As part of the trial, one of PF Booth’s MAN TGX 6x2 tractors was fitted with a set of Michelin 315/70 R 22.5 X MultiWay 3D XZE steer and XDE drive tyres. Data was collected and compared with the operator’s existing premium brand regional tyres.
The result for the steer tyres was a 29% improvement in mileage – the Michelin products had reached their 3mm tread depth after more than 216,000km, while the competitor tyre covered 167,000km.
The drive axle tyres are delivered even better results, with the Michelin tyres still in use and projected to complete 279,000km – a 76% improvement on the competitor brand, which was removed after 159,000km.
“The results were pretty bloomin’ marvellous,” says Dave Booth, partner at PF Booth & Son. “Seeing the statistics in black and white made the switch to Michelin 315/70 tyres an easy one.”
He adds: “I’m a second-generation buyer – my father ran his trucks on Michelin for years.“So when 315/70 tyres started to be talked about as offering a step-up in performance, we knew we wanted to run a comprehensive trial.”
The Boston, Lincolnshire-based company is now specifying the fitments for all new trucks and is swapping its current fleet of 15 MAN trucks and 25 Lawrence David tri-axle curtainsiders to the tyres as replacements become due.