After fuel, tires are a fleet’s largest nonpersonnel expense. Unlike fuel, tires come in many different varieties and prices, which allows fleets the freedom to spec the brands and products best suited to their business needs.
So how do fleets keep tire costs contained? Experts say that just like every other area of the truck, it’s important to evaluate tires in regard to total cost per mile – and not just the tire’s initial cost. “A tire’s cost per mile is not known until the last retread is worn out,” says Dave Taylor, vice president of technical services at Toyo Tires.
Six experts offered their opinions on whether or not a more expensive tire always equates to a longer life – and lower overall cost per mile. The group was divided into two camps of equal size.
“I agree that better, more expensive tires reduce overall cost per mile, but I would have trouble providing data to prove my point,” says Tim Miller, Goodyear’s marketing communications manager. “I think that doing business with a manufacturer of premium tires assures high-quality products, a comprehensive warranty, consistent nationwide services, and new tire and retread availability.”
Doug Jones, Michelin North America’s customer engineering support manager, agrees in principle that a more expensive tire yields lower cost per mile, “but it is not absolute.” Jones gave the example of a $200 tire delivering 100,000 miles, and a $250 tire delivering 200,000 miles; the first tire costs $.002 per mile, while the more expensive tire costs $.00125.
“Generally speaking, the greater the initial cost, the better the cost per mile due to longer running miles,” says Jones, who also agrees with Taylor’s point about retreads and provides a comprehensive formula for cost per mile: (new tire costs + repair or retread costs) + disposal costs – casing values / (total original miles + total retread miles).
“Generally, yes, a more expensive tire yields a lower cost per mile,” says Guy Walenga, Bridgestone’s director of engineering for commercial products and technologies. “You tend to get better wear per 32nd, more resistance to irregular wear, the tire tends to be more durable, and it stays in place on the wheel, so you get more miles, and then it’s more retreadable. Low-price tires generally don’t last and don’t produce retreadable casings. Many fleets can quantify the fact that you do get what you pay for.”
