Accuride Takes Weight Out

(Akron/Tire Review) Accuride Corp. rolled out its new Accu-Lite line of steel wheels at the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

According to the company, Accu-Lite wheels weigh in eight pounds less than standard steel wheels, and “are the lightest available version of the industry-standard two and five hand hole 22.5×8.25-inch steel wheels. Accuride’s standard five hand hole steel wheels weigh 68 pounds, the company said.

“As new emission standards are resulting in weight being added to vehicles, we knew our customers needed an easy solution for counterbalancing the added weight,” said Larry Taylor, Accuride senior vice president of sales and marketing. “We designed Accu-Lite wheels as a weight reduction solution for our customers so that they could maximise payload and fuel savings without reducing load ratings.

“Accu-Lite’s eight pounds of weight reduction per wheel translates to a savings of at least 144 pounds for tractor/trailer combinations,” said Taylor. “When you compare the weight savings of Accu-Lite to the competition, the competition doesn’t offer comparative savings. Accu-Lite is 11 pounds lighter than domestic competitors and anywhere from 14 to 23 pounds lighter than overseas competitors.”