Michelin X One Maxitrailer Tyre “Increases Stability” in Tests

Michelin says it has recorded a 6.5 per cent improvement in stability over 385/65R22.5 tyres after measuring the vehicle overturn angle of a 44-tonne tractor unit and trailer combination fitted with X One MaxiTrailer tyres. The trial took place at QinetiQ’s automotive test facility in Chobham, Surrey, using the only tilt-table in the country capable of accommodating a fully loaded 13.6m commercial vehicle.

The first stage of the trial saw a MAN 6×2 tractor unit and Kel-Berg tri-axle tipping trailer, belonging to Parsons Nationwide Distribution Ltd (a Bardon Aggregates Contractor), drive onto the tilt-table fitted with Michelin’s 455/45R22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyres, which the company has been trialling for six months.  Staff from QinetiQ then tilted the table until the tyres began to lose contact at an angle of 26.2 degrees.

The Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyres were then removed and replaced with (standard) Michelin 385/65 R 22.5 XTE3 trailer tyres. The test was repeated, but the vehicle only achieved an angle of 24.6 degrees before the tyres lost contact. This demonstrated that the low profile construction 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.”

Michelin says its X One MaxiTrailer is used by “more than 75” different operators around the UK – with one firm, Boughey Distribution, fitting them to more than 100 trailers in its fleet. 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, according to company figures.

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 Michelin claims 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.

In July 2009 Michelin scooped the prestigious Motor Transport Innovation Award for its new X One MaxiTrailer tyre. Judges commented that the X One MaxiTrailer was a “high-quality technical solution, which is well supported and brings economical and environmental benefits.”