Upgrading to ALCOA forged aluminium wheels will not only enhance the appearance of a truck, trailer, bus or coach with a more polished presentation, there are also significant long-term cost benefits to consider.
Transpecs, a leading supplier of transport parts and equipment in New Zealand, provides an extensive selection of forged aluminium wheels from the esteemed ALCOA Wheels brand.
It has also just launched the new Ultra ONE ALCOA Wheels — the lightest and strongest in the range made from MagnaForce alloy technology.
While the initial investment in these high-quality wheels may be considerable, they present numerous benefits for transport operators to consider, the company says.
These qualities have also been echoed in feedback from Kiwi customers.
Local operators have praised the wheel’s strength and reliability along with its light weight. Plus, the ALCOA Dura-Bright finish stays looking good for years with minimum cleaning effort.
Fuel savings
ALCOA Wheels, by Howmet Wheel Systems, recently conducted a test to compare aluminium vs. steel wheels.
The primary purpose was to measure the fuel-saving opportunities of its Ultra ONE ALCOA aluminium wheels.
The test was conducted against two models of steel wheels on a typical European heavy-duty semi-trailer combination.
It was carried out in compliance with European regulations and with the assistance of global testing and certification provider DEKRA.
Through the test, Howmet Wheel Systems confirmed a significant fuel savings of up to 1.29% with its Ultra ONE ALCOA aluminium wheels.
This test reaffirmed the company’s position as the industry’s lightest aluminium truck wheel manufacturer.
Payload gains
For bulk haulage fleets, the extra payload capacity drives wheel choices.
The ALCOA Ultra ONE Wheel can lighten a rig by over 100kg (for a standard truck and trailer with 22 wheels) against the average aluminium wheel of the same size, which can weigh 23kg.
Compared with a steel wheel of the same size, the weight difference is upwards of 600kg.
Low to no maintenance
Although steel wheels cost less to purchase up front, they are high-maintenance.
Steel requires a lot of refurbishing such as removing rust, re-painting, and touch-up work, leading to higher lifetime costs.
Maintenance is one of the measurable costs that help transport business owners justify the financial sense aluminium wheels make.
By their very nature, wheels in the heavy-duty world spend their entire lives in harsh environments. They are constantly bombarded with potential corrosion and dirt build up.
ALCOA Dura-Bright Wheels are easily cleaned with just soap and water.
Dura-Bright Wheels are a premium surface treatment – not a coating – that penetrates the aluminium, forming a molecular bond that becomes an integral part of the wheel. It prevents cracking, peeling and filiform corrosion often seen on coated wheels.
It also enables the wheel to keep its shine, and so the wheel stays looking newer for longer without the need to polish, even after hundreds of washes and thousands of kilometres.
Dura-Bright Wheels have been known to reduce wheel cleaning time from 25 minutes down to just two minutes.
Combining the advantages of lightweight ALCOA Wheels with the easy to clean benefits of the Dura-Bright finish helps to lower lifetime operating costs and provide value to fleet owners.
Extended tyre and brake life
Improved heat dissipation can lead to longer tyre and brake life.
The advantage of aluminium wheels is that they give up heat faster and dissipate heat away from the tyres and brakes – helping to improve tyre and brake life.
If the truck and trailer were on steel wheels, the heat would continue to rise even after parking the trucks. ALCOA Wheels help to quickly cool down the system and help to prevent heat damage to the tyres and brakes.
The cost of replacing tyres due to overheating can be lessened or even avoided.
Driver/operator retention
ALCOA Wheels are made from a one-piece aluminium machined on a CNC lathe, they are better balanced, which makes for improved ride quality and improved tyre life, according to the manufacturer.
As vibrations are eliminated, this leads to a smoother, safer ride for the operator, which can potentially be measured as ROI in longer driver retention.
Employee satisfaction is directly proportional to how long a person remains in a role, and it has been recorded in a 2016 survey of 6200 truck drivers at two large fleets that those who believed their safety was prioritised by their employer felt more valued and were more likely to stay in their jobs.
Resale and end-of-life
The durability and long life of ALCOA Wheels add value to commercial trucks and trailers, even when it is time to sell them.
Research shows that trucks equipped with aluminium wheels have a higher trade-in value.
Wheel manufacturers report that the resale value of aluminium wheels is typically more than 50% of the original investment as much as 10 years earlier.
Even at the end of their very long life, ALCOA Wheels have value because they are recyclable. They will never be taken to a landfill.
*This article appeared in the February edition of TransportTalk.
