Executive Report – Wide Base Tires 

December 2010 - ER1002 Page 1

Summary Statement

This report explores the benefits and challenges of fleet adoption regarding wide base 

tires. More than a couple decades ago, fleets around the world were introduced to a 

tire technology that was intended to replace the conventional dual truck tire assembly 

that had been the industry standard since its introduction in 1908. Due to the larger 

overall size of these tires, they came to be known as "Super Single" or "Wide Base" tires. 

Through the recent use of wide base tires, fleets are realizing fuel savings of 3% to 6% 

depending on the adoption at both the tractor and trailer wheel positions. In addition, 

this report will discuss serviceability, weight savings, compliance with North American 

States and Provinces as well as driver acceptance. Fleets utilizing this technology are 

realizing immediate fuel, cost and weight savings. This technology is readily available 

today in all tractor & trailer OEM’s data books and offers a simple retrofit opportunity 

for existing equipment. 

Background

While originally designed for use on steer positions of vocational trucks such as mixers 

and dumps, in the 1980’s, some industry innovators found that these tires could 

eliminate the dreaded inside dual tire while still carrying the payload needed to 

accomplish their daily activities. Many drawbacks were present during this time as 

fleets investigated the commercial viability of this technology on drive and trailer 

positions. Fleet managers found that these drawbacks were too great to overcome at 

the time. For example, the vehicle height and center of gravity were raised, leading to a 

less stable piece of equipment. Air pressures were higher than traditional dual tires 

which lead to a less comfortable ride and a greater risk of impact damage to the tire. 

Retread-ability was in question and poor service availability provided a final and 

crushing blow to many fleets' initial evaluation of this technology.

Fast-forward 20 years to the introduction of the "New Generation Wide Single" tire in 

late 2000. Manufacturers were very careful to distinguish between the first iteration of 

the 1980's, which were more closely aligned with a "steel-toed" work boot than the 

present day "running shoe" intended to deliver superior vehicle stability, improved 

handling, reduced vehicle weight (allowing for increased payload) and improving fuel 

efficiency for the over-the-road trucking fleet. Many tire displays clearly demonstrated 

the substantial size differential between the old "Super Single" and the new "Wide 

Single". With a dramatically lower overall height and the ability to carry up to 22,000 

pounds across an axle, the new "Wide Single" can easily meet the needs of the vast 

majority of U.S. loads on the road today without the drawbacks many innovative fleets 

were faced with years earlier.

As with any radically new technology, time and trial provide further opportunities for 

refinement. The present-day "Wide Single" tire has extensive road availability and 

dramatically improved retread-ability over its fore-fathers. Manufacturing processes 
 Executive Report – Wide Base Tires 

December 2010 - ER1002 Page 2

and improved tire design techniques offer today's fleet all the advantages that were 

envisioned so many years ago. 

Industry Segment Applicability

Data used to create this report was obtained from several fleets based in North America 

and operating in the 48 contiguous states, Canada & Mexico, in all seasons and weather 

conditions. Not all fleets may find this technology applicable to their operation.

Technical Summary

 Decreased fuel consumption – Due to the lower rolling resistance of the tire, 

immediate fuel use improvement of 3% to 6% is gained.

 Fewer tires & wheels to manage - An advantage for fleets managing tires and 

wheels at all positions can be reduced by as much as 44% when converting from 

18 to 10 wheel positions.

 Weight Reduction – When combined with single wide aluminum wheels, a 

weight reduction of 100 lbs. per wheel end can be realized.

 Increased brake life – Depending on axle width and wheel offset, more of the 

brake drum is exposed to open air, allowing the drum and shoe to stay cooler 

and last longer.

 Resale / Convertible back to dual tire configuration – Unless wide track axles are 

specified with a zero offset wheel, tractors and trailers can easily be converted 

back to a dual tire set up.

 Availability – After nearly ten (10) years of use in the industry, fleets report that 

wide base tires are readily available although not always in the exact tread 

design that matches the many available configurations.

 Improvement in cost per 32nds of tread – Fleets report that as a cost per 32nd of 

tread life, the cost compared to dual tire operations is equal to or better than 

duals.

 Lower cost than dual tire set up – Due to fewer wheels being purchased per 

vehicle, wide base offers an advantage in total purchase cost than specifying 

dual tires and wheels.
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December 2010 - ER1002 Page 3

 Improved ride and handling – Drivers for the fleets adopting this technology 

report improved ride and handling due to the large solid tread footprint that is 

created with the wide base tire.

 Especially applicable to converter dollies – Fleets that operate twin and triple 

trailer combinations have adopted the wide base tire for their converter dollies 

to reduce weight, lower fuel consumption and reduce work related injuries when 

manually moving a converter dolly. The lower rolling resistance of two wide 

base tires versus four tires on a dolly converter makes this the ever growing 

choice of fleets operating multiple trailers in combination.

 Wheel bearing wear – Some fleets and wheel end manufacturers have reported 

concerns with standard width axles and offset wheel configurations as to the 

increased wheel bearing load being created. At least one fleet surveyed, that 

has over 8 years experience with standard width axles and 2” offset wheels has 

reported no bearing failures.

 Breakdowns and increased costs – It is a fact that when a wide base tire goes 

down, the vehicle is down and cannot be “limped in” to the nearest point of 

service. However, with the implementation of new CSA rules, “limping in” may 

no longer be accepted practice in the industry. Fleets that have adopted this 

technology report that breakdowns with wide base tires occur less frequently 

because the driver can visually see when they have a low tire and address the 

issue before they would have with a dual tire setup.

 Damage to one = damage to both – Due to the increased cost of one tire versus 

two duals, when a tire failure does occur due to low pressure or other road 

hazards, the cost to replace one wide base tire versus one half of a dual set up is 

increased. On-road failures of wide base tires may result in increased 

breakdown costs compared to a dual set up that may be able to limp in.

 Traction myths – Testing by tire manufacturers and fleets have proven that there 

is no loss of traction when adopting wide base tires.

 Driver acceptance – Early adopters of wide base tires found it difficult to achieve 

driver satisfaction until a majority of their fleet was converted / equipped. 

Driver education through the manufacturers is highly recommended before 

adopting this technology.

 Acceptance by government / Special permits required – There is virtual 

acceptance in North America with only a few provinces in Canada that disallow 

or require special permitting for the use of wide base tires.

 Spread axle applicability – Fleets attempting to adopt wide base tires on spread 

axle trailers, especially the flat bed industry, have reported that excess tire wear 

due to “scrub” from turning does not make wide base tires acceptable from a 

cost standpoint.

 Is Tire Pressure Monitoring needed? – Some fleets feel that tire pressure 

monitoring or tire pressure inflation systems are necessary to avoid low tire 

pressure and prevent on-road failures. Other fleets have reported that the 
 Executive Report – Wide Base Tires 

December 2010 - ER1002 Page 4

advantage of a visual inspection with one tire versus two tires is enough of an 

advantage and cannot justify the additional cost of tire inflation or monitoring 

devices.

 Ease of Maintenance – Manually checking tire pressure on one wide base tire is 

considerably easier and more likely to occur compared with doing the same for 

two tires at each wheel end. Wide base tires eliminate the need for the driver or 

technician to fish for the inside valve stem.

 Duals not perfectly matched – Equipment owners should consider that a dual 

tire setup will result in higher rolling resistance due to the fact that two tires 

mounted back to back are never exactly the same dimension (circumference) 

and are working against each other, creating friction and resistance.

Economics

 Fuel consumption decrease – A decrease of 3% for the tractor and an additional 

3% for the trailer will result in fuel savings per year per truck of $3,962. (Based 

on annual mileage of 120,000 miles and fuel at $3.50 per gallon.)

 Initial purchase price less by $130 – Fleets have reported that the average truck 

purchase price is $130 less when equipped with wide base tires and wheels 

versus dual tires and wheels due to purchasing fewer wheels.

 Brake life gains – An improvement of 20,000 miles in brake life per tractor is 

reported by fleets due to the increased air being pulled across the brake drum 

since more of the drum is exposed in a wide base tire/wheel configuration.

 Increased blue book value – The Truck Blue Book® as of the December 1, 2010 

release, gives an additional $1,250 of value for a set of wide base tires. Tires 

must meet DOT requirements to receive the credit. www.truckbluebook.com

Real World Application

 Numerous fleets and owner operators have already adopted this technology. 

One major tire supplier has produced and sold over 1,000,000 of the wide base 

tires in use today.

 Some fleets have chosen to carry a spare wide base tire and wheel assembly to 

offset the delay in obtaining replacement tires of the same make and model 

when a failure does occur. 

 At least one fleet is experimenting with automatic chains, similar to those 

outfitted on fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency service vehicles. This 

fleet is also working with two automatic chain companies to prove how this 

technology can fit with wide base tires.

 Gaining driver acceptance of this technology is difficult without proper training. 

Fleets and owner operators should become educated by the tire manufacturers 

and other fleets to understand what is necessary to gain the full benefit of wide 

base tires.
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December 2010 - ER1002 Page 5

Government / Regulatory issues

There are no known obstacles in the U.S. Federal operating territories or states that 

would prohibit adoption/use of this technology. Some provinces in Canada may require 

a special permit before operating in their regions.

Want more information?

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency is a Non-profit organization dedicated 

to doubling the freight efficiency of North American goods movement. We pursue this 

goal in two ways: Improving the quality and reliability of Information and Highlighting 

the success of high efficiency technologies. This Executive Report is the highest level of 

study that the Council creates in delivering to this mission. This information is 

directional in nature and limited in scope to an analysis of a few US fleet operators. 

Performance results and costs will vary depending on specifications, duty cycle, 

geography and other criteria. The information contained in this report and the 

underlying data supportive of the report are intended for the benefit of NACFE 

members and their fleets. Contact the Council at contact@nacfe.org for more 

information or simply to comment on this report.