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Puncture

willysmd

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Hi
Just changed the nearside wheel (drivers side) due to a puncture, the one I have put on is a brand new tyre/wheel, will it make a difference to the steering as the offside is part worn therefoe a different size, any thoughts or suggestion, is it going to make a difference :?:
 

cranetruck

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Probably will not make much difference in the feel of the steering, but I have found that the front tires need to be closely matched to prevent shimmy (vibration, sort of feeding on itself) for highway driving.
 

houdel

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Mark - You didn't specify if this was a front or rear tire (tyres, in the UK). Bjorn is correct, they should be matched both front and rear. My method follows, I don't claim it to be ideal, if someone else has a better idea feel free to jump in.

1. Measure the CIRCUMFERENCE of all 11 of you tires. The circumference is easier to measure and more accurate than measuring the diameter. Pick the tire with the smallest circumference as your spare tire.

2. Of the remaining 10 tires, pick the two tires with the closest circumference for your front tires. Ideally, they would be the two largest circumference tires, as the front tires wear much more quickly than the rears (due both to axle loading and steering wear).

3. Of the remaining 8 tires, pick the four tires with the largest circumference for one axle (I prefer the front rear axle, others prefer the rear rear axle, the choice is up to you).

4. Mount the four largest tires on the rear axle of your choice. The two larger tires should be the outer duals and the smaller two tires the inner duals (to account for crown in the road). Match the inner and outer duals circumference as close as possible.

5. Mount the four smallest tires on the remaining rear axle. Again, the two larger tires should be the outer duals and the smaller two tires the inner duals. Match the inner and outer duals circumference as close as possible.

That is it. It is a bit of a PITA to do, but depending on how much driving you do, it should only need to be done once per year at the most. If you drive only 5k miles or less per year, you may go two or three years between matching. In all actuality, I doubt most commercial drivers even worry about matching their tires at all. However, NDT's wear more quickly and less evenly than "street" tires, so more attention to the NDT's is appropriate.
 

Recovry4x4

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Lee, your method of matching rear tires is going to create more drag by giving one axle more rollout than the other. Because the rear axles are locked together, they are going to go the same speed unless something breaks. With the 4 larger circumference tires on one axle and the smaler ones on the other, one axle is going to get drug around on the tires. This method I'm about to explain might seem funny and may even loook funny but mathematically, its as close to perfect as you can get without trimming tires. Firstly, always measure your circumference with all tire pressures the same. Roll out all 8 rear tires. Take the 2 tires with the largest circumference and pair them together. Add them to any location in the rear but they need to go on a hub together. Take your 2 smallest circumference tires and pair them up on the hub opposite of the 2 tires just installed. Now take the remaining 4 tires and split them putting the 2 largest on one hub and the remaining 2 on the other hub. This will average the total circumference rollout between the fore and aft axles. Concerning the spiders, yes they will be moving even going straight especially on the axle with the largest and smallest tires but they will be moving very slowly and there will be no significant effect on them. Bjorn did some testing on rollout averages and tire scrub many years ago.
 

houdel

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Your point is well taken, but my method it what the TMs state. You are correct about the rollout, but my method will reduce tire scrub because the axle with the smaller tires will pivot relative to the larger tires, which is why I put the larger tires on the front rear axle. It moves the center of rotation closer to the front rear axle, in effect reducing the wheelbase. This method is also suggested in one of the Deuce "Sticky" posts.
 

Recovry4x4

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Actually the sticky is just as I posted above! I wrote the sticky. I'm a little lost on how your method reduces tire scrub. Here's another way to look at it. Take your 4x4 truck with 4.10 gears front and rear. Put 40" tires on the front, 35" tires on the rear. lock it into 4x4 and try to push it. Better yet drive it a bit. It's not going to want to go. While the size difference on the deuce rear axles is not as extreme, no matter where you go you will be scrubbing off rubber and fuel mileage too if you have all the taller tires on one axle and the shorter ones on the other axle.
 

willysmd

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It was/is the front driver's side but the posts above have got me thinking now, once the discussion has cleared who is right or wrong , then I might do this.
 

cranetruck

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My response above was for the front (steering) axle.

Tire matching is only important on dry hard pavement.

To put it simply, for the bogie on the deuce, the total of the revolutions made by the wheels on axle 1 must equal the total of the revolutions made by axle 2.

For singles, the matching is easier. Just put one bad and one good tire one each axle.

In a turn, the two rear axles will turn at slightly different speeds and tire scrub will result not only in the rear, but also in the front since the bogie wants to go straight.

Separating the two rear axles solves all these problems and is recommended for highway driving.
 

willysmd

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Ok Bjorn when you say separating the two rear axles, do you mean disconnect the rear drive shaft? I do 99% of my driving on tarmac
 

cranetruck

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Yes, Mark, I remove the drive shaft between the tandem axles of the bogie for highway driving. One could also pull one of the drive flanges, but I have not done so.
Keep in mind that you will need front wheel drive from time to time if it gets a bit slick or if you need to get over a curb or something. A second side effect is that the tires on the driving axle will wear much faster than the rest.

The turning circle is reduced also when the rear axles are separated. I noted a reduction of about ten feet with the combined effect of a singel driving axle and singles (not duals in the rear).
 

willysmd

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LOL what turning circle! is there one, front wheel drive is not a problem as it is permanently on (no switch)

Thanks.
 

houdel

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Ken - As usual, you are right. I went back & reread the sticky, I somehow got the matching process mixed up in my mind. My apologies for ever doubting you!
 

Recovry4x4

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Actually Buggyman, thats what I do. Regardless of tire size the 2 best tires get to be steers and the rest are used for the 8 rears. Knock on wood, I've never lost a front tire while under power. Hey Lee, no worries buddy!
 

willysmd

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I think I will save time and buy 10 new tyres (once I save for them) at roughly £65 a tyre it could take a long time. How much are they over there correct bar grips??
 

willysmd

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Well just had the puncture repaired down at a lorry place, and boy did the geezer have trouble getting the locking ring off, he used about three types of crowbar and hammers (all different weight) and he was hammering the s@*t out of it, eventually it came apart and took no time at all to reapir the tube and get everything back together, my thoughts are this, ARE THEY ALL LIKE THIS??
 

DDoyle

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Some can be VERY difficult - but more likely the fellows were out of practice, not dealing with these on a everyday basis.

Twenty-five plus years ago I changed truck tires every day.

Personnally, now I'd rather change the engine than all ten tires!

Regards,
David
 

Katch1

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From what I've seen some locking rings can be a bear. And whats up with the 900-20's? I got my third puncture yesterday in 18 mos, are the ndcc's puncture prone?
 

DDoyle

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I don't think so - I've had 8 trucks with 9.00-20 tires for several years, never had a flat. The 11.00-20 on my wrecker are a whole different matter.......
 
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