Fleet Maintenance - 21

regulations, they must replace like-for-like components. This includes tire replacement.
"Greenhouse Gas Phase 2 regulations indicate
that fleets must replace tires on their vehicles with
equal to or better rolling resistance than what has
been included on their OE equipment as manufactured," Michelin's Meisenholder says. "This ensures
that the CO2 performance will be maintained
through vehicle life. Fleets will
need to work with dealers and
tire manufacturers to know
how to replace their tires."
Manufacturers must include
sufficient information, particularly regarding rolling resistance, in their maintenance
instructions to allow end-users to purchase replacement
tires that meet the appropriate
performance specifications.
Fleets can opt for a different
tire brand or design, as long as
the tire meets the same rolling
resistance requirements.
According to U.S. EPA officials, if a fleet is running
SmartWay-verif ied tires
currently, they are already
meeting Phase 2 standards.
It is important to make a
business case for selecting
tires as well. As such, fleets
would do well to continue
to evaluate the total cost of
ownership for tires.
"As tire manufacturers work
to find the balance between
efficiency and durability to
meet changing regulations,
it will become even more
important for fleets to manage
their tires as valuable business assets," Bridgestone's
Nayakwadi says. "This means
proactive maintenance will
become more important as
fleets seek to maintain the
integrity of their tire casings. If
maintained properly, premium
tire casings can be retreaded
several times, helping to lower
tire costs over time."
"We encourage fleets to
look at the rolling resistance
numbers the tire has, the
mileage the tire is expected to
achieve, and the value of the
casing," Cooper's Mosier adds,
when it comes to tire TCO evaluations. "Compare that against
the cost of the tire and then
run the numbers. That will
give you the cost of ownership.
With this information, you'll
be making an informed decision on the best tire to run in
your operation."

Tire resource links

* Find more details about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay
program at epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/technology.htm.
* Not all LRR tires are SmartWay verified. Find a list of the SmartWay-verified tires and retreads by visiting
epa.gov/verified-diesel-tech/smartway-verified-list-low-rolling-resistance-lrr-new-and-retread-tire.
* Michelin offers a fuel and mileage savings calculator to help customers compare the fuel savings benefit of
low rolling resistance tires against other tires at michelintruck.com/tools/fuel-savings-calculator.

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http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/technology.htm http://www.epa.gov/verified-diesel-tech/smartway-verified-list-low-rolling-resistance-lrr-new-and-retread-tire http://www.michelintruck.com/tools/fuel-savings-calculator http://www.macnaughtkyplus.com http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/101222280

Fleet Maintenance

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