Falken: extracting maximum tyre performance

By Categories: Commercial NewsPublished On: Wednesday 22 January 2025

Falken Tyre Europe’s technical experts have offered advice for CV operators on how to keep truck tyres in top condition, while reducing costs and environmental impact.

Putting tyre servicing at the heart of maintenance and inspection programmes can make a difference to all three, says Falken. Its commercial tyre range (TBR) is 100 per cent manufactured in Japan. Over many years in the global truck market, Falken has developed a range of specialised commercial tyres for regional and extended regional usage. The broad portfolio spans robust on and off-road products with specific tyres for demanding winter weather conditions.

Falken’s network of approved distributors in the UK offers advice on the most appropriate tyre for given applications.

“The first step is to choose the right tyre,” said Falken’s technical experts.

“It must comply with both the law, vehicle recommendations as well as vocation.”

Picking the right tyre can be a crucial differentiator, says Falken, which suggests working with local distributors to find the right attributes. For example, where grip is key, Falken’s BI856 for drive axles offers 3D ‘Miura-Ori’ sipes for even wear, increased mileage performance and traction. This technology prevents block movement and increases rigidity, adds the firm.

For applications where not only mileage but rolling resistance is critical, the company highlights its specialised tyres for trailer and steering axles: RI151 and RI128.

There are various ways in which tyre damage can occur, says the company; underinflation, overloading or casing defects after impacts often contribute to tyre damage.

“Regular visual inspections for damages and irregularities on the tread and sidewalls conducted during periodic air-pressure checks by using a gauge designed specifically for truck tyres is key,” said Falken’s technical experts.

In dual fitment applications (two tyres mounted together), the firm advises, ensure both tyres have the same diameter, manufacturer pattern type, wear status and air pressure.

Environmental conditions are important, too.

“Always check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold, meaning before you set off or if you have only driven a short distance. In freezing temperatures, valve inserts can freeze, causing a leak, so take extra care to check pressure in cold weather.”

The company advises making use of the technical specification plate in the truck, typically located on the chassis or near the driver’s side door. The plate includes individual axle load specifications of the vehicle.

“By referring to it, you can determine the correct tyre pressures for each axle based on its maximum load capacity,” added Falken’s technical experts.

It’s much easier and cost-effective to prevent damage rather than purchase a new tyre, says Falken; for example, bead cracking is usually caused by overloading, whether from carrying too heavy a load or from underinflation after a puncture.

“To prevent this, regularly check tyre pressures and ensure the load stays within recommended limits,” said the company’s technical experts.

“Always distribute the load evenly to reduce stress on the tyres.”

For trucks on mixed surfaces, Falken suggests picking a tyre with higher robustness and features such as the stone ejectors found on its GI on/off-road products. Hundreds of tiny, raised elements on top of the grooves prevent foreign objects from being trapped, it says; and the tread compound used provides excellent cut and chip resistance.

Tread cracking in the shoulder area typically results from impacts with obstacles like kerbs or debris.

“To avoid this, be mindful of your surroundings and avoid hitting kerbs and other obstacles,” suggested Falken’s technical experts.

Caution is key when manoeuvring in tight spaces, says the firm; tread chipping and chunking are caused by high lateral forces during tight turns. To reduce the risk, it advises instructing drivers through training to avoid sharp turns in confined spaces and steer clear of damaged surfaces, such as cracked asphalt where possible.

“Where trucks operate on broken surfaces, it might be advisable to increase visual inspections to avoid potential downtime due to a puncture,” said Falken’s technical experts.

To maximise their lifespan and minimise costs, Falken says, all its truck tyres are designed to last and benefit from regrooving and retreading – processes that significantly extend their service life and promote environmental sustainability.

“Regrooving locally removes tread rubber to restore tread depth and grip, retaining the tyre’s fuel efficiency, improving cost-effectiveness, and ensuring solid performance. It can extend a tyre’s lifespan by up to 20 per cent,” said Falken’s technical experts.

Widely proven in the sector, retreading replaces the worn tread with new rubber, adds the company, making it a cost-effective solution for fleet operators.

“Retreading is more sustainable, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 30 per cent compared to new tyres and lowering resource consumption by up to 70 per cent.”

For more details and useful practical information on extracting the maximum from truck tyres, readers can access Falken’s Technical Support Guide here.

www.falkentyre.com