LAS VEGAS (September 25, 2012) – Today at MINExpo in Las Vegas, Michelin unveiled a new line of XDR2 Earthmover tires. The MICHELIN XDR2 is intended for rigid dump trucks. It makes them safer while enabling users to improve their productivity and optimize their environmental performance.
The improved safety of the new MICHELIN XDR2 tire is due to three factors:
- Two million hours of tests to ensure its reliability.
- The Michelin Earthmover Management System (MEMS – see the following page), which helps to optimize the conditions in which tires are used.
- The tire’s enhanced resistance to cuts and scrapes, which reduce tire-damage incidents.
The productivity gains the new MICHELIN XDR2 tire delivers are the result of four factors:
- Superior resistance to cuts and scrapes.
- Longer tread life.
- More resistant casings and bead wires.
- Tires pre-fitted for MEMS.
The environmental benefits provided by the new MICHELIN XDR2 tire are due to two factors:
- An intentionally environmentally friendly design. Because it uses fewer raw materials[1] than some of its competitors, the MICHELIN XDR2 enables fuel savings, while its greater longevity means fewer repairs and less material to be recycled.
- A clean production process, since all Michelin Earthmover tire plants are ISO 14001-certified. The environmental footprint of Michelin’s Earthmover tire plants has been reduced by 22% since 2005.
Sizes for all conditions of use
The MICHELIN XDR was previously the benchmark in the large mining tire segment. It is now being replaced by the new MICHELIN XDR2, which is designed to provide satisfaction in the most extreme conditions of use while carrying very heavy weights.
The new MICHELIN XDR2 is available in the following sizes:
- 27.00 R 49
- 33.00 R 51
- 37.00 R 57
- 40.00 R 57
- 53/80 R 63
- 56/80 R 63
- 59/80 R 63
The MICHELIN XDR2 underwent more than two million hours of testing, both at the Michelin Earthmover Test Center in Almeria, Spain, and in actual usage conditions in Canada, Chile, Australia and Africa. It was designed for the market’s biggest rigid dump trucks.
Compared with the previous-generation tire, the MICHELIN XDR, the new MICHELIN XDR2 has a tread band that is up to 20% thicker that helps to reduce operating costs by improving both longevity and durability. Similarly, the layer that separates the tread from that tire casing is 10% thicker, making it more robust and resistant to cuts and scrapes.
The tread pattern of the new MICHELIN XDR2 has also been thoroughly reworked to improve efficiency. The center block is 13% wider while the tread was designed to be self-cleaning. This also helps the tire to cool faster, as the ventilation effect is 10% greater than for its predecessor, the XDR. In addition, the tread pattern changes with wear. Consequently, the new MICHELIN XDR2 has a bigger contact patch when the tire is 50% worn.
Reinforced with C2 technology
The C2 technology developed by Michelin makes tires stronger thanks to the use of thicker, corrosion-resistant cables.
The technology reduces temperature build-up of the tread shoulder, thus maximizing the potential life of the tire without compromising operating speed or load carrying capacity.
Overall, the new MICHELIN XDR2 is considerably more robust than the previous-generation XDR. The steel protective plies located between the casing and the tread are 60% stronger and feature a new corrosion-resistance treatment. Similarly, the sidewall rubber is twice as thick, thus providing enhanced resistance to cuts and scrapes. Together, these features deliver optimized endurance, which has been improved by 9 to 20% compared with the previous-generation XDR[2].
Pre-fitted for MEMS
The new MICHELIN XDR2 is factory-fitted[3] to receive the Michelin Earthmover Management System (MEMS). For MICHELIN Earthmover tires, MEMS means added protection. It is the only electronic system for measuring temperature and pressure offered specially by an Earthmover tire manufacturer.
MEMS can provide mining companies with real-time alerts whenever rigid dump trucks are no longer operating in optimal conditions, meaning they may engender risks for user safety and mine productivity.
MEMS is an indispensable tool for optimizing tire performance. The new MICHELIN XDR2 is “MEMS Ready,” meaning that this crucial tire management system can be easily installed.
[1] Depending on its size, the new MICHELIN XDR2 may weigh 9 to 15% less than some of its competitors. In-house Michelin study.
[2] In-house Michelin study. Data vary according to tire sizes.
[3] 57 to 63-inch sizes only.