Michelin tyres go the distance for Whitelaws Coaches 24 June 2011

South Lanarkshire operator Whitelaws Coaches has celebrated the 300,000th kilometre, and fifth anniversary, on a single set of high-grip Michelin drive axle tyres.

The XDN 2 Grip tyres were fitted as original equipment to a 49-seat Sunsundegui Sideral in 2006 and are still going strong. They currently have 10mm of tread remaining and are projected to cover a further 100,000 km before needing to be regrooved.

Their performance has persuaded company director George Whitelaw to fit Michelin's XDN2 Grip drive-axle tyres across his 42-strong fleet, in place of the former Michelin XDA 4s.

"We are amazed by the performance of the XDN2 Grip tyres. This set could well be seven years old before they need replacing," comments Whitelaw.

"When a vehicle is doing long-distance, trans-European journeys, it's quite remarkable for a tyre to last this long before even needing to be regrooved."

Since being fitted to the Sunsundegui, the tyres have been switched to two further coaches – first an identical Sideral in 2008, and then a Volvo B10MT Van Hool in 2010.

While the first two vehicles were primarily used for private UK tours and holidays abroad, particularly winter ski trips to Austria, Italy and France, the current Volvo is generally employed on local operations, including school runs.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Michelin Tyre plc

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