| Author | Message | ||
| Grant Thiessen (Busshawg)
Registered Member Username: Busshawg Post Number: 177 Registered: 10-2007 Posted From: 206.45.93.160  Rating: N/A |
I have good capped tires on my tag, the problem is I hate capped tires and want to switch them out. There are 12R22.5 tires all the way around which I believe is quite standard. Now my question is has any switched the tag only to a 11R22.5?? and what are the pro's a cons. I would eventually change them all over to 11Rs. I realize when I switch my drives it would change my gear ratio however I didn't buy this thing to go racing. Grant | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 1111 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.3.157.139  Rating: N/A |
We run 11R22/5s on our tags because they were already on the Alcoa wheels we got for the tag axle. Out tag axle carries about 4000# and we have noticed no difference after installing them. | ||
| Keith Wood (Ft6)
Registered Member Username: Ft6 Post Number: 120 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 75.211.183.189 Rating: N/A |
Your tags can be anything that will bolt onto the hubs. They are freewheeling. The only drawback is that you lose the option of using your tag tire as a spare (all tires on an axle must be the same size). | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 62 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232  Rating: N/A |
I would eventually change them all over to 11Rs. I think there are good reasons why most if not all the busses use the wider tire. They can handle more Weight; more rubber on the road gives more stopping power and a smother ride. I Would stick to what the manufacturer recommend on such an important safety item. As they say there is a lot riding on your tires. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 497 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.197.237  Rating: N/A |
in recent past I remember hearing that the steer tires were 12r and all the rest were 11r. The reason was when a coach full of people went to stop in a hurry the 12r would do better than the 11r because of the width and capacity. I have 11r on all the axles now and have never had any problems. they are a little easier on fuel also. gomer | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 271 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38 Rating: N/A |
Grant You might want to weigh the axle before you change over to 11Rs. Years ago I had 11Rs and had a blowout on the rear inside dual. According to Goodyear it was a zipper tear which indicates I was too heavy for the 11Rs so I switched to 12Rs and no more problems. | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 1626 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 76.71.102.157  Rating: N/A |
Bill has it. The bigger tires went on buses because buses were/are notorious for going down the road WAY heavy, something a busnut has some control over during construction, and it doesn't change much after it has been built. Remember with me, a picture from not so long ago.... On Friday night, midnight departure from the big city near you, in an MCI, 7-8-9, picture the front two bays completely full of the weekend Saturday newspaper, floor to ceiling, not a space left for a mouse, the last bay crammed with some luggage, the left over luggage for the 47 passengers heading out/home for the weekend going upstairs inside, in the racks and under the seats, and in their laps, and down the aisle on the floor, those 47 passengers too, a full tank of fuel, stock HVAC installed and working... and maybe up to 16 standees trying to commute home to the first stop, an hour up the highway...? Do you suppose the front axle stayed under 12K, the drives under 20K and the tags under 6K? Nope, and that was/is standard operating conditions for the line haul bus industry. Commercial Buses do not get scaled. That being said, for busnut use, weigh your ride, and then you may decide what tire choices you might have. Some of us will be pleased to find we are light enough to run the tires popularly used by the truckers and enjoy some supply/demand savings. Some of us will be close enough to the limits that we'll stick with the OEM sizes. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 172 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 71.239.202.82 Rating: N/A |
Any bus that carries less than 6000 lbs on any one tire is a candidate for 11-2.5 IMO I have been a trucker my whole life 12-22.5's are a waste of money for us here unless your steer is on the heavy side. The revolutions per mile of a 12-22.5 is 487 The 11-22.5 is 501. The change will change your speedo about 1 mph. I have not made the change completely yet but eventually ours will be on 11-22.5 Ours weighs 11,500 steer, 20,500 drives, 10500 tag. That's full of fuel (250g) water (150g) and loaded with gear. I am currently searching with my local tire guys for a matched set of used 11-22.5 for my drives. It is not uncommon to pu something like this for 100 bucks a tire and we would be much better served with a used set of tires with say 50% tread but 1 or 2 years old that we will probably still never run bald before their age gets too old verses throwing away 400 bucks a piece for new we will remove in 10 years with 75% tread left. The Michelin XZ 12-22.5's are north of 600 a piece, ridiculous | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 272 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38 Rating: N/A |
Debbie and Joe My static weight when I installed 11Rs was within the limit of the tires. When I had a blowout on the rear and Goodyear said it was a zipper tear caused by overloaded or underinflated (I had crossfire valves on so definately not underinflated) I did a lot of checking around as to why. It cost me over $700 to get back on the road then so I wanted answers when Goodyear denied my claim for replacement of the tire. I learned that when an air ride bus sways the weight transfer to one side from the other is double the actual weight transfered. I can't explain why but I was told by engineers that is what happens. I know 12Rs are expensive but there are other brands out there that aren't much more then 11Rs. | ||
| Grant Thiessen (Busshawg)
Registered Member Username: Busshawg Post Number: 180 Registered: 10-2007 Posted From: 206.45.93.160 Rating: N/A |
Thanks once again guys, I will weight my unit when I'm loaded right up, and won't do the switch unless I'm considerable lighter. Like I said my tags appear like new, however I know they aren't new, and I dislike caps, so it's not like it has to be done tomorrow. | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 818 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 76.195.79.226 Rating: N/A |
"I think there are good reasons why most if not all the busses use the wider tire. They can handle more Weight; more rubber on the road gives more stopping power and a smother ride." Most folks that have changed 4 wheelers or dune buggies to fat tires will really disagree about the ride. Tires MATCHED to the load (with some safety factor) will usually flex best and give the best ride. Most coaches have limited air pressure coming from the brake treadle valve and can not lock tires of common coach footprints. Bigger rubber wont stop any faster , just give a harsher ride and cost more per mile. FF | ||
| Tom Christman (Tchristman)
Registered Member Username: Tchristman Post Number: 95 Registered: 1-2006 Posted From: 66.218.33.156 Rating: N/A |
When I changed from 12R-22.5 to 11R-24.5's, my mechanic was the first to drive the bus to test it and couldn't believe the difference in the ride quality over the 12R's. The biggest determining factor to ride and what tire to use is what everything weighs. Weigh the bus by axle, then you can tell if you can switch. Then run exactly the tire pressure that is suggested, and you'll have the best quality ride possible. Good Luck, TomC | ||
| Jerome Dusenberry (Jerry32)
Registered Member Username: Jerry32 Post Number: 59 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 66.82.9.74 Rating: N/A |
I too switched to 11R24.5's for the extra heghth and maybe a little overdrive plus to help the fuel mileage. Jerry |