DOE research says single wide tractor-trailer tires use less fuel than dual mountings

A four-year study by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory concludes that wide single tires mounted on heavy trucks burn fewer gallons of fuel than traditional dual tire installations. The consumption reduction ranged from 6 percent to 10 percent.

“Our tests have found wide single tire technology to be more fuel efficient in a variety of real-world conditions,” reports Bill Knee, the lab’s director of vehicle safety research. “As we continue the national and global discussion of conserving energy, fossil fuels and other natural resources, this technology is a solution that is making a difference today.”

More than 700,000 miles were driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the course of a four-year test that culminated in the recently released 383-page analysis. A complete copy is available by emailing Knee at [email protected].

Sixty channels of information were collected, including instantaneous fuel consumption, speed, acceleration, gear, location, time of day and grade.

Half of the tractors were outfitted with X One wide single tires from Michelin and half ran on standard dual tires. The X Ones were also installed on half of the trailers; two had standard dual tires and three were mounted with dual retread tires.

The Oak Ridge researchers found significant fuel efficiency improvement over dual tires when wide singles were in use – 6 percent overall and 10 percent with fully loaded tractor-trailers.

“If fleets and owner-operators needed more proof that wide singles can save fuel costs, look no further,” says David Stafford, chief operating officer at Michelin Americas Research Co. “This real-world field testing confirms what our engineers and designers have said since we launched the Michelin X One nine years ago – that replacing duals with wide single tires not only reduces rolling resistance and saves energy, but also reduces the amount of CO2 we put into the atmosphere.”

For more information, visit www.ornl.gov and www.michelintruck.com.