PARIS, FRANCE (Jan. 27, 2009) The new Michelin® XHA®2 loader tire, introduced in early January at the Intermat trade show™s press days, has been designed to accomplish three goals”reduce hourly operating costs, ensure that work continues smoothly and safely, and improve operator working conditions. The tire is intended for loaders in quarries and cement plants and on construction and infrastructure worksites. The Michelin XHA2 tire will be officially unveiled at the Intermat 2009 building and construction trade show in April 2009. The tire will be available in replacement markets around the world beginning in May 2009.
Robustness is one of the fundamental qualities of the Michelin XHA2 tire, helping to make the tire a powerful performance driver on any worksite. In order to understand the importance of the tire, remember that the Michelin XHA2 tire is designed to fit wheel loaders: these vehicles often operate on rough terrain where they must move heavy loads as quickly as possible. If a tire fails to perform during this critical phase of operations, the worksite comes to a halt, which is why the Michelin XHA2 tire was designed as a strong link in the entire chain of quarry, construction or industrial worksite operations. To achieve this result, Michelin integrated three technologies in its new tire:
¢ Additional rubber has been incorporated in the tread, making the tire even more damage-resistant.
¢ The sidewalls have been strengthened with a special protective rib and anti-scrape shields.
¢ Michelin has developed crack absorbing rubber compounds that help to prevent flats.
