SMART, EFFICIENT TIRES = SAVINGS.

SMART, EFFICIENT TIRES = SAVINGS.

Whether your company has one small truck, or several dozen fleets, fuel-efficient tires in the trucking world are more important than ever. And it all starts with tire rolling resistance, which, according to William Estupinan, Vice President, Technical Service for Giti Tire USA, contributes about 35% of the power requirement…in a modern standard tractor and trailer combination. According to William, there are three main factors that impact tire rolling resistance: tread compounding, tread pattern design, and tire structure. Tests show that more than 50% of the rolling resistance of a tire is generated from the tread and belt package—50%! Which is precisely why the Giti Tire R&D teams spend countless hours studying, researching, and developing the improvement of those components.


Speaking of improving overall tire fuel-efficiency, proper tread pattern design is also a huge factor, because having streamlined ribs, blocks, and lugs promote balance between cap and base compounds. Shallower tread depths, along with stiffer belt packages also play a big role in overall efficiency.

What about tire position—does that make a difference? In short: yes. Especially when considering that trailer tires have the biggest impact on fuel economy—and that trailer tires represent the biggest population in the average American fleet.

So what’s the bottom line? (Or the bottom dollar, we should say.) Well, we’re going to “show you the money”—and show you how to save the money. But first, let’s do a little math (don’t worry, there’s no quiz at the end of this). First off, every axle makes a different level of contribution to fuel economy (steer 15-20%; drive 30-40%, and trailer 40-50%). Driving speed affects fuel consumption (there’s typically a 0.01 mpg decrease for every 1 mph increase). That said, fuel efficient tires in a tractor/trailer combination (under normal conditions) can deliver 5% improved fuel economy. And when you consider an average tractor/trailer uses 17,000 gallons of fuel per year, the math quickly adds up to 850 gallons saved per truck, per year. That’s a lot of dollars, folks.

It all adds up to one thing— smart, efficient tires. Most of the GT Radial premium long haul line is SmartWay verified, including the GSL213FS for steer axles, GT669+FS for drive and GT979FS (low profiles sizes 22.5 and 24.5 only) for trailers.

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