Wide singles can be a 'false economy'
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.* by Peter Lawton
Continental Tyres has cast doubt over the economic virtues of wide-single tyres on steer axles.
Despite the popularity of wide singles, Continental Tyres product manager Roger Sanders has told an industry table forum they are not as simple a way to cut costs as many operators might think.
Although Continental offers its own wide single. Sanders told the safety forum in London last week that he was beginning to see a return to standard widths: "Super singles on a steer axle are a false economy," he said. "Stick with standard tyres and look at the fuel economy—in the long run it's more economical."
The use of pre-puncture sealants was also discouraged at the forum because of their ability to mask critical damage from the driver until it Is toe late.
Sanders warned that the UK minimum tread Emit of 1.6mm is out of touch with the rest of Europe. He recommended changing tyres when the tread depth is down to 2mm—a policy already adopted by Walker Snack Foods, fleet engineer Dave Parks told the meeting.
Other points of interest included new police figures showing that vans are twice as likely as HOVs to be issued with immediate prohibitions at roadside checks. Van users taking their tyres in for remoulding are also twice as likely to have their casings reiectod.
• Wide boys: Tests run by CM in 1998 showed a 1.9% increase in fuel consumption between 295/80 and 385/65 tyres on the front axle (CM 12-18 Feb 1998).