The truck tyre that does it all

Michelin has a new tyre range – the Michelin X Works. It is intended for use on the streets, as well as in and around worksites and quarries. This all-terrain truck tyre combines robustness and endurance.

The new range of 315/80 R22.5 Michelin X Works tyres was designed to limit the risk of vehicle downtime. The casing, rubber, sidewalls and tread have all been designed for additional strength and solidity, and Michelin has deployed its most advanced technologies to make the tyre even more robust and reliable.

At the same time, the new Michelin X Works embodies the balance of performance strategy developed by the Group, which consists of simultaneously improving all areas of performance, regardless of the type of tyre or range. For the X Works, the benefits fall into three categories: enhanced safety, greater cost-effectiveness and increased environmental protection.

Safer
Designed for use on roads as well as in and around worksites, the Michelin X Works must deliver heightened resistance to cuts, scrapes and superior load carrying capacity, while being cost-effective on the road. To meet the need for tyres that are safe and reliable, the new tyre features a v-shaped tread design that reduces the risk of stones lodging in the tread grooves and ensures that water is effectively evacuated when driving on wet surfaces.

More cost-effective
Because of its robustness, the Michelin X Works provides enhanced resistance to cuts and scrapes. Its architecture has been optimised for challenging conditions of use. This tyre features a new compact central tread band that is more resistant to tears and a sidewall design that has been strengthened at the shoulders to reduce the risk of accidental damage. The Michelin X Works was also designed to be long-lasting. This was achieved by optimising the contact patch to ensure that the tyre wears down evenly. The tyre’s casing is manufactured with high density cables that provide further protection against accidental damage.

Reduced environmental impact
Due to the improved durability of the Michelin X Works, the rate of retreadability is greatly increased. Like all Michelin truck tyres, the X Works can be re-grooved, which extends the tyre’s life during a phase when it consumes less fuel.

When tyres are used both on- and off-road, the risk of accidental damage increases considerably. Tyres that are used on worksites and in quarries, as well as on streets, are subject to the most extreme conditions of use. These conditions increase the risk of accidental damage caused by rocks and scrap metal rubble. An incident involving tyres can have major economic repercussions for customers. Recuperating profits lost when a vehicle is out of commission may take a company as long as 15 to 20 working days. So, by reducing the risk of accidental damage, the Michelin X Works saves customers time and money.

We spoke to Tersius Naude from Safika Oozthuizens Transport about the performance of the Michelin X Works tyres running in his fleet. “The X Works tyres we have on one of our trucks have already given us 116 000 km,” he says. “They would probably be able to get up to 190 000 km, but the driver we have on that truck is a bit hard on tyres, so we’ll probably get 160 to 170 00 km out of them. Not bad if you ask me.

“As transport companies, we can either take the high road or the low road when it comes to purchasing tyres. If you take the low road and buy ‘Fong Kong’ tyres, you’re going to end up spending more money in the long run as you’ll have to replace them more often. That’s why we’ve chosen to take the high road and spend more money initially on the X Works, because we know we’ll get much more out of them down the road.”

The new range is available in several sizes at leading commercial tyre outlets throughout South Africa.