Lighter weight and more fuel-efficient! Will large single births be a trend?

With the rapid development of the logistics industry, the acceleration of e-commerce express delivery and the continuous increase in freight volume, more and more logistics and transportation companies have begun to pay more and more attention to the use of trailer tires. Various types of tires such as low rolling resistance and small specifications are emerging in an endless stream, and among these tires, the appearance rate of large single tires is getting higher and higher.

So what working conditions are large single tires suitable for? What are the advantages?

▎ It is not a simple replacement of tires, and the axle must be matched
 

The so-called large single tire mainly refers to the cross-sectional width of the tire to be large enough, such as 425mm, 445mm and other cross-sectional width of the tire, which can be used to replace the two wheels on the trailer axle, so that each side of the axle only needs to install one tire, which is equivalent to only 6 tires on a three-axle semi-trailer, and if the ordinary trailer is equipped with twin tires, it is a total of 12 tires.

Of course, there were large single tires with a cross-sectional width of 385mm in China, but with the implementation of the new GB1589 in 2016, it has gradually withdrawn from the market. It is reported that the new standard requires the use of tires with a cross-sectional width of not less than 425mm for non-drive shafts, and it is obvious that a large single tire of 385mm is not suitable.

At present, the application scenarios of large single tires in China are mainly concentrated in the field of trailers, and there will be relatively fewer tractors and trucks. In addition, some cardholders also have a misunderstanding of the large single-tire trailer, thinking that as long as the twin tires on the trailer are replaced with large single tires, it can be used, in fact, there are great safety hazards in this practice.

I remember seeing a trailer with a twin tire to a single tire in the parking lot of the logistics park, that is, a 385mm or 425mm large single tire is installed on the ordinary twin trailer axle, and it can be clearly seen that the wheel base of the trailer is abnormal, and it goes into the frame by 10-20 cm, and the stability of the trailer will be very poor just visually.

It is conceivable that when this kind of axle does not have a trailer optimized for tuning with a large single tire, it is still a relatively dangerous hidden danger when driving under the condition of full load or high load center of gravity, in the face of complex mountain roads, sharp turns and even overwhelming deep ruts.

However, with the improvement of regulations and the rapid development of the large single tire market, many trailer companies have developed and launched exclusive trailers suitable for large single tires for the use scenarios of large single tires, which have further improved whether it is driving stability, anti-roll ability or overall matching. And this kind of large single-tire trailer is usually equipped with aluminum alloy wheels, aluminum alloy frame, lightweight leaf springs, airbag axles, etc., so that the trailer can achieve excellent lightweight performance and achieve lower dead weight.
 

▎Light weight and fuel saving, but it needs to be accurately matched to the working conditions

Many cardholders think that the driving stability of the large single tire is poor, the bearing capacity is not strong, the braking distance is long, the driving force is insufficient, and the maintenance and replacement are troublesome. Indeed, due to the congenital physical characteristics, the overall adaptability and practicality of large single tires are not as good as those of parallel twins. So what's the point of launching a big single child? Doesn't it have any advantages?
 

In the final analysis, in the right working conditions, the large single tire can play its due characteristics. First of all, in the environment of stricter governance, the lighter the weight of the vehicle, the more goods pulled under the standard are relatively more, which can improve the actual income and transportation efficiency of the fleet and cardholders to a certain extent. Compared with the semi-trailer with parallel drive twin tires, the weight reduction advantage of large single tires is very obvious.

Generally speaking, if the wheels are counted, the weight of the 425/65R22.5 large single tire is 70-80kg lighter than the two 285/80R22.5 twin tires, and if the three-axle trailer uses six large single tires to replace the twin tires, then the overall weight reduction can reach about 420-480kg, and the effect can be said to be very prominent.

In addition to the lightweight effect, the large single tire can also effectively increase the cargo volume of the cargo compartment. According to the Michelin tire scheme, if the three-axle trailer is equipped with a large single tire of 445/45R19.5 specifications, and at the same time a 315/60R22.5 twin tire is installed on the rear drive wheel of the 6x4 tractor, and at the same time combined with a liftable airbag bridge, the cargo compartment volume can be increased by up to 6.5 square meters, which is very suitable for a large amount of light throwing goods.

Obviously, such a tire configuration can reduce the chassis height to a certain extent, and the chassis height is relatively lower, the overall height of the cargo compartment can be made higher, and the volume will naturally be larger.

Of course, the biggest advantage of large single tires for cardholders and transport fleets is fuel saving, especially in today's high oil prices, everyone's sensitivity to vehicle fuel consumption is becoming more and more obvious.

Compared with a trailer with twin tires, the contact area of a large single tire is definitely much smaller, and the resistance at high speed cruising will be lower. According to the Michelin tire scheme, if the three-axle trailer is equipped with a large single tire of 425/65R22.5 specifications, and the drive shaft of the tractor is also equipped with a large single tire, the fuel consumption of 100 kilometers can be reduced by about 6%, and the fuel consumption of 35 liters per 100 kilometers can be calculated, that is, about 2 liters of fuel can be saved. For long-distance express companies with a large number of vehicles, thousands of kilometers and almost no stops, it can directly save a lot of costs.

Overall, the main advantage of large single tire is light weight and fuel saving, in the long-distance high-speed standard load operating conditions, the effect will be more ideal, can bring more excellent economy for transportation enterprises. Of course, if your operation scenario is short near home, and the working conditions are more complex and the roads are irregular, then the practicality of the large single tire may be another matter.

● Afterword:

Nowadays, large single tires are nothing new, and we have seen many of these large single tire trailers in the parking lot of the logistics park before. Although there will be many limitations in the actual operation of large single tires, as long as the appropriate working conditions are matched, it can play a role in reducing costs and increasing efficiency to a large extent, and significantly improve the vehicle economy of cardholders and transportation enterprises.

In fact, large single tire is very widely used in Europe and North America, and it is not easy to fully promote and popularize it in China due to factors such as road conditions and working conditions. And cardholders complain about the problem of failure to replace and repair the large single tire on the road or the problem of failure in time, which will also affect the transportation efficiency and car experience to a certain extent. Cardholders, if the working conditions are suitable, will you consider using a large single tire? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.