Michelin Americas Truck Tires says its latest X One wide single tire – the XDN2 on-highway drive tire – is the first X One tire in North America to utilize multiple Michelin Durable Technologies (MDT). The company debuted the tire at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.
“This tire takes the traditional compromise between traction, long life and fuel efficiency, and throws it out the window,” says Marc Laferriere, vice president of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “By utilizing two different Michelin Durable Technologies, the X One XDN2 tire delivers significantly increased tire life and exceptional, uncompromised traction, complementing the significant fuel efficiency gains of a Michelin X One wide single tire.”
Michelin says the X One XDN2 tire delivers fuel efficiency levels approaching the company’s most fuel-efficient truck tire – the X One XDA tire. Through MDT, the X One XDN2 tire is able to reduce the number of flexing sidewalls from four to two, when replacing dual tires, which lowers rolling resistance – 15 percent lower than its dual XDN2 tire counterpart, according to the company. The wide single tire is made possible by Michelin’s proprietary Infini-Coil Technology – more than a quarter-of-a-mile of steel cord wrapped circumferentially around every X One tire from sidewall to sidewall, which helps reduce casing growth and stabilize the contact patch, reducing irregular wear.
Michelin says the XDN2 tread pattern incorporates the company’s proprietary Matrix Siping Technology – corrugated grooves in the tread block that provide a zigzag appearance; the wavy grooves lock the tread block as it moves through the contact patch, providing both tread block rigidity and exceptional traction, while resisting tread scrubbing, as is normally the challenge with deep-treaded heavily-siped tires. Also a first for an X One tire is the X One XDN2 tire’s open shoulder tread design for additional traction.
The X One XDN2 tire will be available in November in a 445/50R22.5 size (equivalent to a 275/80R22.5 size), with a 455/55R22.5 size (equivalent to an 11R22.5 size) becoming available in December. The X One XDN2 tire will replace the Michelin X One XDA-HT Plus tire. Michelin offers X One tires for various applications such as on-highway, off-highway, urban, waste hauling and recreational vehicles.
Michelin also introduced the XDN2 Pre-Mold retread, an all-weather drive optimized to improve traction and mileage. The XDN2 features patented Matrix siping designed to deliver winter and wet traction from more than 1,300 biting edges. Available in 220-, 230- and 240-mm sizes, the retread is engineered with a two-layer compound: a top layer for wear and traction, and a bottom layer to maintain cool internal casing temperatures for longer tread and casing life. Wide, open shoulder grooves deliver added traction without compromising tread life.
For more information, go to www.michelin-us.com.
