SMARTWAY TIRE

Dunlop has announced a new line of long-haul tires that qualify as EPA SmartWay-verified technology mostly by way of their rubber compounding. The line of ‘FM’ steer, drive and trailer tires – when used in all positions – is claimed to save owner-operators and fleets up to 4% in fuel bills, compared to using standard Dunlops. Obviously, there are a ton of variables in here so your mileage may vary, but if you’re now running at 6 mpg, you can theoretically move up to around 6.24.
   
Inspired by Goodyear’s ‘Fuel Max’ tires, the new Dunlop line includes the SP 384 FM steer tire, SP 456 FM drive tire, and SP 193 FM trailer tire in standard (11R22.5) and low-profile (295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5) sizes. The Dunlop casings support Goodyear Fuel Max retreads to further reduce life-cycle costs. 

The steer tire has a five-rib, four-belt design (three of them steel) and uses the company’s ‘evolving tread’ technology — as the original tread wears, jagged/angled groove walls across the footprint are exposed to help maximize traction and handling.
  
The drive tire is based on an all-steel, four-belt casing with 26/32-in. tread depth that features large, stable tread blocks to reduce squirm while promoting both fuel economy and even wear.

The new FM trailer tire uses a "cool running" triple-compound construction and an all-steel, four-belt package..
 
Dunlop notes that the trail position is key to the rolling resistance of a tractor-trailer – 41% of rolling resistance comes from the trailer position, half again more for doubles.


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