dingocatcher:
Has anybody had any problems with bridgestone 788 steers, i have two fitted now for two months and the near side one looks like someone had run a stanley knife around the edge of it about half a inch down the outside thread. actually looks like the cap lifting of a remould
Its not tracking - 90 psi is too low and the tyre is ‘bending’ under with the side loading.
There are also other reasons for this asymmetric tyre wear and I am currently working on a solution.
Holy thread resurrection!
something good:
There are also other reasons for this asymmetric tyre wear and I am currently working on a solution.
I feel an advert coming
chaversdad:
something good:
There are also other reasons for this asymmetric tyre wear and I am currently working on a solution.I feel an advert coming
Maybe I’ll just leave you wanting 
Hi all.
I am gonna have to replace my steer tyres on my FH12 460 soon and hear that some people run super singles on the front. What is the benifit of this rather than what is standard. is it just that they are slightly wider so better grip? also do you need to make any alterations when putting on super singles since they are taller?
Thanks
durknp
As well as better grip, they tend to last much longer than a standard 295 (though I personally think this is offset by the fact you can’t recut them to put on the midlift, unless of course you fit 385’s there too).
Disadvantages though include increased fuel burn, as well as more wear and tear on the truck - steering linkages tend to take a serious hammering with 385’s on the front. Also, if one blows in a big way, it can do a fair amount of damage to the front end of the truck.
It’s swings and roundabouts… some people swear by them, some wouldn’t touch them with a bargepole.
On the plus side you do apparently get a very long life out of them. You can recut them and put them on a trailer once they’re used up. They look good (although that one is subjective…) If the nature of your work means you’re often heavy on the front axle they will also allow you to uprate it from the normal 7100kg to at least 7500kg and maybe even more depending on the vehicle.
On the minus side as FH16G says, they put a lot of extra wear on your wheel bearings, kingpins, steering linkages etc. and the extra rubber on the ground will affect your fuel consumption (and not in a good way).
Personally I wouldn’t bother but each to their own…
Paul
I’ve run ‘supers’ on the front of a few different units and I have to say any fuel consuption increase is marginal but the difference in wear is unbelevable, even some of the latest 295 steer tyres ‘scallop’ along the edge of the tread in the later part of their life. Supers don’t suffer this at all but, make certain you buy type approved steer tyres and don’t be tempted to fit trailer tyres as it might just cause insurance problems if you have an accident. (insurance companies are low life ‘bottom feeders’ who will use any excuse to wriggle out of paying up)
Ross.
durknp:
Hi all.
I am gonna have to replace my steer tyres on my FH12 460 soon and hear that some people run super singles on the front. What is the benifit of this rather than what is standard. is it just that they are slightly wider so better grip? also do you need to make any alterations when putting on super singles since they are taller?Thanks
durknp
Don’t forget you need new rims as well
bigr250:
any fuel consuption increase is marginal
A marginal difference is still significant at current fuel prices though… even a drop as small as 1% in consumption could be costing you 600quid a year if you use 1000 litres a week at 116ppl. Every drop counts…
Paul
the proper s/single steer tyres will be also more expensive and weigh more than standard 295s or 315s so will have to last longer to be worthwile, wings/sprayflaps may need altering aswell i also like to keep fitting the new tyres on the steer axle and wear out the ones i take off on the mid lift which keeps any repaired tyres off the front
i have never had shoulder wear problems as i use me noggin and turn the tyre on the rim before its gone to far which will square the tyre up no problem, or sort the tracking out (but i do believe some scanias are prone to this)
i have never felt the need to run 385s up front and i know for a fact that a front steer axles run at 9 ton on some trucks on 315s, some folk also say ride comfort can be improved by running s/single @ about85/90 psi on the front , and another point a lot of what you see on the front of trucks are trailer tyres anyway which will be cheaper than the correct steer tyres untill you have an accident !! (then after all that you get to the main reason folk stick em on looks!!!)
moose
Decent supers on the front axle definatly wear better. Changed one last month. Almost 3 years on that one tyre. Bridgestone. M748. The 166 dint wear as well. It’s individual preference. Been running them on the front axle now for 6 years. 5 Years on this motor, not seen any adverse wear and tear.
mr vain them 748s are a good tyre i have just sold a trailer with em on, i have seen folk with these on the front before.
i thought these were trailer only till i checked the spec sheet, i may try em in the future as they arnt much more than 295 bridgestone 297s to buy
moose
Moose:
mr vain them 748s are a good tyre i have just sold a trailer with em on, i have seen folk with these on the front before.
i thought these were trailer only till i checked the spec sheet, i may try em in the future as they arnt much more than 295 bridgestone 297s to buy
moose
My mistake, they are 788’s 
bigr250:
I’ve run ‘supers’ on the front of a few different units and I have to say any fuel consuption increase is marginal but the difference in wear is unbelevable, even some of the latest 295 steer tyres ‘scallop’ along the edge of the tread in the later part of their life. Supers don’t suffer this at all but, make certain you buy type approved steer tyres and don’t be tempted to fit trailer tyres as it might just cause insurance problems if you have an accident. (insurance companies are low life ‘bottom feeders’ who will use any excuse to wriggle out of paying up)Ross.
Could be a snag at MOT test time too.
We fit Michelin XZY3’s (‘all-round’ fitment tyres) to the front, as they seem to be harder wearing, and are better suited to trailers on their 2nd life:
michelintransport.com/ple/fr … ubrique=46
The other benefit for us is a 9000kg front axle.
315’s wear better & give better feel than 295’s maybe look into them
I got 380tkm out of my 385/55 michelin steers and there was still 7mm of thread left, but there were some cuts in the sidewall so I wasn’t comfortable with them on the steer axle anymore. fuel consumption definitely higher than on 295 on 315 but as the heat is distributed on a wider space, the possibility of a blowout is imo smaller. they grip worse on wet and slick surfaces though.
Been running super singles up front on all our units and rigids since 1994…We found they run at there best for grip and comfort at around 85~100psi(depending on make and model of truck). We find the wear fantastic compared to 295/315’s and the cost substantially less. We always balance them with the correct amount of grit. We haven’t had to replace kingpins on any truck fitted with super singles in over 17 years,and find steering and suspension wear rates very low. We did find that super singles inflated to 120psi on the steer were not very satisfactory as they gave a rather vague ‘feel’ to the steering,and drivers reported poorer grip in wet conditions. In other words,correct fitting,torquing,balancing and pressures are essential to getting the maximum benefit from them.
As regards fuel consumption,we never noticed any real difference,as a lot of our work is on country roads,and whatever penalty of having more rubber on the ground is more than offset in a positive light where a truck can trundle along with its own momentum,through a series of bends in a higher gear due to more positive handling. On rigids in particular,we found a huge improvement in handling/cornering.
On older trucks,we used to fit Spatz to the front cab mudguards to keep the cab cleaner,but this is not necessary these days,as manufacturers tend to have this taken in account with newer cab designs.
We generally tend to finish them on them on the trailers at 120psi,and put two new super singles up front on the tractor unit again,so once again,no uneven wear problems.
Just a bump to this thread, can anyone recommend a good super single steer please
Regards
dingocatcher:
Just a bump to this thread, can anyone recommend a good super single steer pleaseRegards
From our experience, either Michelin pattern does well:
michelintransport.com/ple/fr … 0512111937
michelintransport.com/ple/fr … ubrique=46
Bridgestones seem ok, but avoid Continentals like the plague!!
