Bridgestone Medium and Light Truck Tire Data Book - Sullivan Tire ...

Effective January 2010
Prior to operating a vehicle, an inspection should be
made of each tire, including the spare. Examine tires
for cuts, bruises, cracks, bulges and penetrations. If
any damage is found, have the tire examined by a
Bridgestone dealer. Repair of tire damage must be
made as soon as possible in order to avoid further
deterioration of the tire structure.
Federal law requires that front axle truck tires on
vehicles over 10,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight must
have at least 4/32" tread depth. Tread wear indicators
are contained in the tread of Bridgestone truck tires
and become visible when the tread depth reaches
2/32" in two adjacent major grooves. Drive and trailer
tires should be replaced when the tread depth reaches
2/32" or the wear bars appear since 2/32" is the
minimum permissible legal tread depth on all axles
except the front.
Q. Tire Inspection
R. Noise Regulation
General Technical Information
Tires should also be inspected prior to mounting on
a rim. Bridgestone steel radial tube-type truck tires
are shipped with the flap in the tire. It is essential that
the tire be disassembled and inspected thoroughly
prior to mounting to insure the inside surfaces are
completely dry and clean.
Water in casings of steel radial tires may cause tire
failure. During normal operation, heat build-up inside
the tire will turn water into vapor which may permeate
the inner-liner and enter the steel casing cord, causing
rust, deterioration, possible sudden tire failure,
property damage and/or personal injury.
All of Bridgestone’s truck tires comply with the noise emissions standards of 80 dB for medium and heavy
trucks. Bridgestone uses the Society of Automotive Engineering recommended test procedures SAE J366b
(35 MPH) and SAE J57a (50 MPH).
There are many factors that may trigger the
occurrence of irregular wear. Among those,
mechanical malfunctions of vehicles such as
misalignment and uniformity of the tire and wheel
assembly are the major factors. If, after correction
of these problems is made, objectionable irregular
wear is still observed, Bridgestone recommends the
following steps be taken:
Low profile 75-series tubeless truck radial tires may
offer several advantages over standard 90-series
tubeless tires, such as:
1. Increased tread life
2. Positive handling
3. Lower vehicle height
4. Lighter weight
S. Irregular Wear – Radial Truck Tire
T. Low Profile Tires
Steer-axle tires: Check thrust angle & apply higher
inflation pressure within permissible range
(100–115 psi).
Drive-axle tires: An increase of 10-15 psi makes the
tire less susceptible to irregular wear. Forward
movement of the fifth wheel within permissible
range greatly reduces irregular wear.
Care must be taken when converting to lower profile
tires. Differences in overall diameter, static loaded
radius and maximum load carrying capacity should be
considered prior to mounting lower profile tires.
Medium Truck Light Truck General Technical Load/Inflation Technical Bulletins
79