Single rear wheel/tire

Out west I am seeing quite a few big rigs with single tire/wheel set ups -- not dualies. Of course the single wheels are wider and the tires bigger, but it looks like a nice clean way to go. So my question is about our Sprinters. Is there a way to replace the rear duals with a single wheel/tire application? I have a Class C RV built on a 3500 cab/chassis. I can see a nice application with alloy wheels......

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Ed Brady
Colorado Springs

Mitsubishi USA has SuSi super wide single rear wheels.
Mercedes Sprinter introduced SuSi quite a long time ago back not in the N/A market though.
Richard

Thanks, Richard. I'll look into that product.

EDB

Hi Ed,
What product are you going to look into?
There are no NAFTA Spec. Sprinters with the SUSI (Super Single Rear Tire) option as
they do not bring them into this market that way.
One of our members in the UK (Mean in Green) has a SUSI setup on his Euro Spec. Sprinter.
I've asked Claus Tritt (CEO of Daimler Vans USA LLC) why they don't put the SUSI setup on the
RV Sprinters that seem like the rear suspension is pretty much maxed out right after they install the RV body, but he says MB has engineers at all the major Sprinter RV conversion outfits that monitor this and all the units meet the rear axle weight specifications.
I will mention this to Mr. Tritt again this year at the Sprinter Fest East!
But there are some major caveats that you will have to get beyond before you can put any sort of SUSI on your Sprinter.
1/ The SUSI tires and wheels have to be the same overall diameter as the front tires and wheels!
Where are you going to find SUSI tires that match what you have on the front and rear of your Sprinter now?
2/ The Euro SUSI Sprinters have tire sizes available only in Europe/UK.
3/ The Euro SUSI Sprinters have a different rear axle that's supposed to be wider
that either the NAFTA single or dual rear axles.
Let me know if you find a solution to this as I would love to take the duals off my 3500 and
run some 215/85R16 Super Singles on about 8-10" wide wheels (the wheels would have to
be specially manufactured.)
Roger

Susi is global apart from N/A unless they have been discontinued, which they haven't as to we use these vans for 4 foot wide pallets,same as the 3 tonnes.or 2500 model designation for N/A.
However Note: Susi is rated max 4.490 KG
Richard

The big rigs with the single tires are for traction in the snow.
Edit: maybe I'm wrong here is a link that talks about it.
http://www.trucksaleguide.com/semi-truck-tires.htm

I guess they are pretty common in europe already ..... although drivers with these single tires have concerns about when one goes out ...... Tire pressure on the side says 120 PSI.

My neighbor works in a lab in portland on big daimler chrysler trucks .... I have been trying to hit that german up for a job

This turned into a pretty interesting discussion. I had planned to look into the Mitsubishi wheel and tire system, but it looks like it is not that simple. My uninformed thought was, "Hey, if big rigs have it it must be the coming thing and someone will make a setup for my Sprinter." Anyway, I'll do some more research and if I discover anything useful I'll share it.

Thanks for the responses,

EDB

I have first seen the sigle super sized tire in big rigs in 1993. I used to drive OTR then and it was a new concept. Never really took off aside from cement and dump trucks around here.