Shop Drive Position Tires

Drive tires: traction tires for powered truck axles

Drive tires are commercial truck tires designed for the powered axles of semi trucks and straight trucks, which put engine torque to the road. Drive tires use lug treads with deep tread blocks, commonly 24/32 to 32/32 in. new, for traction when accelerating, climbing and braking with a full load.

Closed-shoulder vs. open-shoulder drive tires

• Closed-shoulder drive tires have continuous shoulder ribs that resist irregular wear and lower rolling resistance, for linehaul tractors on interstates.
• Open-shoulder drive tires have shoulder lugs separated by open grooves that bite into snow, mud and gravel, for regional, vocational and winter routes.

Drive tire sizes

Drive tires come in the same sizes as steer and trailer tires on a given truck, most commonly 11R22.5, 295/75R22.5 and 11R24.5, plus wide-base 445/50R22.5 and 455/55R22.5 sizes that replace a dual pair. Drive tires on standard sizes run in load range G or H.

Matching dual drive tires

Drive tires run in dual pairs on most tractors, and the two tires of each dual must match in diameter within 1/4 in., measured with a tape or a dual-matching gauge. A smaller tire in a dual pair drags against its partner, wears irregularly and overloads the taller tire.

Drive tires for winter routes

Drive tires with the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) symbol passed a standardized snow-traction test. Open-shoulder 3PMSF drive tires suit trucks that run mountain passes and northern routes through the winter.

Drive tires vs. all-position tires

All-position tires can run on the drive axles of regional and vocational trucks with moderate torque. High-horsepower linehaul tractors use dedicated drive tires, whose deeper lug tread holds traction and lasts longer under full torque. See commercial truck tires for all positions.

Retreading drive tire casings

Drive tire casings in good condition are commonly retreaded once or more, which lowers cost per mile across a fleet. Keeping drive tires at the correct pressure protects the casing for retreading.

Ordering drive tires with NeoTires

Drive tires are ordered by size and by the shoulder design the route needs: closed shoulder for interstate miles, open shoulder for snow, mud and regional work. Search the size on NeoTires, compare drive tires by price and brand, and add enough tires for every drive axle to the cart, commonly eight on a tandem tractor. NeoTires dispatches drive tires the same day nationwide, free on tires labeled Free shipping, with Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay financing available at checkout.