Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is bringing its DuraSeal self-sealing tire technology to the long-haul truck market with its Unisteel G316 LHT trailer tire. The compound is more effective than aftermarket sealant, the tire maker says.
DuraSeal's gel-like, solvent-free compound is built into the inner liner of the tire and seals punctures up to one-fourth of an inch in diameter, according to Goodyear. It has been used for mixed-service applications such as logging, construction and mining since 2005.
“Self-sealing technology in trailer tires is relevant, since maintaining the inner tire of a dual-tire set-up is difficult,” said Steve McClellan, vp of Goodyear commercial tire systems.
Donn Kramer, director of marketing for Goodyear commercial tire systems, told Fleet Owner that the driver can get the puncture immediately repaired or wait until the tire is removed at the terminal.
“Depending on the fleet, some air tire pressure systems would catch the puncture,” he says. “Otherwise you would need to visually check the tires because you may not know. Usually at one-quarter of an inch you can see the puncture.”
DuraSeal tires do not feature sidewall damage protection, but Kramer points out that most downtime is related to tread punctures, and the expense can be very steep. “If it costs $500 to $550 for one road call, tires for a trailer would more than pay for themselves if [DuraSeal] repairs one a year,” he says.
