COMMERCIAL VEHICLE FRONT-TIRE FAILURES

TIRE FAILURES ARE THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF MECHANICAL DEFECT ACCIDENTS. FRONT-TIRE FAILURE ACCIDENTS ACCOUNT FOR OVER 60% OF THESE ACCIDENTS. A TWO-DAY CHECK OF 576 VEHICLES WAS CONDUCTED AT THE SCALES ON INTERSTATE 70 IN ODESSA, MISSOURI. FORTY-FOUR OF THE 576 VEHICLES HAD THEIR WEIGHT AND TIRES CHECKED IN DETAIL. THE PERCENTAGE OF TRUCKS WITH OVERLOADED FRONT TIRES WAS BETWEEN 3.9 AND 13.6%. FOUR AND ONE-HALF TIMES AS MANY FRON TIRES WERE UNDERINFLATED AS WERE OVERLOADED. RIGHT FRONT TIRES FAIL MORE OFTEN THAN LEFT FRONT. THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT TUBELESS TIRES ARE LESS APT TO BE INVOLVED IN FRONT TIRE FAILURE ACCIDENTS. TIRES INVOLVED IN SUCH ACCIDENTS HAVE SLIGHTLY LESS TREAD PATTERN DEPTH THAN DO OTHER FRONT TIRES. WORN TREAD IS NOT A MAJOR CAUSE OF FRONT TIRE FAILURES. MILEAGE OF 61 TIRES WHICH FAILED, IS GRAPHED, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTING TIRE FAILURES ARE PRESENTED.

• Corporate Authors:

  Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Pagination: 15 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Axle load force; Crash causes; Crash investigation; Crash types; Failure; Oversize loads; Tire treads; Tires
• Uncontrolled Terms: Overloads
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224460
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 16 1974 12:00AM