Introduced Sunday at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn., Michelin guarantees the SmartWay-verified tire will deliver 20 percent more mileage than leading competitor line-haul steer tires, while also delivering 5 percent better rolling resistance than the Michelin XZA3+ tire it replaces. It also comes with an ultra-fuel efficient casing, so the improvement in rolling resistance follows the tire throughout its life, from new to a retread, the company says.
“Michelin is known for providing industry-leading mileage and even wear. The Michelin X Line Energy Z continues that evolution, while also increasing fuel efficiency, so fleets get the best of both worlds,” says Adam Murphy, vice president of marketing. “Allowing fleets to get the most out of their line-haul steer tires is what the new Michelin X Line Energy Z tire is all about.”
Michelin says the new tire features a dual-energy compound tread. The top layer controls tread stiffness and stress to reduce irregular wear, and decoupling grooves and directional miniature sipes promote even tire wear. The bottom layer provides ultra-fuel efficiency and retreadability to minimize internal casing temperature for low-rolling resistance and extended casing life, the company says.
Providing maximum retreadability and a casing designed for endurance, Michelin adds the X Line Energy Z also comes with the manufacturer’s 7/7/3 limited casing warranty. Michelin says this includes coverage against defects in workmanship and materials for 700,000 miles, seven years or three retreads from the date of manufacture when retreaded by an authorized Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) dealer.
The tire will be available March 1, 2016, in sizes 11R22.5, 275/80R22.5, 11R24.5 and 275/80R24.5 sizes in both G and H load ranges. It can be combined with the following tires to offer a complete SmartWay line-haul solution, which Michelin says brings excellent mileage, even wear and fuel efficiency to every axle.
This configuration includes:
- Dual Applications — Michelin X Line Energy Z steer tire, Michelin X Line Energy D drive tire and Michelin X Line Energy T trailer tire.
- Wide Base Applications — Michelin X Line Energy Z steer tire, Michelin X One Line Energy D drive tire and Michelin X One Line Energy T trailer tire.
