22.5's on my 4107? (Obviously, I'm in the market for tires and I have been reading that 11R's are more common and may be easier to find). It seems that a light bus (under 26,000 lb. may not need the 12R's - and that I could save a few bucks with 11R's. I'm not adverse to good take-offs, since they'll age before they wear out, thus the question of whether I can shop for both 12R and 11R tires - obviously not mixing them, though.
Thanks.
Arthur
Sorry Tekebird. Since this is a bus board, I thought you were asking about bus wheels. If I had thought that you were asking about a concrete mixer I would have given you different info. It is all available at
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/home.asp
Click on commercial transportation
The manual for the bus says 8.25 and for 12 or 12.5 tire. Jerry
Quote from: Runcutter on March 15, 2007, 04:59:28 PM
Tom, working backward, does that mean that my 12R 22.5's have a 9" rim, and that I can't put 11R 22.5's on my 4107? ...
Quote from: TomC on March 15, 2007, 03:51:06 PM
Depends on your tire size. 9R on 6.00", 6.75" or 7.5" rim width. 10R, 235 on 6.75" rim width. 9R, 10R,11R, 235, 255, 265, 275 can go on 7.5" rim width. 11R, 12R, 255, 265, 275, 285, 295, 305, 315 (derated slightly) can go on a 8.25" rim width. 12R, 315 on a 9" rim width. 385 on 11.75" rim width. 425 on 12.25" rim width. 445 on 13.00" rim width. 445 and 455 XOne super singles on 14.00" rim width. So you can see that saying you have a 22.5" rim means nothing if you don't know both the width of the wheel and the overall size of the tire. Good Luck, TomC
Based on this post, 12R fit on 8.25" or 9" rim widths. If the rim width on yours is 8.25" then theoretically an 11R would fit. Personally, for safety's sake, I would stay with the tires specified for your bus.
Arthur, generally speaking in laymans terms, what you are asking is what everyone else has been doing for years. The tire shop ain't gonna let you do anything to unsafe. 11/24.5 is about the same circumference as 12/22.5. You may want to get some used wheels and keep the top speed the same. A wheel that will run a 12/22.5 will also run a 11/22.5, you just loose 5 MPH. I think a quality 1100 is just as safe as a quality 1200 for our purposes. Todays semis load 12'000 lbs on the steer axel on 1100 14 ply tires and roll 24/7/365. If you see a blown steer tire with a japanese name you can bet it was abused. If one of my drivers comes into the yard with 1 mark on his steer tires, (no curbs, no ditch driving), I chew his butt good and if it doesn't stop, he's fired. 1200 rubber is for the rich crowd and the engineers, when a commercial coach goes private, loose it, save some big money, still be "safe".
Larry, thanks. It's interesting that, after multiple decades in the bus business (operations and management, now consulting), I'm learning stuff I haven't dealt with in years - and now spending my own money. So, if I understand right, the best option would be 11R 24.5's to get close to the 495 Revs per Mile (speed/fuel, and powertrain design); replacing the current rims. That'd give me more commonly available tires (more options for someone else's take-offs and greater availability in case of a road emergency). That should also translate to better price.
So, is my understanding correct?
Sounds like you like Japanese tires, I've heard Koreans are OK, but the other board has some comments against Chinese. Speaking with the owner of a bus/conversion repair shop, he doesn't like Michelins - commenting that the sidewalls aren't beefy enough. My wife often comments that the grocery store has too many choices - I'm starting to feel the same way about bus tires.
I personally took off the 22.5's and went with 11R-24.5 16 ply which carry almost the same as the 12R-22.5's. The 24.5's will raise the bus up 1/2" and reduce the wheel rpm from 487 to 478rpm. I both wanted the largest diameter wheel for ground clearance (since I have a transit) the fastest tire. Wheel wise, I just happened to have 8 Alcoa wheels left over from a truck sale. But- Accuride makes a 10 hole steel wheel that look just like a Alcoa aluminum for much less money, and it is a light weight steel wheel. Good Luck, TomC
Arthur, yes thats how I see it, your understanding is correct. I see you now have Alcoas. Look for used Alcoas, you can find them one or more at a time at tire shops for $100 to $125. Your old ones should be worth about the same to someone, and you should break even on the wheels, if you decide this is the way to go.