Anti-splash tyre comes to market
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• Readers with long memories will recall our report on Renault's VHS safely concept truck ( CM16-22 Dec 1999), one of whose features was a prototype splash-suppression tyre from Michelin.
The technology is now commercially available on a new product, the XFA 2 Energy steer axle tyre, which comes in a 385/55 R 22.5 size. Michelin's poky with the new tyre is to encourage the use of rower profiles to gain benefits in stability and lower deck heights for greater load volume within height limitations. It also allows the use of nine-tonne front axle ratings where permitted, and claims fuel economy and tyre !lie improvements compared with a traditional 315/70 R 22.5, which shares the same overall circumference.
The anti-splash feature consists of an extended lip around the circumference between tread and tyre wall, which disperses the energy of surface water displaced by the tyre, letting it fall back to ground much earlier. The effect is to decrease the height of water splash and significantly reduce the loss of visibility for overtaking traffic.
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