Michelin Earthmover officially unveiled its new XDR^TM2 tyre for severe mining and quarry applications at the Conexpo show in Las Vegas on 22 March. The tyre – designed for rigid dump trucks – offers up to 20% more tread life than its predecessor, the XDR, according to Michelin. The XDR2 tyre being shown on the Michelin stand in a 27R49 size, however, IM understands in the largest sizes it is already available up to a 57 in diameter with a 63 in XDR2 tyre in development, which will be on display at Minexpo in September 2012.“The XDR tire is the benchmark on haul trucks in quarries around the world, and has been for many years. This new XDR2 tire builds on that foundation to deliver even more productivity, better performance and unquestioned value, all leading to a lower total cost of tire operation,” said Luc Minguet, president of Michelin Earthmover Tires worldwide. In addition to the increased tread life, the XDR2 tire also delivers up to a 10% thicker undertread between the protective plies and tread base for better cut and impact resistance. With a new self-cleaning tread pattern, the XDR2 tyre combines full-depth blocks, a 13% larger central lug (compared to XDR) and a new non-directional design to provide increased protection against aggressions and cut separations. The evolving tread design provides an increased contact patch as the tyre wears, while sculptured cooling vents help keep running temperatures low.

The XDR2 tyre also incorporates Michelin’s C2 Technology in the casing to provide an overall cooler operating temperature to maximise the potential life of the tyre without compromising operating speed or load carrying capacity. Compared to the XDR tyre, the steel protective plies are 60% stronger to provide a significant improvement in shielding the tyre against aggressions and separations. The XDR2 tyre also provides twice the sidewall thickness of the previous generation to resist cuts and abrasions. The XDR2 tyre underwent more than 2 million hours of real-world testing at Michelin’s Almeria, Spain, proving grounds, as well as numerous other challenging environments and sites across the globe. The extensive testing “aided the development of the tyre to provide an excellent overall balance of performance characteristics, including longer tread life, improved damage resistance and greater environmental consciousness through raw material conservation.”