Question Rettroband - are they worth it?

[Joe Dutchstar]

Getting a bit off topic but here is how the Class 8 trucks shift weight off the drives to keep within axle ratings.

Shifting weight by moving the 5th wheel.

Sliding The 5th Wheel For Weight Adjustment | High Road Online CDL Training

 

[Richpatty]

Until there is a more systematic review I think it is wise to time self impose time/mile limits for steer tires. Maybe 15,000 miles and 3 years for the steers. Just rotate them back to the drive position for a few more years and put new tires on the steer wheels. Rettroband or not, driving the steers to failure is probably not the right solution.

I have been thinking of this idea and had the following scenario of replacing the steer tires every 2 years and rotating them to the back. By doing this, your front tires would never be more than 2 years old and you back tires would never be older than 6 or 8 (depending on whether you have a tag or not.)

By year:

Year 0 (all new tires)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 0
Outer Dually 0
Tag 0

Year 2 (no rotation, just replace front)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 2
Tag 2

Year 4 (rotate steers to inner dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 4
Tag 4

Year 6 (rotate steers to outer dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 4
Outer Dually 2
Tag 6

Year 8 (rotate steers to tag)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 6
Outer Dually 4
Tag 2

Year 10 (starts over - rotate steers to inner dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 6
Tag 4

Advantages
1) Front steer are never more than 2 years old
2) Does not cost any more than replacing all tires every 8 years
3) Lowers risk to front steers - maybe enough to not get Rettrobands?

Disadvantages
1) Have to go to tire dealer every other year
2) All tires have to be the same size - maybe you can change the smallest tire to the largest so they all match?
3) If you have Rettrobands, you need to go to NIRVC every other year to have them removed and reinstalled for new tires. Not sure what NIRVC would think of moving the bands so often.
4) Slight risk to damage during the remounting of tires?
5) At the end of each cycle, one set of tires would be approaching 8 years old...maybe too old for some folks risk tolerance.
6) All tires would have to be same brand/type so they match when on dually axel.

Note: If you do not have a tag axel, this would be a 6 year rotation.

Just an idea.
Comments welcome

 

[turbopilot]

I have been thinking of this idea and had the following scenario of replacing the steer tires every 2 years and rotating them to the back. By doing this, your front tires would never be more than 2 years old and you back tires would never be older than 6 or 8 (depending on whether you have a tag or not.)

By year:

Year 0 (all new tires)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 0
Outer Dually 0
Tag 0

Year 2 (no rotation, just replace front)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 2
Tag 2

Year 4 (rotate steers to inner dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 4
Tag 4

Year 6 (rotate steers to outer dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 4
Outer Dually 2
Tag 6

Year 8 (rotate steers to tag)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 6
Outer Dually 4
Tag 2

Year 10 (starts over - rotate steers to inner dually)
Steer 0 Years old
Inner Dually 2
Outer Dually 6
Tag 4

Advantages
1) Front steer are never more than 2 years old
2) Does not cost any more than replacing all tires every 8 years
3) Lowers risk to front steers - maybe enough to not get Rettrobands?

Disadvantages
1) Have to go to tire dealer every other year
2) All tires have to be the same size - maybe you can change the smallest tire to the largest so they all match?
3) If you have Rettrobands, you need to go to NIRVC every other year to have them removed and reinstalled for new tires. Not sure what NIRVC would think of moving the bands so often.
4) Slight risk to damage during the remounting of tires?
5) At the end of each cycle, one set of tires would be approaching 8 years old...maybe too old for some folks risk tolerance.
6) All tires would have to be same brand/type so they match when on dually axel.

Note: If you do not have a tag axel, this would be a 6 year rotation.

Just an idea.
Comments welcome

Interesting idea. With more data confirming limiting time in service/milage of the steers reduces the chances of failure, it may be unnecessary to even have the Rettrobands on the steers.

 

[Neal]

The New Aire scenario above was low time and mileage was it not?

 

[turbopilot]

The New Aire scenario above was low time and mileage was it not?

I think it happened 2 years into ownership with a lot of movement (based on videos). I still think it is possible the impact on the wheel/tire in the accident 18 months earlier has to be considered as a possible factor.

 

[DennisT]

Checking date codes on our tires, Superstar we picked up last December and just a comment….

Would be nice if Michelin put the date codes on both sides of the tires - had to open the hood to find the fronts and will have to crawl under the coach to get the rears.

Interesting discussion on rotation although we have 315s on the front and 295s on the rear so...

Had a four corner weight done while at the Mothership - we have at least 1k capacity on both axles and we are full since we are full time. Nice to know we “could” lower the pressures in the tires if desired and not close to overloading either end. That should help overall.

 

[Richpatty]

Checking date codes on our tires, Superstar we picked up last December and just a comment….

Would be nice if Michelin put the date codes on both sides of the tires - had to open the hood to find the fronts and will have to crawl under the coach to get the rears.

Interesting discussion on rotation although we have 315s on the front and 295s on the rear so...

Had a four corner weight done while at the Mothership - we have at least 1k capacity on both axles and we are full since we are full time. Nice to know we “could” lower the pressures in the tires if desired and not close to overloading either end. That should help overall.

Yup. Different size tires can be an issue with such a plan. Would it be possible to put 315s on the back? I guess it would be an added expense.

 

[DennisT]

Yup. Different size tires can be an issue with such a plan. Would it be possible to put 315s on the back? I guess it would be an added expense.

That gets into a whole issue with distance between tires, air flow for cooling, etc. Not sure it would be worth the expense.

Steel wheels on the inners doesn’t help with the heat dissipation. Aluminum on those as well would probably help but probably other things we will want to do to the coach overall to spend the money on

 

[Richpatty]

Gotcha….didn’t know the answer so it was an honest question.
Thanks.

 

[DennisT]

Gotcha….didn’t know the answer so it was an honest question.
Thanks.

Nope, knew it was honest and a good one. May be something we look at just to see if it would be even an option.

Appreciate the question for something to think about.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Does the additional unsprung weight and spinning mass of the Rettrobands add stopping distance or acceleration time? Do they cause the coach to ride any rougher?

 

[Neal]

Several weeks ago I went to the Rettroband website and put in a request for an appointment at the Washington DC (aka Manassas, VA) location. No response to date!

Approximate time of submission was this post

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

In my opinion it is always best to call as a followup to generic email requests. You never know how the email is routed or to whom.

 

[Richpatty]

I agree with Joe….

 

[Richpatty]

BTW. I am sitting at NIRVC as I type as they are being installed…