All Cars, All the Time

Breaker, Breaker...A 10 Wheeler?


Michelin is trying to build support for its new X One super wide truck tire. The gist of the idea is that the X One is double the width of a regular truck tire, so a truck drive could get away with 10 tires instead of the usual 18. Benefits would be better fuel economy, weight savings allowing for more cargo and less maintenance because of the smaller tire count. The tires cost about double that of a regular tire, so there won't be any up front savings. Goodyear doesn't seem to be impressed, though. The winged foot company says that retreading the super wide tires is tricky, but Michelin claims that they retread just fine (imagine that). A blowout will kick a superwide truck to the curb while it's dually brethren zip by. It is also doubtful that Hal's Tire Mart and Hickory Hut will stock them, so a super wide trucker with a blowout might get to know that locals really well before getting a replacement. All in all, a cool new alternative to something we have considered to be a fact of life. Check out my sources: MSNBC story, Michelin website