LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Michelin has expanded its line of wide-based single tires with the launch of the X-One XDA-HT and the X-One XTE at the Mid-America Trucking Show.

The XDA-HT promises to deliver higher scrub resistance while handling higher torque requirements. It is designed for over the road use on tandem axle trailers. The company claims the new addition to the X-One family will deliver the same fuel efficiency and weight savings as its original X-One counterparts.

The XTE is billed as an ultra low aspect single trailer tire, capable of replacing 22.5-inch duals. Its main selling points include excellent resistance to scrubbing, increased removal mileage and 12 per cent less vibration than traditional duals.

Don Pelley, line haul segment manager for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, says the company strived to improve on the increasingly popular X-One line.

“We wanted it to be equal to, if not better than, existing Michelin products available today (in terms of tire wear),” says Pelley. “We had to make sure there was no compromise.”

As Michelin’s wide-based tires are still fairly new additions to the industry, one of the main concerns being addressed was the accessibility of replacements in the event of a blow-out. Michelin has recently taken every step possible to alleviate those concerns.

“We have approximately 500 strategically-placed points of sale available today,” says Pelley. “We have to have the product available.”

Ibrahim Janajreh is the mastermind behind the X-One product line, and he says fleets are beginning to realize the benefits of using the wide-based singles, which north of the border are currently only legal on Ontario and Quebec.

“Fuel expense is the number one cost for fleets and 33 per cent of fuel consumption comes from the tires,” says Janajreh. “With X-One technology, we can cut this in half.”

Like the original X-One’s, unveiled at the 2000 Great American Trucking Show, the newest additions to the family use Michelin’s patented Infinicoil technology. It consists of a quarter-mile long belt that wraps around the tire 280 times.

“If we did not have this technology, this tire would not exist,” says Janajreh.

In addition to boasting a longer tread life and better fuel efficiency than duals, Janajreh says the X-Ones also provide for better vehicle stability.