Wheels and Tires

Look at e-mail from John under inbox tab,

brakes class folder.
 Objectives

• Identify the wheel configurations used on

heavy-duty trucks.
• Explain the difference between standard and
wide-base wheel systems and stud- and hub-
piloted mountings.
• Identify the common types of tire-to-rim
hardware and describe their functions.
 (Objectives cont.)

• Explain the importance of proper matching

and assembly of tire and rim hardware.
• Outline the safety procedure for handling and
servicing wheels and tires.
• Identify the different means of balancing tire
and wheel assemblies.
• Describe brake drum mounting
configurations.
 WHEELS AND RIMS

The two general types of wheels used

are:
• Cast spoke wheels
• Disc wheels
CAST SPOKE WHEELS
 CAUTION:

• Never raise a vehicle with a jack placed

under a leaf spring. When the wheel has
been raised, use heavy-duty axle stands
placed under the axle and do not rely on a
hydraulic jack alone.
• When removing wheel nuts from spoke
wheels, loosen the nuts a ½ inch, then hit the
wedge with a hammer to break it loose.
MOUNT A SET OF DUALS TO A
CAST SPOKE WHEEL
DISC WHEELS
Stud-Piloted Wheel
 Shop Talk

Disc wheel nuts for right side wheels

generally have right-hand threads, and wheel
nuts for left side wheels usually have left-
hand threads.
 CAUTION:
To check and tighten the inner wheel torque, first
loosen the outer wheel nuts several turns and tighten
the inner nuts and then retighten the outer nuts. To
avoid losing the seating of the outer wheel when
checking the inner wheel torque, loosen alternate
outer nuts, tighten the inner nuts, and retighten the
outer nuts. Then loosen the remaining outer nuts,
tighten inner nuts, and retighten the outer nuts.
OEMs suggest that disc wheels require weekly
inspections and torque checks.
Hub-Piloted Disc Wheels
Hub-Piloted Wheel
 Shop Talk

Learn how to identify stud- and hub-piloted

disc wheels: Improper torquing procedure
and sequencing of stud-piloted wheels is a
major cause of wheel failure. With the cone
locknut design, a flat washer is seated
directly against the wheel face. The
nonrotating washer prevents galling of the
wheel surface.
TIRE-TO-RIM HARDWARE

Single-piece rim (tubeless)

 Two-piece Split Side rings

Three-piece Flange or Continuous rings

If any components are damaged the rim
must be replaced
 TIRES
Two basic types of tire construction are used
in heavy duty applications: bias ply and radial
tires.

Because of this, tires have become axle

specific and can be categorized as follows:
• Steering axle
• Drive axle(s)
• Trailing axles
 DUALS
Dual wheels should not have mismatched
tires. The tires on an axle should be of the
same construction, tread pattern, and nominal
size. Mismatched tires on opposite sides of
the same axle can cause drive axle failure by
continually working the differential, so if the
left duals are radial, the right duals also should
be radials. If the vehicle has two or more drive
axles, the tires on the drive axles should be
either all bias ply or all radial.
Using a square to check dual tire
matching.
TIRE CONSTRUCTION
Body Ply, Breaker, and Belt
Materials

Rib, Lug, High-traction

 WIDE-BASE WHEELS

Increased payloads and fuel efficiency

WIDE-BASE TIRES
 Reduced Rolling Resistance

Today, tire manufacturers claim that wide-

base singles can replace a set of duals in any
application. In addition, they are said to
provide equal or better traction than duals
along with actually increasing the axle
footprint width; this marginally increases
stability. Also they reduce the weight of the
vehicle.
DOT CODES
 TIRE SIZE

Tire size is determined by the type of

application intended for the truck. The
nominal 22.5-inch and 24.5-inch (572 mm
and 622 mm) wheel/tire size are commonly
used on Class 8 transport trucks.
 Shop Talk

Revolutions per mile data on the drive axle tires

must be correctly programmed to the chassis data
bus. Whenever tires are replaced or swapped on a
vehicle, ensure that you check and reprogram tire
revolutions per mile to the appropriate controller on
the chassis data bus. This data is used to calculate
and broadcast road speed data to the instrument
cluster, engine, transmission, collision warning,
and other controllers networked to the data bus.
LOW-PROFILE TIRES
Tire Terminology
Cross-section of a tubeless tire
2
TIRE INSPECTION
 Shop Talk

Contrary to the beliefs of some truck drivers,

tire pressure cannot be checked with a
hammer. The only condition a hammer can
identify is a nearly or completely deflated tire.
Tire pressures must be checked with a
pressure gauge. In fleets where this is not a
driver’s responsibility, it must be undertaken
by a technician.
Mechanical Irregularities
Camber
Caster
Load Distribution
 Other Causes of Tire Wear

• All tires are speed rated. Exceeding rated

speed creates heat. Excessive heat produced
by running a vehicle at higher speeds will
shorten tire life. At higher speeds, the tire can
become distorted. Higher speeds can cause
small cuts to enlarge, causing a blowout.
• Sprung or sagging axle can cause uneven
wear on duals.
• Unevenly adjusted brakes
 Regrooving and Tread Depth

• Tires with the word regroovable molded to

the sidewall may be regrooved. These tires,
along with recapped and retreaded tires,
should never be used as front steer tires.
• Steer tires must have a tread depth of at least
4/32 inch.
• All other axles must have a tread depth of at
least 2/32 inch.
 RIM INSPECTION

• Excessive rust or corrosion buildup

• Cracks in metal
• Bent flanges
• Deep tool abrasions on rings or in gutter
areas
• Damaged or missing rim drive plates
• Matched rim parts
MOUNT TIRE TO RIM
AUTOMATED TIRE SERVICE
STATION
Inflation
 CAUTION:

Igniting quick start (ether) inside a tire is a

common but dangerous practice used to seat
tire beads. The explosion that results
depends on the proportions of air and ether
combined inside the tire. Get this mixture
wrong and you could injure yourself and
others.
 Mounting Procedure

Position the tire assembly in a safety cage

and inflate to the recommended operating
pressure. Because of radial truck tire
construction, it may be necessary to use an
inflation aid to help seat the beads of tubeless
radial tires. There are two types of inflation
aids:
• Metal ring inflation aid: ring rim and uses
compressed air.
• Rubber ring inflation aid: more common;
basically it reduces leak path during inflation.
It helps to have a large supply of compressed
air to help this type to seal.
 Nitrogen Filled
Some fleets are experimenting with nitrogen-filled
tires. Nitrogen (N2) makes up around 80 percent
of the air we breathe at ground level. It is less
reactive than oxygen and because it is pumped
into the tire in a relatively pure form, it does not
contain the moisture found in compressed
ambient air. The result is that all materials that
come into contact with the compressed gas inside
the tire are less subject to oxidation corrosion.
 Wheel Balancing
• Equal distribution of weight in a wheel
assembly that is mounted to a rim.
• Static unbalance causes the wheel to
bounce up and down.
• Dynamic unbalance will cause the wheel to
wobble or shimmy.
• A tire that has been properly static balanced
will normally be dynamically balanced.
WHEEL BALANCING
KINETIC WHEEL BALANCE

Dynamic wheel balancing

TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM
Some fleet operators claim that a wireless tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) can
pay for itself within a single year in reduced
per unit tire expenses. The TPMS has been
widely used on automobiles for a decade
(required on 08’ and newer). A TPMS is an
entry-level approach to managing vehicle tire
costs.
MTIS OPERATION
 TECH TIP:

Meritor recommends that you rely on MTIS to

manage final tire inflation pressures. On
installation, tires should be inflated to 80
percent of specified pressure. Next, the
system should be allowed to build pressure to
the specified tire running pressure. This is
said to be more accurate than inflating
manually.
3
 (Objectives cont.)

• Perform bearing and seal service on oil-

lubricated front and rear wheel hubs.
• Perform front and rear bearing adjustment.
• Describe TMC wheel-end procedure.
• Outline the procedure for installing preset
bearing wheels.
WHEEL HUBS, BEARINGS,
AND SEALS
 Typical front axle components

Wheel bearings are lubricated using either grease or oil.

 Wheel Seals
• A wheel seal is a dynamic seal. It is typically
installed in a wheel hub that spins on an axle.
• In a unitized seal, a static seal is made at
both the axle hub installation bore and the
axle spindle. The dynamic portion of the seal
is self-contained, Turns within itself.
• Lip-type seals create a dynamic seal by
spring loaded pressure on the rubber riding
against the wear ring.
Unitized Seals
Lip-Type Seals
 Brake Drums

On cast spoke wheels, the brake drum is

mounted to the inboard side of the wheel/hub
and is held in place with nuts. Servicing brake
drums on spoke wheels requires removing
the wheel/hub and drum as a single
assembly.
 CAUTION:

Never allow a bearing roller to be spun by

compressed air because the friction that
results can damage the hard-surface contact
areas.
 CAUTION:

Never use oxyacetylene torches to heat

aluminum hubs. This type of localized heat
can weaken and often destroy the aluminum.
If an oven is not available, you should replace
the hub and bearing assembly as a unit.
 CAUTION :

Never pack wet bearings with grease.

Grease-coated wheel bearings inhibit the
ability of gear lube to properly lubricate the
bearing assembly.
 Shop Talk

The reason dry bearings are seldom used on

current equipment is that grease does not
lubricate as effectively as gear oil. Gear oil
has a much wider temperature operating
range than grease.
 CAUTION :
Never hammer or use a punch directly on
any part of a seal. Force must be applied
evenly around the outer edge to avoid
cocking the seal. Wheel seals are expensive.
Failed wheel seals are more expensive
because of the labor required to replace
them!
Cutaway view of outer bearing
cone installation.
WHEEL SEAL SERVICE
 WHEEL BEARING
ADJUSTMENT
Because of an unacceptable number of heavy
truck wheel-off incidents in the United States
and Canada, some of which have been the
result of bearing maladjustments, all the
manufacturers of wheel end hardware have
approved a single method of wheel bearing
adjustment.
 Shop Talk

The TMC adjustment procedure outlined here

does not apply to hubs with preset bearing
and seal assemblies.
 WHEEL END PROCEDURE: TMC
METHOD OF BEARING ADJUSTMENT

Torque adjusting nut to 200 lb-ft.

Rotate wheel while torquing.
Back adjusting nut off one full turn.
Then retorque to 50 lb-ft.
 Back nut back off *1/4* turn.
Torque outer jam nut 200-400 lb-ft.
*Depending on axle and thread pitch*
Finally verify the endplay. Must be 0.001 to 0.005 inch.
If not in spec start over!
PRESET HUB ASSEMBLIES

Serviceable assembly
Spicer Dana UHS Unitized Hub.

Nonserviceable assembly
INSTALLING A WHEEL HUB SEAL

Raise the vehicle and lower onto a jack stand.

Remove the axle shaft and place a tire dolly under the wheels.
Remove hardware, bearings, and roll tires away.
Remove the old seal and inspect the wear ring or mating surface.
Place a sealant around the seal and use a driver to install.
Install and adjust using TMC.
Lip-Type Seal Installation
UNITIZED SEAL INSTALLATION
 Shop Talk

The care with which a wear or grit ring is

installed will affect seal performance. A
damaged wear ring race will significantly
shorten seal life.
 Shop Talk
Wheel seal replacements are routine service
facility activities. Because of the cost of seals,
trainee technicians do not commonly practice
seal replacement in a training environment.
The first couple of times you replace wheel
seals in a real world setting, read the
instructions and ask questions. The bottom line
is that if you experience comeback failures
after replacing wheel seals, your days as a
truck technician will not last long.
 Summary

• Wheel bearings and wheel seals are key to

keeping the wheel assemblies turning
smoothly and safely.
• The rim supports the tire. Three general
categories of tread design are used on
trucks: rib tread, general duty lugs, and high-
traction lugs. These thread designs are used
on bias ply and radial tires.
 Summary (cont.)

• Three basic types of wheels are used in

truck applications: cast spoke, stud-mounted
disc, and hub-mounted disc.
• Tires should not be mismatched.
Mismatching includes the mixing of nominal
tire sizes and tread designs on a chassis. It is
especially important that a set of duals never
be mismatched.
 Summary (cont.)

• Technicians should learn and always use

the TMC method of adjusting bearings
when working on wheel ends with adjustable
bearings.
• Preset axle hubs such as the ConMet
PreSet and the Spicer Dana UHS eliminate
the need for the technician to adjust wheel
bearings. These wheel hubs are installed on
the axle and torqued to a specified value.
 Summary (cont.)

• Two general categories of wheel seals are

used on trucks today: lip-type seals and
unitized seal assemblies.
• Wheel seals should always be installed
using OEM seal drivers to avoid damaging
them.
• Dynamic wheel balancing performed on
vehicle is preferred over static tire balancing.