Better damage resistance, increased wear life and more distance in an hour are just three claims Jock Aitken, Michelin’s technical manager, is making about the French company’s new range of articulated and rigid haul truck tyres. Ben Spencer went to Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, for a special range launch event. Michelin’s Jock Aitken says the cables used on Michelin’s new ADT Xtra Defend tyre (XDT) lead to 15% more tyre wear life and increased damage resistance. “The XDT has 25% more steel in each cable, ma
Better damage resistance, increased wear life and more distance in an hour are just three claims Jock Aitken, Michelin’s technical manager, is making about the French company’s new range of articulated and rigid haul truck tyres. Ben Spencer went to Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, for a special range launch event
Michelin’s Jock Aitken says the cables used on Michelin’s new ADT Xtra Defend tyre (XDT) lead to 15% more tyre wear life and increased damage resistance. “The XDT has 25% more steel in each cable, making it a much more damage resistant casing. The mass and the sidewall are 15% thicker than the previous one,” he explains.
Aitken says that it’s not just the tread that matters; it’s the amount of rubber available to be used as tread. When the XDT is compared to Michelin’s previous offer, the X Super Trade Plus, there is now 17% more available rubber. The XDT also runs cool which means the tyre lasts longer.
The XDT’s puncture resistance is at 172mm, which shows a 10% improvement in the damage resistance in the tread area compared to its predecessor. In short, Aiken claims this means the XDT has an increased damage resistance and wear life with no reduction in its ability to carry a load.
“It’s heavier so you’d think automatically it must be generating more heat, but we can dissipate that quickly, so it’s a cool running tyre,” Aitken concludes.
Speaking about Michelin’s new RDT traction offer and the first three-star tyre on the market: The Grip and its rock offer, The Protect, Aitken explains their availability in the UK and Ireland as an A4 compound for aggressive weather conditions, with the Nordics using the B compound for covering longer distances.
The Grip and The Protect tyres have same casing and demonstrate not only an increase in carrying capacity, but also in hourly distance, compared to their predecessors. “You shouldn’t be able to do that; the two should be mutually exclusive. This is a huge breakthrough for us”.
Highlighting the need for excellent grip in loose conditions, Aitken says the Grip tyre design gives it 30% greater leading edges, enabling it to dig its heels in, making it better suited to move forward and perform as a mud plugger.
“With the previous offer, the A4 XPT, we said it could go 18km in an hour. With the new [Grip] tyre, the three-star casing means is can go 22km in an hour – an increase of nearly a fifth. In the B compound, the A4 XPT traction could go for 22km in an hour, but the Grip’s extra low grip enables it to go 34km in an hour – a 54% increase. With the Grip tyre you can also take a higher load, whilst having more damage resistance and a longer lasting tread.”
Meanwhile, Michelin’s new Protect rock tyre has 9% more available rubber to use than its predecessor, the X Quarry S. It also covers 60% more distance in an hour than the X Quarry S, and offers a greater carrying capacity. Aitken states the increased load and speed offered by the Protect tyre enables customers to enjoy an increase in tonnes hauled per hour.
Referring to the Rock tyre’s tread pattern; the tyre is also braced underneath to form an almost continuous single block. Aitken adds: “Because we’ve braced it so well, we have a large footprint with little movement in the tread. A decrease of 12 degrees doesn’t sound a lot, but to a tyre designer that is the Holy Grail!”
