ATLANTA, Ga. — Maxion Wheels has unveiled what it’s referring to as the “toughest and lightest” standard 22.5×8.25 commercial vehicle steel wheel that will be available beginning next year.

Weighing in at 64 lb., it is lighter than its predecessor but still stronger thanks to an optimized design, engineering, and flow-forming technologies, the company says.

The lineup offers a load rating of 7,400 lb., and features a new circular hand hole rather than the traditional D-shaped openings found on other Maxion wheels. The change in the hand hole and other design optimization analyses reportedly reduced structural stresses by more than 10%.

“Improved fuel efficiency and fewer emissions are just two benefits that come from the lighter wheel,” said Don Polk, president of Maxion’s Americas business unit. “Multiply that by 18 and you have a serious top-line payload opportunity and a bottom-line cost benefit.”

Meanwhile, Maxion is adding telematics to its capabilities using the MaxSmart technology that couples with ZF’s Openmatics. First unveiled in Europe, the smart wheel system will measure vehicle load, tire pressure, temperature and humidity, wheel position, speed and vibration. Real time information is then wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle and ZF Cloud.

The data itself will be collected through a Bluetooth-communicating tag that’s mounted on a base plate integrated into the wheel.

The system will undergo testing and evaluation in 2020.

Maxion makes 60 million wheels a year in 24 manufacturing plants around the world, seven of which focus on commercial wheels. It generated $2.1 billion in revenue last year, when it celebrated its 100^th anniversary.