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

Effective January 2010
General Technical Information
Advanced computer methods
Your BBTS representative has an innovative computer
program that accurately compares the fuel economy
of different tires, tires from different manufacturers,
even retreads.
This program, Tire Life Cycle Cost (TLCC), makes a
true comparison by compensating for the fact that tire
fuel economy changes constantly throughout tread
life, and by accounting for differences in tire prices,
casing values, installation costs and tread life.
TLCC will show you not only what the costs are, but
what portion are for tread wear and what portion are
for fuel consumed by the tires.
It’s the most accurate “What if”-way to select tires
that will perform best. And only BBTS has TLCC.
Ask your representative to show you how much you
can save.
What consumes fuel
SPEED
Every bit of energy produced or used by a truck
comes from the fuel in the tank.
To move a truck, you must first run the engine to
get power to the tires. With 40 percent engine
efficiency, 60 percent of fuel is consumed through
engine losses, the remaining 40 percent of fuel is
consumed by tire rolling resistance, air resistance
and all other mechanical losses. At 55 mph or below
tire rolling resistance, air resistance and mechanical
losses each account for about 33 percent of the 40
percent of fuel from the engine efficiency.
Effect of Speed on
Fuel Efficiency Factors
33%
Tire Rolling
Resistance
33%
Air Resistance
33%
Everything Else
39% More
Fuel Required
24%
Tire Rolling
Resistance
46%
Air Resistance
30%
Everything Else
For example, increasing speed from 55 mph to 75
mph can take 39 percent more fuel, and much of that
results from air resistance.
Speed affects other things too
In tests, vehicles went from 5.1 miles per gallon at 75
mph to 7.1 miles per gallon at 55 mph.
Fuel Economy at Different Speeds
5.1 MPG 6.0 MPG 7.1 MPG
Speed also affects travel time, and therefore, the
number of miles a driver can log each day. If you can
meet delivery schedules without running out of hours
of service, cutting speed can be an effective way to
save fuel.
Fuel Economy & Travel Time
at Different Speeds
SPEED
MILES
PER
GALLON
INCREASE IN
MILES PER
GALLON
PERCENT
FUEL
SAVED
TIME FOR
500 MILES
OF TRAVEL
INCREASE
IN TRAVEL
TIME
75 5.1 — — 6 hr. 40 min. —
65 6.0 18% 15% 7 hr. 42 min. 15.5%
55 7.1 39% 28.2% 9 hr. 5 min. 36.2%
Running at higher speeds can also have effects:
Tire fuel efficiency, even with fuel-efficient tires, is
severely cut.
And, engine manufacturers estimate maintenance
costs may be 10-15 percent higher, while tire wear can
be shortened by 10 to 30 percent.
What consumes fuel
LOAD
No one would reduce payload as a way to save
fuel, but there are ways to increase payload – by
decreasing non-paying load.
Wide base tires weigh significantly less than dual
pairs. With some cargoes, this can allow increased
payload, and more revenue.
Medium Truck Light Truck General Technical Load/Inflation Technical Bulletins
7.1 MPG 5.1 MPG
85