Wide singles for tri-axles
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• Michelin has followed Continental in developing a widesingle tyre for 19.5 rather than 22.5in wheels which can handle eight-tonne axle loadings on triaxle semis.
Demand for ever greater cubic load capacities, especially within the constraints of the European 4m overall height limit, has led to lower deck heights and smaller-diameter tyres, particularly on straightframe semi-trailers coupled to air-suspended tractor units with low-profile tyres.
At 980mm the inflated diameter of Michelin's new 425/55R19.5 tyre is 13mm less than that of the Continental 385/65R19.5 cover which was shown in pre-production form earlier this year. A high-cube Van Hool trailer fitted with the new Continental tyre appeared at the IRTE show at Telford.
Ln conjunction with air suspension, the latest ultra-low-profile (5596 aspect ratio) Michelin tyre enables over-bogie deck height to be reduced to less than 1,180mm. The latest Michelin truck tyre, which needs a special 330mm-wide wheel, is fitted to York Trailer's Therrnostar reefer, dubbed the Colossus, which will be launched at next month's TCS&D refrigerated transport exhibition in Manchester.