GREENVILLE, S.C. (March 26, 2009)—A four-year U.S. Department of Energy study reveals wide-base single truck tires deliver 6- to 10-percent better fuel economy than duals, according to Michelin North America Inc., which supported the study.
The study, sponsored by DOE's Office of Vehicle Technologies, involved efforts to collect and analyze data related to Class-8 heavy trucks operating in real-world highway environments. The tire aspect was one of several variables examined.
Carried out by the department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the study is based on data from six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers driven more than 700,000 miles over the course of the four-year test, Greenville-based Michelin said.
The lab's researchers found wide-base singles—the so-called “super singles”—deliver 6-percent overall better fuel efficiency and up to a 10-percent improvement with fully-loaded tractor-trailers.
Data collected during the tests include instantaneous fuel consumption, speed, acceleration, gear, location, time of day and grade. A total of 60 channels of data at 5Hz for one year were collected and analyzed.
Half of the tractors were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tires and half with standard dual tires. Half of the trailers were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tires, two with standard dual tires and three with dual retread tires. Schrader Trucking of Jefferson City, Tenn., maintained the test vehicles.