Heavy haul truck drivers - what causes this tire chunking?

C

Chris142

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Jun 5, 2003
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Location
Apple Valley, California
Got 5 trucks where I work that have the 20k front axles. The steer tires are giving us fits. Every one of those tires loses chunks of rubber. Sometimes from the sides,others from the center etc.

No idea why. Does not matter what tire brand they all do it. The trucks are used around dirt roads and construction sites . 2 of them are septic pumpers that just stay around town. This one today is on a dump truck.

Ideas?
IMG_20230802_150325090.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
tnt_motorsports said:
My guess would be dry turning on a solid surface. I have a Ram and try really hard not to dry turn it.

Just my $0.02
Click to expand...
That’s exactly what it is. Twisting and turning on a heavy loaded steer axle. Are the other axles doing this ? I have seen it happen on trailer tires also.
The rubber missing on this tire was torn off not worn.
 
Do these trucks drive on uneven or rocky surfaces? Chunking is usually caused by running over objects that cause extreme stress in the treads.
 
OLEJOE said:
That’s exactly what it is. Twisting and turning on a heavy loaded steer axle. Are the other axles doing this ? I have seen it happen on trailer tires also.
The rubber missing on this tire was torn off not worn.
Click to expand...
Only the steer tires and only the high floatation tire. The " normal" 11 r 22.5's are in the same places and don't do it.
 
The high flotation comment may be the key. With any tire, when you make tight turns the inside edge of the tire and the outside edge of the tire are traveling different radius circles, therefore different distances - yet they are physically connected together. There will necessarily be a bit of sliding by one side or the other, maybe both. With wide tires this situation is exaggerated.
 
It seemed Yokohama was more prone to this for a period some years ago on the 295/75/22.5 tires trailer position. Steer, drive and trailer tires are not the same 99.9% of the time even though some steer and trailer tires are multipurpose capable for both. roles. That might be different in construction and heavy haul semis.
 
The hardness of the rubber compound in the tires can also make a difference. I try to run new tires on the rear for several thousand miles before switching them to the front. Heating and cooling helps harden them.
@Gyro Gearloose is right about the inside and outside of the tires traveling different distances when turning.
 
My first reaction to the photo was cuts due to rocks that turn into chunking. Then you said that it occurs on every tire brand and on every truck and the trucks can run off road - and that was just more evidence.

To verify, inspect the some of the tires and mark those spots where you currently have cuts, but not chunks, then later go back to those marks and see if you now have chunking.

Yeah, that's going to take some careful recording keeping and a paint stick, but it would answer your question.
 
I'm with capriracer on this one. Rocks are bad for tires, especially ones made of harder rubber.
 
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