And the company showed off an extension of the Infinicoil casing belt technology from the X One to other Michelin conventional tires.
      These new technologies are the first evidence of a $500 million investment Michelin is making over the next five years. Already under way is an expansion for the Nova Scotia, Canada, plant to enable the manufacture of tires incorporating Infinicoil technology. That means Michelin will double production of its wide, ultra-low-profile X One range of tires, as the company extends the line with new treads for construction and on-/off-highway applications such as trash trucks and gravel haulers.

Durable Technologies
      Introduced originally on the XDN2, the zig-zag siping, which locks the tread blocks vertically and horizontally, was added to the Michelin XDA Hypersipe, but with a new twist. The tread is molded with siping cut from the backside as well as the tread side. Doing this allows for the exposure of new siping as the tread wears down, re-establishing wet grip in the latter third of the tread life and improving the useful tread life.
      The process has been duplicated in a new tread design for the upcoming XDA5, where new molding techniques result in the exposure of fresh grooves when the tread blocks are 60 percent to 70 percent worn down. This extends the tire life by 30 percent and gives it 30 percent more traction than a worn tire with no siping remaining on the tread blocks.
      Michelin says the toughest part of introducing this Durable Technology is that fleets are used to removing drive tires when they have 8/32 of an inch or even more skid depth remaining, in response to driver concerns about bad weather traction. The new tire will be able to run down to as little as 4/32 – getting more life from the original tread rubber. Further aiding the wear life, the upcoming XDA5 will go from today's drive tire with a 63 percent void ratio to a 70 percent figure. Void ratio expresses the amount of rubber in the tread footprint on the road. So in other words, today's drive tire has 37 percent of the area with no tread on the road surface. That will fall to 30 percent with the new tire.
      The XDA5 is not due out for a year, but the same tire is available in limited production as the MDA7 in order for fleets to evaluate it.
      At the test track skid circle, there were two straight trucks, one equipped with the current XDA, the other with the MDA7/XDA5. The demonstration was to show that despite changes to enhance the wear characteristics of the new tire, wet pavement grip is in no way inferior to the older tire.
      Experienced drivers pounded the trucks around the same circle and both took armfuls of steering lock as the front ends pushed out through the corner. Understeer is the preferable characteristic on a heavy truck, and both of these pushed like crazy, indicating similar levels of wet grip from the different drive tires.

Antisplash Technology
      As an alternative to the current XZA3 steer tire, Michelin is offering a modified prior-generation XZA2 that features an antisplash deflector. According to Michelin, the deflector can cut the splash that arises from a truck's steer tire by as much as 50 percent.
      Splash is differentiated from spray: Splash is the trajectory of water caused by the tire rolling through puddles on the roadway. Often, this splash results in car drivers being temporarily blinded as they overtake a truck. A secondary benefit is for the truck driver, who has less splash to impair rearward vision in the mirrors.
      The deflector is a lip molded into the side of the tread that cuts off the top of the splash as the tire rolls through a puddle. These splash-reducing deflectors are found on the nose wheel tires of smaller jets to keep water from being thrown up into the engines when landing on wet airfields.
      In a trackside demonstration, the different splash patterns were immediately apparent as two trucks drove through a specially wetted section of track. The one with the new Antisplash steer tires still sent out a stream of water, but it stayed below the windshield of a chase car in an overtaking situation.
      Michelin's vice president of marketing for truck tires, Marc Laferriere, said he didn't expect all Michelin customers to adopt the Antisplash tire, but those who like to make a positive contribution to passenger cars and trucks sharing the road might want to consider the tires, even at the 3 percent premium price. Others who have been running the latest XZA3 may not see the image benefit outweighing the more advanced features of the XZA3.

Tire Pressure Monitoring
      From the proving ground, we adjourned to Michelin's Conference Center close to its main North American tire plant in Greenville, S.C. There, two tire pressure monitoring systems were present: the second generation of the eTire system, plus a new integrated vehicle tire monitoring (IVTM) system, developed by Wabco and used in Europe, which Michelin will market in the states.
      The Gen II eTire has been refined somewhat from the original product Michelin launched five years ago. A new in-tire sensor incorporates surface acoustic wave technology developed by Honeywell Sensing and Control, and the whole system is a joint development of Michelin and Honeywell.
      The result is a new in-tire sensor that is smaller, lighter and less expensive than the earlier generation's. It needs no battery and monitors pressure and temperature conditions inside the tire.
      The system, which includes drive-by readers and hand-held devices, as well as the BibTrack software, is targeted at fleets that have trucks that get back every night. Driving by, or through, the reader every morning and evening allows for extraction of tire information with each pass, and the pressure/temperature data allows for an accurate calculation of the equivalent cold-tire pressure. This quickly identifies a slow leaking tire. According to Michelin, 26 percent of service failures are the result of tire problems, and 85 percent of those failures are initiated by a slow leak caused by a nail puncture, for instance.
      Target fleets include refuse operations, where punctures are common and the problem of a flat tire first thing in the morning is widespread.
      Because the drive-by reader reports automatically over the Internet to Michelin's server and then responds back to the fleet's BibTrack software, problems are quickly identified for action and vehicles are ready to go whenever they are dispatched.
      The infrastructure for this system is relatively expensive but can be spread over all the fleet vehicles, making the installed cost per vehicle acceptable.
      The drive-by sensor package and the mechanic's hand-held diagnostic device have been redesigned and updated, since the sensor technology is all new. Michelin says it will continue to support first-generation systems already installed.
      For over-the-highway trucks that do not get back to a terminal on a regular basis, Michelin has a new product: its IVTM system. This resides entirely on the truck and relies on the driver acting when the pressure monitor reports a tire out of acceptable pressure limits.
      The system features a sensor that mounts on each tire via two lug nuts and attaches to the valve. On a dual pair, two transponders are fitted to opposite lug nuts, balancing out their weight. On a steer tire, one sensor is paired with a balance plate bolted to the opposite lug nuts.
      The tractor and the trailer both have ECUs that receive RF signals from each of the sensors. In turn, they communicate with the tractor dash display. This can be an OEM-provided driver display panel, or a Wabco dedicated display can be installed. Displays gather information from the J1939 bus.
      Because there is wireless communication, installation is quite simple, with systems able to be fitted by individuals, fleet workshops or third-party providers.
      The sensors let the driver know if there is a tire on the truck that is drifting away from its set pressure through a slow leak simply by comparing pressures of corresponding tires on the vehicle. Once a discrepancy is detected and a signal sent, the driver can dial up a visual of the vehicle to determine which wheel position is affected.
      The first warning from the system is significantly in advance of a driver's detection, even if he were to use a pressure gauge. If nothing is done, the system watches for a second threshold, when the driver is told to stop and get service.
      The system has been designed so it can interface with existing reporting systems and information relayed to dispatch or fleet managers. The driver can then be instructed to take the truck to a service point and get the problem fixed.
      Michelin says this system, which is available today, can be fitted to a tractor (10-wheel) for around $1,100 and to a trailer for $800. Obviously, if they are running X One single-wide tires, the cost would be significantly less because eight fewer transducers would be required on a tractor-trailer.
      Working with one of the nation's premier fleets, the system demonstrated that in a little over a year, the payback was 180 percent. (Most fleets look for a maximum one year for ROI, so the Michelin/Wabco IVTM system is well ahead of this requirement.)
      Because the system is completely contained on the vehicle, it is equally appropriate for over-the-highway fleets and owner-operators, says Michelin. In fact, because they can directly see both tire and fuel savings, owner-operators have proven very responsive to the product, where fleets must go through a more lengthy trial and capital authorization.

IPDSteel Pistons Target 3406E Cat Applications

      California-based IPD LLC has announced the latest addition to its line of IPDSteel cast steel articulated (two-piece) pistons with the Caterpillar 3406E engine series application.
      IPD offers a variety of cylinder kits and engine overhaul kits, as well as many additional items such as bearings, valve train products, water pump repair kits and gasket sets for these popular engines.
      Other previously released IPDSteel pistons include the 3116 and 3126 engine applications.

Cummins Guide Offers Idling Laws Overview

      An eight-page guide has been created by Cummins that provides a concise overview of truck engine idling regulations on a state-by-state basis.
      The free guide, called "Idle Talk: How the Regulations Affect You," gives fleet owners and truck drivers a quick-reference compendium of the latest maximum idling time allowed across the country.

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