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Tyre giant improves tyre stability
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Tyre giant improves tyre stability
Published on 1 July 2010
French tyre giant Michelin has recorded an improvement of 6.5% in stability on 385/65 R 22.5 tyres through calculating the overturn angle of a 44 tonne tractor unit and trailer combination that was fitted with X One MaxiTrailer tyres.
The testing was conducted under laboratory conditions at QinetiQ’s automotive test facility in Chobham, Surrey where the only tilt-table in the UK capable of testing a fully loaded 13.6m commercial vehicle is situated. A MAN 6 x 2 tractor unit and a Kel-Berg tri-axle tipping trailer fitted with Michelin’s award winning 455/45 R22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyres was driven onto the test table and then tilted until the tyres began to lose traction at an angle of 26.2 degrees. Removing the X One MaxiTrailer tyres and replacing them with (standard) Michelin 385/65 R 22.5 XTE3 trailer tyres the test was simulated once again with the ‘standard’ tyres. The second test saw the vehicle begin to lose contact at an angle of 24.6 degrees. The resulting analysis from the two tests shows that the low profile of the X One MaxiTrailer tyre can increases a vehicle’s overturn angle by as much as 6.5 per cent.
Paul Kendrick, Michelin’s truck product marketing manager, says: “The trial proved to be yet another tick in the box for the X One MaxiTrailer, confirming the anecdotal feedback we get from drivers who say they really notice an improvement in vehicle stability when driving on our 455/45 R 22.5 trailer tyres.
“It also serves up a convincing argument for operators looking to maximise safety. As a direct result of the trial, Parsons Nationwide Distribution has confirmed it will consider specifying X One MaxiTrailer tyres on all new trailers joining its fleet.”
The Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyre is currently widely in use with as many as seventy five different operators thoughout the UK. Compared with a 385/65 R 22.5 XTE3 trailer tyre, an X One MaxiTrailer offers a 120mm increase in tread width, 35 per cent more usable tread rubber, a larger contact patch to reduce tread wear and more robust shoulders to resist lateral scrubbing – all of which help to increase overall longevity by up to 50 per cent.
X One MaxiTrailer tyres can also deliver a substantial increase in trailer volume capacity when fitted to conventional or mega volume trailers, as its lower profile enables manufacturers to lower the deck of the trailer, increasing available volume by between 5 and 9m³ on vehicles, depending on fifth wheel height.
X One MaxiTrailer tyres incorporate Michelin Durable Technologies – the name given to a series of patented innovations which are widely considered to represent the most notable change in truck tyre manufacturing since Michelin introduced radial truck tyres in 1952. Such is the significance of these enhancements, it is expected that within the next three years, Michelin Durable Technologies will be incorporated into nearly every new Michelin truck tyre sold in Europe.
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