The new Michelin X One XDN2 on-highway drive tire is the first of the company’s wide singles in North America to utilize multiple Durable Technologies (MDT). It’s said to deliver “significantly increased tire life and exceptional, uncompromised traction.” The X One XDN2 also offers fuel-efficiency levels approaching Michelin’s most fuel efficient truck tire, the X One XDA, the company claims.

The new tire is able to reduce the number of flexing sidewalls from four to two, when replacing dual tires, which significantly lowers rolling resistance — 15% lower than its dual XDN2 counterpart. It uses Infini-Coil Technology, which sees more than a quarter-of-a-mile of steel cord wrapped circumferentially around every X One tire from sidewall to sidewall. This reduces casing growth and stabilizes the contact patch, reducing irregular wear.

The XDN2 tread pattern also incorporates Matrix Siping Technology — corrugated grooves in the tread block that provide a zigzag appearance. These wavy grooves lock the tread block as it moves through the contact patch, providing both tread block rigidity and traction, while resisting tread scrubbing, as is normally the challenge with deep-treaded, heavily-siped tires. Also a first for an X One tire is the XDN2’s open shoulder tread design for additional traction.

The X One XDN2 tire will be available to end-users in November 2008 in a 445/50R22.5 size (equivalent to a 275/80R22.5 size), with a 455/55R22.5 size (equivalent to an 11R22.5 size) coming in December. The new tire will replace the X One XDA-HT Plus tire.