Burning Rubber

With summer in full swing, temperatures are blazing across the United States — and it’s probably only going to get hotter.

The 10 warmest years on record have happened during the last decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While 2024 data won’t be complete until December, this year is shaping up to meet or exceed record highs. That’s not good news for contractors and companies that rely on big construction equipment with temperature-sensitive tires.

Staying cool is key to better human performance on jobsites, and it’s also important for equipment performance. Here, we discuss how tire temperature can impact your business and steps you can take to keep the wheels turning safely.

Why Keep Tires Cool

Overheating impacts tire safety, efficiency and longevity. The good news is that you can protect your equipment and get the most out of it even during hot weather by following a few best practices.

Safety First

Blowouts are more than scary — they can be deadly on construction sites or in heavy vehicles.

While many things can cause tire blowouts, excessive heat is a big risk factor. As the air temperature rises, so does the temperature of the air inside tires. Then, as you drive on them, they heat up even more due to friction and contact with hot pavement and other surfaces. Hot tires expand and increase in pressure. If they’re already overinflated, this pressure buildup can lead to blowouts.

Sometimes this happens quickly; other times, it’s a result of repeat overheating.  When tires stay too hot for too long or routinely exceed recommended temperatures, expansion and heat can weaken the tire structure. Treads can separate, tire walls can bulge and the innertube becomes weak. Over time, the risk of a blowout goes up.

Heat can also make tires less safe by making them lose their grip. Tires need to grip the ground to keep vehicles on the road, but overheated tires lose traction as they expand. This can lead to accidents, rollovers and sliding, especially if you’re driving on uneven, loose or gravely surfaces like those found in construction zones.

Boost Summertime Efficiency

When you meet or beat deadlines, your clients stay happier and you can earn more. Maybe you’ve spent time and money on training your crews, bought expensive project management software and invested in technologies to increase efficiency. But have you thought about how the way you treat your equipment affects your productivity?

Stop unnecessary downtime by protecting equipment tires from the impacts of excessive heat.

Work slows down and productivity suffers if your employees have to stop working to deal with overheated tires or replace blown-out tires. Yes, monitoring and recording temperature takes time, but addressing tire failure and blowouts take even longer, and it comes with additional costs on top of time alone.

Tire Longevity

Next to labor, equipment costs represent the largest portion of construction overhead. So anything you can do to keep those costs low improves your bottom line.

Experts estimate that large equipment tires typically last between 4,000 and 10,000 operating hours. However, if you don’t take care of them, you’ll shorten their life and have to replace them much sooner (see how the correct on/off-road tires and effective maintenance can help keep uptime high). Heavy equipment tires can cost $400 to $3,000 or more per tire, so every extra hour and mile counts.

Caring for your tires — including monitoring temperatures — can save your company thousands of dollars over the course of a year. That puts money back in your pocket.

What to Watch For

First, all tires come with a temperature range set by the manufacturer. Know the optimal temperature for the tires on your equipment and only operate when temperatures are in the safe range.

Check tire pressure regularly, since it’s directly related to temperature. As air and road surface temperatures rise, so will tire pressure. Overinflation increases the chances of problems and underinflated tires heat up more quickly, so test often on hot days and as temperatures rise.

Keep loads within a reasonable range. Overloaded equipment and heavy loads can strain tires and lead to overheating. Always follow recommended load limits. If the weather is hot, consider keeping weights at the low end or even under recommended ranges. If the load changes, adjust the air pressure to stay within recommended guidelines.

Regularly inspect the tires your equipment is running on. If you see signs of heat damage on the tire surface like discoloration, cracks, blisters or other abnormalities, don’t risk it — change the tire to avoid a blowout or failure. Other visible damage that isn’t heat related, such as uneven tread spots, excessive wear and foreign objects in tires or tread, are reasons to repair or replace tires no matter the season or air temperature.

On-the-job tire safety comes down to awareness and monitoring. Once you know the risks and rewards and have a monitoring system in place, it’s easy to keep your jobsite and crews safer, build in efficiencies and protect tire longevity.