Michelin's
X One wide single truck tires add $1,250 to
the value of a used truck as an “Idle and Fuel Reduction
Technology,” according to a recent assessment by the
Truck Blue Book.
The value-added designation is exclusive to the
company’s X One tires – not for wide single tires in
general, according to Ted Becker, Michelin’s vice
president of marketing for the category.
“X One tires continue to prove their value to drivers
and fleets on tens of thousands of trucks and trailers
across America,” says Becker.
“The designation by Truck Blue Book, supported by the
Used Truck Association, is a clear indication of the
growing share these wide single tires are taking in the
market and the residual value boost they give to the
used trucks in the industry,” he notes.
“We strongly considered the factual fuel and weight
savings that X One tires provide for a tractor,” reports
Terry Williams, the publication’s managing editor.
“After that, the decision to make them a value-added
component was easy. Truck Blue Book recognizes value
where it exists, and X One tires are valuable on used
trucks.”
Michelin announced in late 2010 that the X One line –
which includes tires for a variety of applications – was
enjoying a banner sales year. It also reached the
milestone last year of hitting the one-million-tire mark
since being launched in 2000.
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Fleets using X One tires have since gained up to 10
percent in fuel efficiency, which has saved more than 80
million gallons of fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by
809,000 metric tons. Even for a fleet with just 10
trucks, fitting X One tires can mean a potential savings
of 15,000 gallons of fuel per year and a reduction of
150 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year – the
equivalent of removing 30 cars from the road, according
to the company.
A 383-page report made available by the Department of
Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2009 found
significant improvement in fuel efficiency when wide
single tires were used instead of dual tires – 6 percent
overall and 10 percent with fully loaded tractor-
trailers. More than 700,000 real-world miles were driven
by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the
course of the four-year test.
For more information, visit www.michelintruck.com.
