Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) will begin the rollout of what it calls “the first self-regenerating retread.” The XDA Hypersipe is different from other retreads in that tread designs are molded onto the bottom, as well as the top, of Michelin's pre-cure tread band.
As the tire wears down, the sipes molded into the bottom appear, providing improved traction over the life of the retread, according to the tire maker. The bottom sipes emerge at approximately half tread depth and last down to the last usable 32/nd of tread.
“The underside of the tread package had been a forgotten frontier for innovation,” said John Melson, research director for truck tires at Michelin Americas Research Corp. “Now it's delivering a real performance benefit that helps maintain the traction of the retread consistently over its entire lifecycle.”
The Hypersipe will be produced at MRT's Covington, GA, plant, where a recent expansion has doubled capacity.
www.michelintruck.com
