Wide Single Truck Tyres 6-10% More Efficient – US Study

Michelin North America has reported on a 383-page report made available in mid-March the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This report, says Michelin, confirms that wide single tyres are more fuel-efficient than duals on heavy trucks. This conclusion is based upon data collected from more than 700,000 real-world miles driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the course of four-years.

“If fleets and owner-operators needed more proof that wide singles can save fuel costs, look no further,” said David Stafford, chief operating officer of Michelin Americas Research Company (MARC). “This real-world field testing confirms what our engineers and designers have said since we launched the Michelin X One nine years ago – that replacing duals with wide single tyres not only reduces rolling resistance and saves energy, but also reduces the amount of CO2 we put into the atmosphere.”

Primary data collected during the tests includes instantaneous fuel consumption, speed, acceleration, gear, location, time of day and grade. A total of 60 channels of data at 5Hz for one year were collected and analyzed. Half of the tractors were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tyres, and half with standard dual tyres. Half of the trailers were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tyres, two with standard dual tyres, and three with dual retread tyres. Oak Ridge researchers found significant fuel efficiency improvement over dual tyres when wide singles were in use – 6 per cent overall and 10 per cent with fully loaded tractor-trailers.

“Our tests have found wide single tyre technology to be more fuel-efficient in a variety of real-world conditions,” said Bill Knee, director of vehicle safety research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “As we continue the national and global discussion of conserving energy, fossil fuels and other natural resources, this technology is a solution that is making a difference today.”