Michelin has launched its new XTRA DEFEND premium E4 deep tread tyre. The new product for articulated dump trucks with payloads between 25 and 45 tons boasts improved levels of damage resistance and reliability, while maintaining a better Tons Kilometre per Hour (TKPH) level compared to its premium competitors, Michelin claims. It has been designed particularly with improved robustness to minimise damage and machine downtime and offer 15 per cent more tyre life that the predecessor, the Michelin X-Super Terrain+, to optimise operating costs.