Truck & Driver UK – August 2019

Truck & Driver Summer 2019^51

More info

If you want to learn loads

more about tyres, Michelin

produces a technical data

guide to truck and bus

tyres and it’s available

free via the company’s

website. You can also

speak to any Michelin local

dealer for expert advice

and guidance. For more

information on BFGoodrich

truck tyres go to truck.

bfgoodrich.co.uk and

for more information on

Michelin truck tyres go to

trucks.michelin.co.uk

85psi on the drive-axle.

Michelin has a traffic light

system regarding pressure drops.

Up to 8psi, carry out a visual

inspection, check the valve isn’t

leaking and reinflate. Monitor and

check again 48 hours later. A

drop of 8psi-14psi requires a

more thorough examination and

may require removal of the wheel;

any more than 14psi is a definite

wheel-off, tyre-off inspection so

that the inside of the tyre can be

checked for damage. A tyre 10%

underinflated will increase fuel

consumption by 1.5% – each

tyre! Underinflation can also be

spotted by ‘saw-tooth’ wear on

drive-tyre tread blocks.

Full wheel alignment for your

truck(s) is also a good investment.

The best tyres in the world won’t

do their job properly if they’re not

inflated properly or the tracking is

out; 1% of misalignment over the

life of a tyre will cause it to lose

7% of its tread.

Tyre technology

The tyres on a truck today are

totally different to those you’d

find 20 years ago. Michelin

spends €600 million annually on

research and development. The

steel casings, the compounds of

the rubber and the tread patterns

have all changed greatly. The

different operations of trucks,

and the needs of the operators,

has resulted in tyres designed for

specific operations. Euro 6 has

seen an enormous drive for

efficiency, and tyres play a huge

part in this. The truck hauling

fridges across Europe needs a

very different tyre to the one in

and out of quarries all day.

Reducing the rolling

resistance of the tyre and

ensuring maximum grip

throughout the tread life are two

key areas for Michelin. The

former saves fuel, good for the

environment and good for your

wallet, while the latter keeps you

and everyone else safe. The

Michelin X-Line Energy tyre

features a compound, Silicia, that

works to reduce rolling

resistance but crucially does not

compromise on grip.

The X-Multi range tyre, the

one you’ll most commonly find

on a British fleet truck, is

designed to endure more

stop-start operations. Two

patented technologies are built

into the tread pattern. First,

Double-Wave sipes improve the

rigidity of the contact patch,

provide less friction, less wear

and means less fuel is used;

while Rain Drop sipes are

properly clever. When the tyre is

two-thirds worn, a previously

hidden groove appears in the

tread pattern, offering fresh grip

and allowing the tyre to hold the

road as it did when new.

Michelin has also just

launched a retrofit kit called the

Michelin Wheel Security and Tyre

Pressure Management System

(TPMS) Heavy Fleet, developed

by Michelin licensee and British

technology firm Wheely Safe.

Using special sensors, it can

detect if a wheel nut starts to

loosen, even by just 1mm of

movement, instantly transmitting

a signal to the driver to pull over.

It also monitors tyre pressures for

under-inflation, over-inflation and

fast leakage, plus it can sense

excessive heat created by

binding brakes or failing wheel

bearings, so there are huge

benefits in the prevention of

costly breakdowns or, worse,

fires and possible accidents –

and the whole system can be

fitted in just 30 minutes.

● Thanks to Michelin for the

excellent advice and the team at

BFGoodrich for supplying the

tyres. Stay tuned for further

updates over the coming months.

Wheel nuts get an initial torque and

then a second one after a short run

Better get that hub painted and wheel

polished in time for Convoy in the Park!

TALKING TYRES