Which tires are better for towing, tires with more sidewall or less sidewall?

 

Logical thinking says more side wall. Should give the tire higher load rating and heat dissipation. JMHO

 

That's what I was thinking, never seen a big rig with 4 inches of sidewall, and more sidewall allows for lower tire pressure and you won't wreck your wheels if you hit something.

 

Actually less sidewalls is better for towing in that you have less lateral stability in a taller sidewall tire. But when you start talking e rated tires and up less sidewall is very hard to mount which is part of the reason you don't see semi trucks with lo profile wheels.

 

If you’re buying tires for towing look for the appropriate size with a Load E rating...don’t play games with weird tire sizes.

 

Mainly curious due to a little argument I got into with a bunch of guys on Instagram, I've got stock wheels and plan to keep them that way, just wanted some other opinions.

 

I like most of this, but having mounted a ton of semi tires.as.a young teen, I'd suggest that the split ring they use defeats that ONE part of your logic. The rest stands tall. Semis need many miles from a tire for economy - thus, so many retreads. 75 and 80 profile offer more circumference, fewer rotations per mile, a taller gear, and less tread flex heating things.
For us, suspension will sag under the extra weight and a taller side keeps your underbelly closer to a normal clearance level to clear snow and the jack when you get a flat. A real bear when loaded and your spare is below and the jack sinks into the mud cuz you forgot a 16x16" piece of 1" plywood. With great roads at high altitudes an an eco gear ratio, a low profile can give you more power... but hard to find in an E rating. Ruin a tire due to road hazard and your fancy odd tires will have no local match. Stranded with a capitol $.

 

Split rims...........LOL! Widowmakers. The last I remember them was on my ‘66 F250. I *think* that was about the time NTSB outlawed them. Although there were some on the road for a number of years after that.

 

I thunk of a split rim as 2 halves of a shell. I said, split ring, the removeable tire bead. Am I using the nomenclature carelessly or incorrectly? I did this at 14 in 1964. Dad thought a paper route to dangerous. (Nowadays you must be 18, trained, and use a safety cage. It was explained that if I do it incorrectly, a hole in the roof or cinderblock wall would result after removing my head, plus, severe damage to vehicles outside. There were no incidents.) It was a small town. I never had to look for work again. Paper routes are gone also... along with youth self esteem and work ethic or responsibility in too many cases. I'll stop at that. Split ring, not rim... I think they're vastly different. And I believe split rings continue to exist.and be common on semis. Am I in error...???

 

In the 1st 20 seconds he sets the record straight on split rim versus split ring. (The 1st video listed.from my search, stated it "casually/carelessly" & wrong. This is the 2nd video...)


How to mount a tire on a split rim, or should we say split ring? Are these Widowmakers? Balancing?

 

Who runs split ring wheels on long haul trucks?

Split rings are "safe" if handled correctly, but most highway trucks will be tubeless methinks.

The "Widow maker" uses a two piece rim that is split just off the centerline of the rim. Google "Firestone 5 degree RH".

You knew all that.....

 

I will say from my experience
05 f250 with stock 17 rims there was a push in the back. I think between suspension and tires you could definitely feel movement when loaded heavy,
Went to 20's and it definitely removed the walking feeling with the same loads.
the 17s weren't bad, only reason I went to 20s is someone bought new truck and sold the new rims and tires dirt cheap.
On driving a semi, a trailer with 22.5 vs 17.5 wheels, you will notice a stiffer ride with the shorter sidewall and less flexing. But on a pickup I dont think it makes much difference unless your talking big mud tires, which the bigger you go the more walking the tire will do.

 

Well, I guess I am guilty of using wrong terminology/semantics then. But I thought they were all outlawed by NTSB in the ‘60’s.........IDK for sure. But I don’t know of anyone running tube type tires (which either split rim or split ring would require) on semi’s anymore for multiple reasons. Tubeless generate less heat, weigh less, no one will work on split ring-split rim wheels, etc.
And now, back to our regular program.

 

Yup. Too tired to reply last night ... it was even hard to find evidence of tubeless semi-tires, but yes - it does seem that they are now a thing. Not a total thing yet, but probably a trend. How deep that incursion is, 39% or 60%, I saw no note... but nothing to discuss here, probably. I DID see, tube-ful semi tires ~"have an aspect ration of 98%". I had thought 85.

(Back to my consideriing a replacement trans cooler for my '01 F150 before the rebuilt rebuilt (yup) trans gets back from IN (faulty rebuilt Dynamic TC, "new management," 😮😖&#128555 and how to clean my lines...🙄😏
HNY to y'all!!!)

 

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Good question......

I would match the load rating for my tow vehicle with the load rating on the trailer tires.......
For years I worked with the guy's who bragged that their truck could pull their big fifthwheel at 80 mph... Next time you are on the road during a hot summer day ... Notice those big trucks parked on the side of the road with a blow out on the RV... Truck and trailer are dealing with the same road conditions.

Hobo