Extra-long tyre life under harsh conditions

One of the recent developments was the launch of high-performance bias tyre from Michelin North America, Inc. (Michelin). The MICHELIN® PILOT® is a tyre designed for propeller-driven aircraft to provide extra-long tyre life, exceptional tread life and all-weather protection.

 

Commenting on the launch, Robert Sevener, global lead for Michelin general aviation tyres said: “The Michelin Pilot offers state-of-the-art features for piston and turbo-prop applications, and reflects Michelin’s proven history of developing ultra-high-performance tyres.” He added that customers want a deep tread to achieve more landings and a lighter tyre to improve fuel efficiency and increase range. In this case, the new Pilot tyre provides both for the aircraft sector. 

 

The Michelin Pilot is designed to have extra-long tyre life as a result of an improved carcass construction that delivers increased durability and improved resistance to foreign object damage. The tyre incorporates the latest high-technology ozone-resistant compounds into the sidewall rubber. The natural contour-mould profile promotes casing equilibrium for improved footprint-pressure distribution in the contact patch. By significantly improving overall tyre life, pilots may achieve more take-offs and landings while purchasing fewer tyres.

  

Designed with additional belt plies that strengthen the crown area, the Michelin Pilot helps deliver improved wear and exceptional tread life. The tyre’s exclusive manufacturing process creates built-in balance for smooth taxiing and even tyre wear, helping to provide true-track taxi, take-offs and landings for propeller-driven aircraft.

 

The Michelin Pilot tyre, crafted with highly-durable rubber compounds, has up to 21% deeper skid depth.  A natural contour carcass line reduces ply stresses and the tubeless-tyre design reduces the combined tyre-wheel weight and helps eliminate tyre creep (the tendency of a tyre to move around the wheel hub at touchdown). This high-performance bias tyre can also be used with a tube, delivering the same enhanced performance to pilots who use tube-type rims.

 

Long-term ozone and UV light protection incorporated into the tyre provides all-weather protection. The two wide grooves in the tyre tread evacuate water efficiently on wet runways, and promote excellent resistance to hydroplaning for safer operations in wet-weather conditions.

 

   

Safety in extreme conditions

Michelin has also launched its most aggressive drive-axle tyre, specifically made for energy sector and logging fleets operating in extreme conditions. The MICHELIN® X® Works Grip D tyre is designed for on- and off-road use for fleets and owner-operators who are focused on traction to maximise safety, uptime and efficiency. This tyre evolves from a client-centric co-creation process with drivers who travel the world’s most demanding roads.

 

“Fleets and dealers in the Grande Prairie, Alberta area were at the heart of the development process,” said Justin Brock, Michelin marketing manager- construction and Tweel segment. “They were a major collaborator in helping to accelerate the time to market for this new tyre, which boasts exceptional traction to keep users on the road.”

 

The MICHELIN X Works Grip D tyre offers three key benefits: exceptional traction, casing durability and maximum uptime. Traction is created by staggered shoulder blocks that provide lateral grip to handle slippery conditions and sawtooth lugs with more than 800 serrated edges that maximise grip on ice and snow-packed surfaces.  Through the combination of an extra-wide tread and an optimised rubber-to-void ratio, traction is maximised without sacrificing mileage.Casing durability of the MICHELIN X Works Grip D tyre is made possible through four significant features: stone protection thanks to ejectors around the center block that fight stone retention and drilling; shock, impact and road hazard protection through full-width protector ply that protects the working belts at the crown of the tyre; sidewall protection realised through extra-thick sidewalls, which protect the tyre in extreme conditions from chipping and scaling; Co-Ex Technology for a cool-running tread rubber that reduces temperatures in the crown area and preserves the casing, increasing the ability for the tyre to be retreaded.