Michelin expands its Defender tire lineup

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This article was published 02/10/2015 (3650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michelin has borrowed the Defender name from its passenger car lineup for its new light truck, van or SUV tire. The Michelin Defender LTX M/S builds on the heritage of both the Defender name and the qualities of the existing LTX truck tire with improved tread life, better handling performance and improved fuel economy.

We demand much more of current vehicles, driving faster, hauling heavier loads, quicker acceleration and shorter braking distances. The power and torque from today’s engines is twice as much as just 20 years ago and all this places an extra load and more wear on the tires. The Defender LTX M/S is designed to handle these demands and the new Evertread rubber compound is formulated to increase tire life by up to 10 per cent on all road conditions. Michelin research shows rough surfaces such as gravel roads can quickly increase tire wear, and the Evertread compound reduces chunking and abrasive wear on all road surfaces. Michelin is so confident of the endurance of these new tires it is providing a 115,000 kilometre limited tread warranty for the SUV and van tires, and an 80,000 km limited warranty on LT series — light truck tires.

According to Tony Marconi, product development manager at Michelin, tread durability is improved with new silica technology. The chemistry of distributing the silica molecules evenly in the rubber is the secret to providing a tough compound with the flexibility to conform to the road surface. Resins are also used as a plasticizer instead of oil for a stronger rubber compound.

Multiple active sipes in the tread blocks have three-dimensional wavy cuts with many edges to grip the surface but wedge together when torque is placed on them to provide strength and stability. Combined with the computer-designed tread block pattern, the tires are very quiet on both pavement and gravel roads, yet have excellent ride and handling qualities.

Inner tire construction has also been optimized, with a change in belt angles for ride and fuel economy. Michelin states the tire will save you up to 250 litres of fuel over the life of the tire compared to its competitors. At the price of fuel, that makes these tires very economical.

While these tires are mainly designed for vehicles that will spend most of their time on pavement and gravel roads, we tested the tires getting to the top of a Vermont ski hill on trails with steep climbs, sharp rocks, mud holes and loose debris. The Michelin LXT M/S tires performed exceptionally well, even when climbing steep and wet rock embankments the tires gripped the surface.

Speaking of tougher tires and more powerful trucks, Ford just introduced the 2017 SuperDuty truck lineup. With an aluminum body, sharing cab dimensions with the F150 for more interior room, the SuperDuty undergoes its first redesign in 18 years. This new truck will mostly keep the same powertrain with upgrades to six-speed automatic transmissions. The big news is the increased payload and features.

Like the F150, the aluminum body reduces vehicle weight, but Ford has put some of the weight back into the axles and frame using 95 per cent high-strength steel to make it 24 times stiffer.

New features include an optional seven camera system, with front, side, tailgate, box, and now a trailer rear camera feature that can be wired into any trailer for 360-degree viewing. The seventh camera is in the inside rear-view mirror for distance sensing cruise control and lane departure warning. A new 12-pin trailer connector plug will be used with the trailer camera feature and the box and tailgate cameras also show trailer connect views for quick hookup.

Another new feature is blind-spot warning that can be set for the length of the trailer, so changing lanes in traffic is easier than ever. Lockable rear under-seat storage keeps your valuables hidden and secure, and the compartment folds flat for more inside cargo room. Coming in the fall of 2017, the new SuperDuty trucks promise to be more capable than ever.

 

james.kerr@sasktel.net