Best Truck Tyres for Long-Distance Haulage in Zimbabwe

What long-distance haulage does to tyres

A truck running Harare to Beitbridge, Mutare to Forbes or Harare to Chirundu puts its tyres through a lot in one trip:

• Heat. Hours at highway speed under full load, in summer temperatures, build heat inside the casing. Heat is what destroys tyres.
• Heavy and uneven loads. Interlinks and tri-axles carry close to their limits, and one overloaded axle overloads its tyres.
• Road surfaces. Potholes, broken edges and gravel detours cut and bruise tyres.
• Long distances between help. A blow-out far from a town costs far more than the tyre.

So the "best" tyre is not one brand. It is the right tyre on each axle, looked after properly.

Choose by axle position

Read more about the most common size in our 315/80R22.5 buying guide, or compare it with the narrower size in 295/80R22.5 vs 315/80R22.5.

Highway pattern or mixed service?

Pure highway tyres give the best mileage and fuel use on good tar. If your trucks regularly leave the tar for mine sites, farms, grain depots or sand roads, a highway tyre will chip and cut. In that case choose a mixed-service or regional pattern with a cut-resistant compound, at least on the drive axles. Be honest about your routes: a fleet that spends 20% of its time on gravel is a mixed-service fleet.

Load index: do not guess

The load index is the number after the size, for example 156/150. Work out your heaviest real axle loads, not the legal ones on paper, and make sure every tyre is rated above its share. Underrated tyres overheat on long runs and fail early, often as tread separation or blow-outs. Our guide to load index and speed rating has the full table.

Pressure is the biggest single factor

An underinflated truck tyre flexes more, runs hotter and wears faster. Overinflation reduces grip and makes tyres more likely to be cut by stones. On long hauls:

1. Check pressures cold, before the day's driving, with a calibrated gauge.
2. Set pressure for the load the truck is carrying, using the tyre maker's load and inflation table.
3. Keep both tyres in a dual pair at the same pressure.
4. Never let air out of a hot tyre to "correct" pressure. Pressure rises when tyres are hot, and that is normal.
5. Use valve caps, and replace damaged valves.

Habits that lower cost per kilometre

• Match your duals. Same size, pattern and similar tread depth. A worn tyre next to a new one leaves the new one carrying the load.
• Check alignment when steer tyres wear on one shoulder or the truck pulls.
• Walk round at every stop. Look for cuts, bulges, stones between duals and missing valve caps.
• Rotate steer tyres to drive or trailer positions where your fleet policy allows, to use the full tread.
• Record tyre life by position and brand. Fleets that measure cost per kilometre buy better tyres.
• Carry a good spare of the right size. A long haul with a bald spare is a long haul without a spare.

When to replace

Replace before tyres fail on the road: at your fleet's minimum tread depth, at the first sign of a bulge, deep cut or exposed cords, and when tyres are old even if the tread looks good. See when should commercial truck tyres be replaced for a full checklist.

Supplying long-haul fleets since 1996

Proclassic Tyres supplies steer, drive and trailer tyres to transport operators from our branches in Harare and Mutare, on the main freight routes, with delivery to your depot anywhere in Zimbabwe. Send us your fleet's sizes, the number of tyres per position and your routes, and we will quote everything in one go.