Dual Tires vs Super Singles at Michelin Proving Grounds

[@travishelms7067]

Looks good. But I’d rather have the safety of duals when it comes to a blow out. Can stay in control and limp a distance if need be. I know it’s not legal to do so. But it’s there if you need it. Wide base goes boom your done you need a tire and maybe a wheel and what ever else it decides it wants to take out. And as I driver if I’m empty and have a outside tire go flat. I can single it out myself on the side out the road or a safe place. And keep on trucking. Not going to do that with a wide base.

[@ktooty]

Travis Helms yep, I’ve had two drive blowouts. Cost me more than all the rolling resistance could ever make up for. Also- I seriously doubt they used brand new duals in this video.

[@joshriles84]

Obviously it has better fuel milage. But ive driven both and singles slice and hydroplane much easier. The duals took more steering action because they were harder to keep sliding

[@joshriles84]

I was about to make this same comment lol i didn't realize i did 2 years ago. The duals dominated on the skid pad...

[@genericjonathan4115]

@@joshriles84 lol bro came back and got the same exact thought

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

@@genericjonathan4115 lol

[@Dadrian17]

Clearly biased testing.

[@michaelbamber4887]

Why biased testing? They are testing against their own tyres on the duel.

[@w0wnoothernames]

@@michaelbamber4887 its literally a promotion for the super single lmfao

[@EAZIEE]

@@w0wnoothernamesif the facts prove that then that’s not biased info.

[@bobnob3496]

They have the complete wrong Takeaway on the skid test. Of course the super singles skate around those Corners better, but that's the exact opposite of what you want in a tractor-trailer. Unless you're filming the newest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, you don't want your trucks skidding. I have driven both super singles and duals, and they called super singles skis for a reason. They get slightly better miles per gallon, there's no question about that, but it's not worth the safety trade-offs. This is why you were starting to see a lot of companies that had switched over to Super singles starts with Switchback. The fuel savings doesn't cover the cost of a blowout, replacing a rim, or towing a truck out of a ditch. For some reason Prime has a real hard-on for super singles, probably cuz they invested a lot and outfitting every single one of their trucks and trailers, and they also own their own Super Single tire shop.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thank you for tuning in and sharing your opinion! Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. This is just the way we roll. I'll be sure to share your comments with the team should they ever consider switching things up. As always, safe travels!

[@robwiljas]

My dad drove trucks and busses for over 50 years. When I was a kid he drove a 2 axle Kenworth with a 40ft trailer hauling US mail in the San Francisco Bay Area 7 nights a week. The owner of the truck decided to put super singles on the drive axle, which my dad was not thrilled about it. In the rain in the middle of the night one night not long after getting them he had a blowout on the left side drive tire on a right handed curve on a high overpass in Oakland. The truck jackknifed and went up a rode on top of the V split rail where the road splits with a large drop to the ground below. The Kenworth's frame was bent into a V from the impact, it ripped out the transmission and fuel tank, and the cab was almost completely detached from the frame. Thank God it didn't completely detach or it would have gone down the large drop off with him in it. The trailer couldn't have been parked better. It was the only real accident he had and you would never get him to touch super singles again. About 10 years later he taught me to drive truck (3 axle freightliner - no super singles lol) on that route, and I pulled the same trailer he was pulling that night that still had the markings on it from where it hit the cab. Very weird feeling.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Hi Robert! Thank you for sharing your story with us, and thank you to you and your dad for your commitment to moving freight.

[@Demonoid1990]

I've ran with duals and singles for several years, and I prefer the singles now. I've had less blow outs with singles, better tread wear, and better traction in slick conditions. I've had several instances in snow where my duals would slip, but my singles seem to dig in more, and find traction. Fuel economy is a bit better, but I'm flatbed so it's not as noticeable, I'm not always very streamlined. Other than that, it's 8 less tires to inspect and check pressure on. Invest in a TPMS and it saves time and gives some reassurance. Do diligence is required regardless of what you roll on. Keep them inflated properly, and regularly inspect for irregular wear or damage like with any tire. Also installing snow chains is a bit easier on singles, chains for singles a bit lighter. Of the few blowouts I've had on singles, I've never had to replace a wheel, I pull over immediately and get a road side tech out to replace. (Legally your supposed to do the same regardless of what setup you have) This is situational though, not all roads are gonna provide a good place to pull off immediately, plus other factors can come into play too. I frequently haul glass, so if I have a blowout on a narrow road, I'm gonna be a big ole buttplug until a tech can get to me. Glass breakage on a public road means a call to a hazmat clean up crew. But again, many things in this line of work are very situational. I'm not a driver for Prime, I drive for Combined Tansport, just thought I'd leave my opinion/feed back on singles vs duals. Really at the end of the day it's just a preference, stick with whichever works for you.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video!

[@Ckcdillpickle]

I was thinking about super singles, isn't it quite expensive to get retreaded though?

[@Demonoid1990]

I'm not sure to be honest, I'm a company at the moment so I don't foot the bill. But the company I drive for usually only runs virgin rubber on our equipment with super singles. Hauling volatile freight like glass, they'd rather not risk blow outs, that and glass freight usually runs pretty heavy. I've seen a lot more tankers and flatbeders running singles than I have dry van or Reefer as of lately. The mid roof Cascadia I'm in, with 45ft aluminum/steel combo trailer and singles, puts me at around 28,800 lbs empty with full tanks. So I can run load up close to 51,000 lbs. A lot of other more conventional flatbed setups are usually running around 31,000 to 33,000 lbs empty. Personally if I go owner op soon, I'll be running Michelin super singles similar to our company trucks. I wouldn't bother with retreads on super singles myself. Back when I ran with duals, doing dry van and Reefer, even with my tires aired up properly, I'd occasionally have blowouts on hot summer days. Of the blowouts I've had with singles, I'd be worried about the damage the debris from the tread would do to the equipment. One of my super single blowouts on a double drop trailer, the tread that flew off the tire dented the air tank on the trailer pretty good, and ripped my mud flap off the back of the trailer. The entire tread came off in one big piece, and what was left of the inner tire and side walls shredded to pieces everywhere. So I'm a little leery of retreated singles. Don't know if that helps or not, because currently I just run on the tires, I don't pay for them myself.

[@guysumpthin2974]

The rolling & mpg difference comes from the machined aluminum rims vs stamped steel (with deflection) on duals and the big difference in rubber compounds

[@Doc_Cyco5150]

Thanks for the video Prime.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching! Hope you liked it.

[@davidpeters9343]

Pretty awesome video and I enjoyed that and I liked it alot and thanks for sharing and keep up the great work much love to yall

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks David!

[@haroldwarwick]

Less resistance on the road would equal less traction.

[@Demonoid1990]

Not quite, rolling resistance and traction are two different things. Weight is a factor too, and singles are quite a bit lighter. The less rotational weight you have the better. Less wear on the brakes, driveterrain, and engine. Gross vehicle weight and rotational weight play drastically different rolls. You may not notice it as much in a big truck, but in a lighter vehicle like a car or motorcycle these changes are very noticeable.

[@ironmank955]

Where's the snow course and climbing hills with 2 inches of snow? 😆 of course in fair weather the super will out perform in most cases.

[@luxurycaddy8861]

Love this video gives a clear idea on what tires are better and are awesome

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video!

[@AmtrakGuy10]

Try that aggressive lane change with a reefer. 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@JerryHaecker]

my complaint is that there is a very key component missing in these test which in my opinion make the wide based tires extremely unsafe especially in winter conditions. that is rutted roads. on rutted roads the wide based tires walk around constantly trying to find the groove so the tail end of your truck is always swaying and as a flatbed driver this is exaggerated with the sideways rocking of the trailer. please do a comparison test on I-80 coming out of Reno going to Stockton and back and you will see what I am talking about. As any driver who has driven that route can attest to those are probably the ruttiest roads in the nation.

[@Demonoid1990]

That's situational and affects commercial pickup trucks too. I own a Ford F250 with commercial rated tires on it, and I have the same problem on those sort of roads. I'm also flatbed OTR, so I know what you mean, been across that route plenty. That's also partly California DOT to blame, and heavy traffic volume there as well. There is always going to be pros and cons to each. Personally I've no issues with singles in the winter, I prefer them over duels now. There's no such thing as the perfect vehicle, you'll always have to make some compromises, and that all comes down to preference and use case. At least picking tires for a semi truck is easier than a car. Last time I put new tires on my car the list of choices just went on lol.

[@JRT3000]

So now whats an owner operator perspective... cost for 4 super single and 8 duals.. what about a super single blowup ..

[@FeatherFoot_VRC]

This is just my Opinion, yes Super Singles do have less Rolling resistance and provide better mpg. I will still take a Dual tire truck any day because for example. If your rolling down the road and you get a blowout with a Super Single Rim, it’s Bye Bye Rim also they are expensive to replace and the axle drops tearing up the rim. With Duals you have another tire to hold the axle up when you have a blowout.

[@jamesbryan1430]

Super singles have less traction on wet,ice,snow then duals and has been proven to be true. Another name for super singles is float tires because of their displacement were duals will cut though snow and ice and water.with super singles you are trading safety for fuel mileage

[@bigdaddy407]

That Michelin place is awesome seen it first hand right off hwy 39 Laurens SC

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

It was awesome! Wish we could have shown the facility tour. The manufacturing plant was so impressive, but they were very strict about no cameras/phones in there which we were happy to comply with.

[@robertpoe5309]

Let's not forget about chaining up. Singles get hung up on a barely noticeable ridge of snow in the parking lot. If you have duals you can drive up on a block and chain the outboard tires in about 10 minutes. Super singles suck in the winter

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for checking out the video and sharing your feedback.

[@benben7818]

Not once did they talk about the safety side of the tires when they blow out at a high rate of speed.... proves they only care about the efficiency of the bottom dollar not the drivers safety

[@Diddy_Doodat]

That only happens to retreaded tires

[@michaelbamber4887]

How many times have you had a "blowout" , we in Europe drive with super singles on our trailers and some use them on the front steer with duels on the rear of the unit/tractor. I've travelled 4-6 thousand km a week for almost 20 years an can count the amount of flats on one hand. Best bit is, 3 of my blowouts were the duels!

[@Greenbearls]

@@michaelbamber4887 LOL same. Never blown out a super. It's always been a dual blowing out.

[@michaelbamber4887]

@Luis Serrano the yank idiots keep fitting um on the drive axle? Not really seen in Europe because the tyre says trailer/ steer on the side wall. Unless they have different ones over the pond?

[@georgiaboytj]

Who cares about super singles or duals!!!!! We need revenue!!!!

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

As a business owner, you should care about revenue AND costs/savings. We want to optimize our fleet in any way we can, and that means we care about tires, too.

[@georgiaboytj]

@@PRIMEINCTRUCKING yea that's very true. Improving the performance of the truck is a plus. We may not see it now, but in the long run we will. Thanks for doing this study.

[@liferoller8935]

T.K Jenkins is that all you wanted was prime attention well you got it

[@jimmijohns7525]

How about a tire blowout.?,that's driver downtime.

[@EAZIEE]

If you ever blow any tire you need to pull over and swap the tire at the closest, reasonable place. Downtime regardless.

[@GetOutOfMyDojo]

This is not a test, it's an ad

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

You can call you what you want, but it was really cool to see behind the scenes and learn more about tires with Michelin and a group of our drivers and shop associates. We were grateful for the opportunity!

[@vernonhall9262]

Everything has its place Those wide tires serve their purpose well in the right conditions But so do the duals

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

We hear this quite often. This is just how we roll at Prime. We have tested the super singles with our lightweight trailers and it just seems to work best. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

[@jameswest4917]

We'll super singles work on a spread axle?

[@jjrotogeek]

Bad ass brother! Lookin good!

[@mechcntr7185]

The extremely loud background music kind of ruined the video for me. I doubt the claims they were making.

[@Jmess96]

Get non-Prime drivers to do these tests and give testimonials. It’s irrelevant that drivers that drive super singles like them more. Of course the equipment you’re used to driving handles better. YOU handle the equipment you’re used to better. This is common sense.

[@sabinennc]

And this video was brought to you and paid for by Prime

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

There are lots of videos out there featuring non-Prime Drivers talking about duals and super singles. :) Michelin invited us (Prime) and our drivers (Prime Drivers) to their facility with our trucks (Prime Trucks) so we made a video based on the opportunity we were given. Some of our drivers in the group we brought have driven with duals and super singles over their years in the trucking industry (with Prime and before Prime). Thanks for watching!

[@mattdrives4757]

Super singles, automatic transmissions, E-logs, DpF systems, these are the stupid ideas you get when office people and politicians control the industry. What happened to the good old days where trucks were trucks and the truckers were truckers. 💪

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Hi Matt! Thanks for watching our video.

[@liferoller8935]

I loved going to these events I miss it

[@prestonrubin94]

Did both trucks have the same braking specs drums or disc brakes?

[@Doc_Cyco5150]

Preston Rubin the prime trucks are exactly the same

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

We brought four 2020 Freightliner trucks with the same specs.

[@tomherron4334]

What does Prime do with all the duals that come on their trucks from the factory or is Prime able to spec them with super singles from the factory.

[@Jmess96]

Tom Herron switch them out and store them. When truck is retired, it’s duals are put back on and the truck is sold. It’s brilliant honestly.

[@leir2005]

More than likely the trucks are delivered with the super singles already in place. I drive for a company that uses trucks with super singles and they show up that way.

[@tylerbonser7686]

You order a truck with them.

[@Random_Cali_Boy]

Gotta keep duels on flatbeds if get nail or pop a tire at jobsite they can still leave allows them to continue their deliveries and job without causing delays. Super singles pop at a customers jobsite just screwed them and made them mad by delaying everything I don't agree with super singles on flatbeds

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Due to scrub, we don't use super singles on our flatbed trailers. Especially with our split axles on our flatbeds, it makes the scrub really bad. Tires are made to roll forward, not sideways, and with the wide-based tire and the spread axle makes flatbeds not a viable option.

[@hunternelson3018]

I don’t know about the water test, I’d like to meet a trucker that slides their truck around in water like a racecar daily.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video, Hunter!

[@chrisobrien3818]

Super single tires are not that great only way I see using super single to save fuel if the rpm is just above 11 to 1200 rpm and speed those tires dont save fuel and cost more money to replace since if you get a blowout on tractor or trailer its gonna gonna take the rim with it 95 percent of the time so if it was me as an owner operator I would go with dual tires since if one tire go out you can limp to the nearest truck stop and super single wears out more quickly and they stuck in snow I still prefer duals over the shitty super single

[@geoestrada5001]

i love Michellin tires its the best tires ever, thanks

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video, Geo!

[@howardgoff2420]

I know the super singles have a lot of good points. Except when you're on a little two-lane country road, with no shoulder and you have a blowout. Your truck going to impede traffic. You have nowhere to go except to block one Lane of the highway which could possibly cause a serious vehicle accident! But that's just my opinion for what it's worth.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thank you for tuning in and sharing your opinion! Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. This is just the way we roll. I'll be sure to share your comments with the team should they ever consider switching things up. As always, safe travels!

[@thelifeofdaniel8223]

No wonder alot of companys use with base tires

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching! There has always been a lot of controversy around duals vs super singles so we thought it would be cool to be able to show the difference and reasoning behind why we utilize them.

[@Tim_281]

Is it cost,safety why more trucking companies are not using SS?

[@Weatherby406]

Until they are flat and you go nowhere

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video, Alex!

[@kinggkongg9694]

Singles don’t last as long and don’t work well in any adverse conditions

[@dennyr8478]

Rolling resistance is the only pro, less traction more hydroplaning but better fuel mileage. I went back to duals, never again! There like ski's

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for watching our video, Denny!

[@waltersantos4333]

what do you do when u got a flat tire ?

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Find a safe place to pull over and contact Road Assist for assistance.

[@bduzgit]

@@PRIMEINCTRUCKING yeah sure…and waste 4hrs 😏

[@theone1176]

@@bduzgit better to sit 4 hours than pay that fine for getting caught"limping" the truck to get a tire fixed as well as running your csa scores up.

[@chibinyra]

Not impressed with a braking test being absent...

[@robertwolgast3413]

Blow a tire with duals, you limp to the tire shop. Blow a super single .... your sitting for hours on the shoulder. Dont find many super singles just sitting at the tire shop either.

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Its still a DOT violation to drive on a failed tire , dual or super single.

[@jermainefarrell1]

And snow ???

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

We have made sure to test the super singles in all weather conditions, including winter weather.

[@zaquanetyson8965]

Does that mean super singles on flatbed trailers in the future?

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Great question! Due to scrub, we don't use super singles on our flatbed trailers. Especially with our split axles on our flatbeds, it makes the scrub really bad. Tires are made to roll forward, not sideways, and with the wide-based tire and the spread axle makes flatbeds not a viable option.

[@supernut4021]

Maybe in the World of Prime.

[@prosperity4444]

Super singles are good for drop axles but thats it

[@PRIMEINCTRUCKING]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@prosperity4444]

@@PRIMEINCTRUCKING maybe im biased but as a guy who drove a trailer in Brooklyn Manhattan queens for 20 years I never really liked the super singles except for my drop steer axles. Maybe I'm just old.

[@snufysmith6623]

Sniff, sniff! I smell bullshit!

[@StefanBacon]

Can these be put on front as well to carry a single spare?