buzz64 Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Well, it appears I will be "retiring" early. Myself and DW are happy and excited. I will need new tires before we hit the road full time so I am curious about super singles. I understand there is an increase in fuel mileage, but what about tire life. Is the price difference worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 In RV service, tires "time" out long before they wear out. Never count on additional tire life to mitigate costs. The increased fuel mileage won't allow you to recover the cost of conversion, either. If you find a truck that already has wide base tires, it makes sense to keep them (unless you plan to single and the truck doesn't have Stability Control, in which case the tire manufacturers typically don't recommend them), but you'll almost certainly not drive enough miles over the life of the truck to recover the cost of converting a truck with duals to wide base wheels and tires. Phil 2002 Teton Royal Aspen 2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore. ET Air Hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreyandSusan Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 x2 what Phil says Susan & Trey Selman | email | HDT: '01 770 VED12 | 5er: '02 40' Travel Supreme RLTSOA | '16 Piaggio MP3 500 | '15 Smart Cabrio | Personal Blog | HHRV Resource Guide | HHRV Campgrounds | Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzz64 Posted May 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 That was easy. I wish all decisions were that easy. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stolpsaddles Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Also a flat on a super single leaves you stuck , dually you can run slower or remove the flat tire and run without until you get to the next town. Harder to find a replacement tire on short notice as well. 2005 Western Star, MDE 4000 ,singled mid, 12' deck with Smart CarBison Stratus 3 horse with 16' short wall 12' slide out http://www.spottedhorsegallery.com/http://www.campingandhorses.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlcarsonak Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 X-3 with Phil I just had some tire work done and talked to the repair man. He does road service also. He said that when he goes out to repair a super single he takes a wheel also, because the old wheel is normally bad after a flat. The bill is around $3,000.(new tire, new wheel, and road call) You be the judge. Glyn (KL0PG) & Diane Carson2002 I-H 4400 Papa's Dream (Mama's Nightmare)2015 Space Craft V400Furkid Maxemail: dlcarsonak@hotmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Also a flat on a super single leaves you stuck , dually you can run slower or remove the flat tire and run without until you get to the next town. Harder to find a replacement tire on short notice as well. That might work if you are running way under loaded. One of the reasons fleets are switching to super singles. Running on one tire, with a full load destroys the remaining tire as well. But the driver who does such a thing will not replace the other tire. He leaves that to happen at a later time with another interruption of service. The fleets prefer getting the tire repaired/replaced where it happens. Please click for Emails instead of PM Mark & DaleJoey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel SupremeSparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019 Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info atwww.dmbruss.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Another point of info. I talked to some Volvo engineers (not sales) at MATS about super singles....they actually showed some trucks with them. In our application, singled, they said the same thing as Phil. If you have stability control then they would allow them on a new build. But they also questioned the value because of the miles run. They sure look cool though. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cochran Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 To be honest I think the real reason for us to go with the supper single. Like Jack said "They sure look cool though". 2019 Thor Chateau 28E on a Ford E450 chassis. Maybe awhile but will get a new picture forgive one up there it is my old rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunJuniper Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 then theres the other issue. axle manufacturers will tell you if they RECOMMEND or NOT the super single conversion. the designed for weight on the inner and outter bearings in the axle are different for super singles versus tandems and can lead to issues. Fulltimer Class of 2007 1998 Volvo VNL64T610 Detroit Series 60 12.7 470HP/1650TQ Eaton 18spd 228"WB Tandem2006 40' ToyHauler 3 slides and a 14' Toybox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasFlyer Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Another point that has always bothered me about S/S's, especially if you stay tandem, it is not uncommon on conventional duals to have a series of tires downstream or behind the original one that blew out, to also go out from debris created by the first tire or possibly an object you hit on the road. If that were to happen with Super Singles, you could have a huge weight shift to whatever side the flats were on, thus creating a potential loss of control. If you were not tandem and you lose a rear S/S, you would be in a similar boat. John Southern Nevada 2008 Volvo 780, D13, I-Shift 2017 Keystone Fuzion 420 Toyhauler 2017 Can-Am Maverick X3-RS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsujeeper Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 i had super singles on my truck when we purchased it. They looked very cool, but were less than ideal for grass or gravel. We never had an issue with them on the road. I always worried about loosing one on the weekend, and being held over the coals for a replacement. We replaced the tires last year with a dual set up. The truck drives no different on the highway, but we have noticed more traction in grass and gravel. mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzz64 Posted May 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I went ahead and priced a set of 6 all position tires. it was not as bad as I thought. When the time comes I will have plenty of options to purchase a set at a reasonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry&Donna-AK Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thanks to all. I was thinking there would be more of a traction problem, seems to be true, and what to do about a spare tire. However, there is a definite "Cool Factor" to them. Planning Nanook version 2.0 Nanook "When we made ready to depart, after a few days, Nanook was beside himself with joy. Hudson Stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSeas Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I have heard from some of my trucking friends that run super singles not all of the truck tire shops carry them. Might leave you on the side of the road if you can't get a replacement for a damaged tire. Another common problem is when a super single has a blow out it also damages the rim and may also need to be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigredhdt Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Company I bought my truck from had some in their pile so I asked them about supers. They told me they were getting significantly less life out of them and they were more money than 2 regular tires. They also didn't see any fuel mileage increase as well. One of my trucker friends also told me they are horrible in snow. The only advantage is weight. They can put more product in the tanker and still be legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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