LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Michelin Americas Truck Tires, which recently passed the 2 million threshhold of X One wide-base single truck tires produced, has re-engineered the product's basic casing construction to address the issue of irregular wear.
The evolution, known as “Advanced Casing Technology,” is used in Michelin's newest product, the X One Line Energy T trailer tire, which Michelin debuted at the 2014 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville.
Michelin claims the new product, designed for long-haul applications, offers 15-percent better original treadlife compared with the X One XTA, thanks to the new casing technology, which yields a contact patch with a consistent footprint.
Available initially in size 445/50R22.5, the SmartWay-verified X One Line Energy T tire has solid shoulders and microsipes that also help resist irregular wear. Michelin is offering a companion X One Line Energy T pre-mold retread.
Michelin launched the tire at a press conference at MATS, where it also marked the production of the 2 millionth X One since the wide-base single's debut 14 years ago, including 1 million produced in the past four years. Michelin intends to use the new technology in all X One products from now on, a spokesman said.
The technology is focused on managing the contact patch, which is critical in terms of size and shape, the company said, and can be tailored to specific applications.
The Greenville, S.C.-based tire maker declined to quantify how much it's spent on developing the new technology. Fleets that have switched to X One tires have experienced improvements of up to a 10 percent in fuel efficiency, Michelin claims, while also saving more 740 pounds of weight per truck.
Ted Becker, vice president of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, said the company looks “forward to delivering additional savings to our customers with the launch of the new X One trailer tire featuring the breakthrough Advanced Casing Technology.”
The X One technology also allows line haul and regional customers to meet Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay requirements and Calilfornia's Air Resources Board regulations, Michelin added.