18 Times Around the World with Michelin XDE2

The circumference of the earth at the equator is a jot under 25,000 miles (or a tad over 40,000 kilometres, for those of you playing in metric), and even if it was possible to drive a vehicle around the world at its broadest point, the tyres would probably be a little less than pristine at the end. Not so for a Suffolk based Volvo FH12 Globetrotter XL 6×2 tractor unit fitted with a set of Michelin XDE2 drive axle tyres – while the vehicle admittedly hasn’t plied the roads of Africa, South America and Southeast Asia and driven through the world’s major oceans, the Michelin shod tractor unit has indeed travelled the equivalent of 18 times round the equator.

The vehicle belongs to Felixstowe based KK&R Transport, and careful driving plus regular tyre maintenance by KK&R Transport’s own Michelin-trained technician has enabled the tyres clock up an impressive 730,000km over their first two lives.

The 460 hp FH12 with iShift was delivered to the company three years ago with Michelin 315/80 R22.5 XDE2 tyres specified as original equipment. Since then it has clocked up an average of 4,615km a week – almost the distance between England and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Charles Ramm, KK&R Transport’s manager comments: “We have only purchased two sets of Michelin XDE tyres in the last six years and they have each come with a free truck!

“We previously ran an Iveco Stralis which was purchased with a set of Michelin XDE2s and clocked up more than 500,000km during its life on our fleet, so when it came to ordering the Volvo we opted for Michelin again. The XDE2 tyres offer us the best combination of performance and economy on the mixture of motorway and A and B roads we use.”

KK&R Transport’s container haulage business serves the Port of Felixstowe around the clock, and the FH12 is used for a mixture of trunking and national haulage contracts. The tyres, which were regrooved for a second life when the tread depth reached 3mm, will be removed and sent back to Michelin’s Remix facility in Stoke-on-Trent, where they will be remoulded into a new set of XDE2 Remix tyres in line with the Michelin Four Lives tyre policy.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Michelin tyre is a premium product and that regrooving not only extends tyre life, but crucially reduces the overall running costs of the vehicle per kilometre,” Ramm concluded.