Do you carry a spare tire?

[edvanland]

All the above are valid, me I will use the cell phone and get a service person. By the time I need the spare it is out of date. I have had my bus for 16 years and have only lost the tread on one tire, 13 year old tire. I am to old to change a tire so I will pay the price. My 2 cents worth.
ED

[richard5933]

I carry a mounted spare. To me it's not much different than all of the other spare parts I carry in case they're needed.

I figure finding someone to change the tire will almost always be possible. Finding the right tire may not.

Richard
1974 GMC P8M4108A-125 (Current bus)
1964 GM PD4106-2412 (totalled Sept 2017)
Located in beautiful Wisconsin
KD9GRB

[Jim Eh.]

The general consensus on big truck and bus wheels is that they don't need to be balanced.  I have run my bus 90mph on unbalanced tires and never noticed any wheel bounce.  People do balance them, but alot don't.

Each ounce of balance weight required for a 22.5 tire is equal to 6 lbs of force hitting the ground each time that tire rotates. Larger diameter and wide tires that amount goes up. Balancing on bus and truck tires not required? For most fleets it is really a head in the sand outlook IMHO. They may justify it by saying their tire history shows their tires last 60,000 miles so balancing would be a cost and not improve the bottom line. Justified...possibly but at the cost of today's tires I find it difficult to agree.

BTW an out of balance tire will USUALLY only give you a vibration from 56 (ish)MPH to 64 (ish)MPH. Vibration in the 45-55 MPH is USUALLY a driveline issue. Balancing is somewhat of a parasitic event. You may not feel it but it can show up in tire cupping, premature u joint failures, even body panel rivets/hinges/fasteners in time coming loose. So you may not even feel a wheel out of balance but just because you can't feel it, doesn't mean it is not a problem. Ever hear of a semi trailer fire because of an unnoticed flat tire lit up? You would think you would feel a flat before it starts on fire don't you.

Just my opinion tho.

[Scott & Heather]

I have two spares:
One:


And two:





As someone already mentioned. Lift the tags, chain 'em up, and swap 'em out. Done done and done.


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[kyle4501]

I have everything on hand to change a tire - That way, I have more options in the event a tire needs changing. Since we still work, down time on the road is very costly, so if I can change the tire & save several hours - I'll do it.

However, I have road service & a cell phone & they are my first tool of choice. 

My toad is a full size pickup which is where I will carry my spare. When I don't take the toad, I can always use Scott's method. 

[kyle4501]

This is quite handy in stabilizing the wrench head when using a long pull handle. . . . .

[Geoff]

Each ounce of balance weight required for a 22.5 tire is equal to 6 lbs of force hitting the ground each time that tire rotates. Larger diameter and wide tires that amount goes up. Balancing on bus and truck tires not required? For most fleets it is really a head in the sand outlook IMHO. They may justify it by saying their tire history shows their tires last 60,000 miles so balancing would be a cost and not improve the bottom line. Justified...possibly but at the cost of today's tires I find it difficult to agree.

BTW an out of balance tire will USUALLY only give you a vibration from 56 (ish)MPH to 64 (ish)MPH. Vibration in the 45-55 MPH is USUALLY a driveline issue. Balancing is somewhat of a parasitic event. You may not feel it but it can show up in tire cupping, premature u joint failures, even body panel rivets/hinges/fasteners in time coming loose. So you may not even feel a wheel out of balance but just because you can't feel it, doesn't mean it is not a problem. Ever hear of a semi trailer fire because of an unnoticed flat tire lit up? You would think you would feel a flat before it starts on fire don't you.

Just my opinion tho.

A 315 80r 22.5 tire weighs approximately 140 pounds, without the rim.  I think your opinions are based on car tires. 

[eagle19952]

This is quite handy in stabilizing the wrench head when using a long pull handle. . . . .

i use a jackstand.

[kyle4501]

A 315 80r 22.5 tire weighs approximately 140 pounds, without the rim.  I think your opinions are based on car tires. 

The math : Centripetal force = (mass x velocity squared) / radius
So, after a quick number crunch (if I made no mistakes  ) 1 ounce at the tread is about 6 pounds of force at highway speeds.

Velocity has the biggest impact on the centripetal force, BUT speed is generally governed by traffic flow, so not a whole lot I'm gonna be able to do about that . . . . usually. . . . .

Double the weight, double the force -- Now, this is something I can do something about. 

With a 140# tire, I would definitely want to check the balance.

I had the opportunity to take my pick of tires one time - about 1 in 4 of the Michellin 11R24.5 tires needed no weight to be balanced. The ones that needed weight didn't need much (relative to the cheap tires)

[luvrbus]

I have never balanced a good bus or truck tire most of the time the tire is not the problem anyway the old 2 piece welded steel wheels or the drum is out of balance, that is where a good balancing system is ideal it balances the drum and wheel   

[kyle4501]

From my limited experience, proper tire inflation has the biggest positive impact.

As for me, mechanically balancing the tires is more about the theory and my engineering background.

[Jim Eh.]

A 315 80r 22.5 tire weighs approximately 140 pounds, without the rim.  I think your opinions are based on car tires. 

Nope. 22.5 by 10.00 actually. But as I said it would vary with different tire diameters and widths. Automotive tires have much less mass and would never reach 6 lbs of kenetic force.

[gumpy]

I have never balanced a good bus or truck tire most of the time the tire is not the problem anyway the old 2 piece welded steel wheels or the drum is out of balance, that is where a good balancing system is ideal it balances the drum and wheel   

Good manufacturers are making tires now that are pretty well balanced when leaving the factory. You are correct, though, regarding the wheel and drum.

When searching for new wheels for my steer axle a couple years ago to replace a couple cracked ones, I initially ended up with some wheels made in China and Vietnam. They were being passed off as Accuride. The tires were mounted up on them, and they required about 16 ounces to balance them! I then figured out these were not Accuride wheels and returned them and found the proper ones. Ended up putting new Toyo's on them and they required minimal weight to balance mechanically. I run Centrimatics on my steer and drive axle to dynamically balance the rest of the assembly. Works well. On the tag I use a different dynamic balancing material inside the tire, which I don't discuss because too many people on here are too judgmental.

[DoubleEagle]

If you are running 24.5's I would suggest carrying a spare they are getting hard to find on the road

Yes, indeed, that is why I carry two mounted 24.5 spares with the Alcoa's polished on both sides so they can go anywhere. I think robbing the tags/bogies for spares is taking chances with overloading the drive axle, depending on the gross weight of the vehicle. If you chain up one side, the bus will not be balanced very evenly. I've done it on dump trailers before to get the vehicle back home, but only when unloaded.

[Scott & Heather]

I have never had a problem finding 24.5's on the road and I drive my coach 20,000 miles a year some years. Some trucks are still running those tires, so I've never had issues. I don't have room for a spare. Every one of my tires is less than a year old so I'm banking on just using tags for spares to get off the hwy to a tire shop.


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