Bridgestone has been publishing the results
of its tire fuel economy tests since 1984.
 The Fleet Manager's Guide
to Fuel Economy, from TMC, is a comprehensive guide for improving
commercial vehicle fleet fuel efficiency,
and covers many non-tire-related topics.
This video, featuring driver/fuel economy
expert Jim Booth, can help your drivers
learn to save fuel by improving their
driving and trip planning skills.
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Today, low profile radials dominate the market; most manufacturers offer tires with fuel-efficient tread compounds and aerodynamic, fuel-efficient trucks are in widespread use.
Still, the questions fleets most often ask haven't changed that much:
How do tires fit into the
overall fuel economy picture?
What effect does speed
have on fuel economy?
How can we select the best
tire
for our operation?
Why don't we get results
as
large as we see in tests?
How can we balance the cost
of tires over their life with their
effect on fuel economy? |
We will address these questions in this newly revised guide. As we'll see, some of the answers haven't changed much, while others have changed a great deal.
Resources
The Technology & Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations publishes the results of its S.11 Vehicle Energy Conservation Study Group in a report titled The Fleet Manager's Guide to Fuel Economy. We consider the TMC publication a companion to this one, since it addresses numerous non-tire fuel economy factors not considered here.
Copies of the TMC guide are available from:
Technology & Maintenance Council
(703) 838-1763
FAX (703) 684-4328
tmc.truckline.com
In addition to this publication, Bridgestone also offers a video, What Drivers Can Do To Save Fuel, which you can use in your driver continuing education programs (see last chapter for details).
Finally, Bridgestone also offers, through its field sales representatives, its Tire Life Cycle Cost (TLCC) analysis system, which can help you effectively compare the total cost of tires (including many competitors' tires) in your fuel economy picture.
Your Bridgestone representative will be happy to help you
select the tires with the lowest overall cost and fuel consumption,
using Bridgestone's exclusive Tire Life Cycle Cost computer program.
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