The world’s biggest production tire – the 63-inch Titan

Mine operators are increasingly adopting larger equipment to lower operating costs and a new class of ultra-large machinery is demanding bigger tyres. Earlier this week, Titan Tire shipped its first giant 63-inch off-the-road (OTR) tire and wheel assemblies. The tires, each measuring nearly 14 feet tall and weighing approximately 12,500 pounds, are being shipped to Canada’s oil sands for use in mining applications and Titan envisages a worldwide market of 900 tires a year.

July 31, 2008 Mine operators are increasingly adopting larger equipment to lower operating costs and a new class of ultra-large machinery is demanding bigger tyres. Earlier this week, Titan Tire shipped its first giant 63-inch off-the-road (OTR) tire and wheel assemblies. The tires, each measuring nearly 14 feet tall and weighing approximately 12,500 pounds, are being shipped to Canada’s oil sands for use in mining applications and Titan envisages a worldwide market of 900 tires a year.

Titan supplies wheels, tires and assemblies for off-highway equipment used in agricultural, earthmoving/construction and consumer (including all terrain vehicles) applications.

“A lot of people in the industry doubted that Titan could build these giant tires in less than a year,” said Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr.

The previous largest production tire in the world was produced by Bridgestone. The Bridgestone 59/80R63 V-Steel E-Lug S tire which the Titan exceeds stands 4.02 meters (158.5 inches) tall -11 centimeters (4.4 inches) taller than Bridgestone's former record holder, the 55/80R63 V-Steel R-Lug S tire.

The 59/80R63 measures 1.47 meters (57.9 inches) across, and has a nominal load rating of 101 metric tons, an increase of more than 6 metric tons on its previous best. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of the 59/80R63 V-Steel E-Lug S tire, each tire weighs 5.1 metric tons – imagine trying to wrestle that one with a tire iron?

And before we start getting emails telling us the world’s biggest tyre is in Michigan, it is – right here – and it is not a production unit but a one-off built for the New York World's Fair in 1964 by Uniroyal. At 80 foot tall, it’s more than five times bigger than the production unit pictured and was originally used as the centrepiece of a Ferris wheel before the tread was added. Maybe one day we’ll see a production tire that big.