Four truck tires in the General Tire brand have been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay Transport Partnership’s list of verified fuel savings technologies. General S581, S371, D660 and ST250 truck tires were verified by SmartWay as low rolling-resistance tires. General truck tires are manufactured at the Continental Tire the Americas plant in Mt. Vernon, Ill.
The General S581 long-haul steer tire features an 18/32-inch five-rib tread design, which provides excellent wet traction and lateral stability. The General S371 long-haul steer and drive tire has 20/32-inch tread depth; its tread compound provides long highway miles while resisting cuts and tears in off-highway use. The D660 is a long-haul drive tire with 30/32-inch tread depth and a closed shoulder tread design for long, even wear. The ST250, a long-haul trailer tire, features 13/32-inch tread depth, a stone ejection system and the patented VAI visual alignment indicators to alert drivers of tracking problems.
Tires verified by EPA for lower rolling resistance can provide a reduction in NOx emissions and an estimated fuel savings of 3 percent or greater, relative to the best-selling new tires for line-haul trucks, when used on all five axles on long-haul class 8 trucks. According to the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership website, its projected savings of between 3.3 and 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year represents a savings of as much as 150 million barrels of oil per year; this is the equivalent of taking 12 million cars off the road, leading SmartWay partners to save nearly $10 billion in operating costs.
