By Dave Millhouser

It was pitch black on a Texas two lane when Huck felt a thump and the venerable Scenicruiser began vibrating.

An inside rear dual had blown, and a tiny light on the horizon turned out to be a firehouse. The tire was already burning when he whipped the bus into the driveway, ran inside, and told the firemen: "Shes all yours".

Kids awakened from sleeping piled off the bus, yanked luggage from the bays and watched as it burned to the ground -- despite the firefighters efforts.

Days later I turned up with a flatbed trailer to take the carcass home. All that was left was the engine, transmission, axles and wheels. It became a bussy organ donor.

Fast forward a few weeks, as I waddle out to my bus, preparing to check it before a trip, cracks in the front wheel are visible from a distance. More waddling around the coach makes it clear that several wheels are cracked; they all had been salvaged from the burned bus. Clearly, intense heat and wheels dont go together.

I learned a couple of things. Eyeballing wheels before a trip is good and toasting them is bad. Perhaps most important, wheels, like most parts of a coach, should not be taken for granted. Drivers need to be educated to spot problems, and checking them needs to be part of preventative maintenance.

There are two major areas of concern in providing the attention and affection wheels deserve. One is selecting the right type when you buy a coach, and the second is maintaining them.

The discussion regarding "hub-centered" versus "stud-centered" is pretty much over, with hub-centered now dominating our industry. Its still worthwhile making sure your drivers and mechanics understand the difference (they shouldnt be mixed), and ensuring that the spares stored in your buses match the rest of the coach.

When buying coaches, or replacing wheels, you choose between steel and forged aluminum. Cast aluminum wheels are available in some sizes but arent appropriate for coach applications.

Each has advantages and disadvantages (surprise).

Steel wheels are often standard equipment and are substantially less expensive than aluminum. They are strong and, for the lazy among us, often show a rust streak where lugs are loose.

The down side is that they need to be maintained. In addition to making the coach look good, painting the wheels prevents rust and corrosion. Periodically old paint needs to be stripped, so it doesnt fall off or fool the lug nuts into thinking they are tight.

The list of advantages for aluminum is long but its an individual choice as to whether theyre worth the extra cost. Some companies buy them for the aesthetics, and use the advantages to justify the choice not a bad thing.

Aluminum wheels tend to be truer than steel, they dissipate heat better and the wheel assembly is easier to balance. Those traits may result in better tire and brake life. They are substantially lighter than steel and, as a result, your suspension doesnt have as much unsprung weight to wrestle, providing a better ride. Losing weight is good.

Modern aluminum wheels are generally coated so you dont have to spend time polishing them.

Unless you have a spacer, dont mix wheel types on a dual. Bolting steel and aluminum together incorrectly will result in corrosion from dissimilar metals, unless the hard steel batters the aluminum into submission first.

Several different tire sizes can be mounted on the same rim BUT make sure that the wheel youre using is approved for the tire youre mounting (and the tire is the same as the others on the coach).

The lubricant sometimes recommended for application between wheels and hubs to prevent corrosion can create overtorqueing problems if its applied to the lug threads.

In some cases the use of liquid tire balancers and sealers can damage wheels and void warranties.

Generally, the best wheels are installed on the steering axle but also make sure that the inner duals are good. Theyre harder to inspect and nasty to repair, so give yourself a chance to avoid pain.

Wheel manufacturers provide substantial documentation. One good website (of several) is: alcoa.com/alcoawheels/europe/pdf/en/Alcoa_Wheel_Service_manual_English.pdf You can download the PDF.

We may not think about stud length, torqueing technique, inspection procedures and maintenance. Drivers should have a basic knowledge of these topics, just to make sure emergency road service vendors install spares correctly.

Wheels are so simple and reliable we take them for granted. They resent that and sometimes make us pay for neglect.

One wheel from the Crispy Cruiser ended up on another coach, until it cracked between every lug hole. The tire and outer wheel headed for the Twilight Zone, leaving the bus on the ground, with a tiny disk mounted to 10 lugs.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him by email at: Davemillhouser@gmail.com.