The Michelin LTX A/S summer light truck tire was specifically designed for the North American market, where it has proven itself to be exceptionally good. Although this model is positioned by the manufacturer as a tire for light trucks, it is also excellent for use on American SUVs. This possibility is hinted at by the range of sizes offered by the French manufacturer, which includes 6 different options with a wheel mounting diameter of 17 and 18 inches.
Max Touch Construction Technology
This model is one of the few where the Max Touch Construction technology has been widely used to ensure maximum contact area. It is a set of technical solutions that have made it possible to obtain a very large contact patch of the tire with the road.
First of all, it is an S-shaped tread pattern consisting of three functional parts - central and two shoulder zones. In turn, the central zone of the tread is divided into three longitudinal ribs, each of which has massive dimensions. All these elements are rows of separate blocks with a complex configuration, rich in many edges and angles. Thanks to this design feature, the French tire manufacturers were able to provide reliable traction on any surface. The shoulder zones of the Michelin LTX A/S tread also consist of separate blocks that form a large number of sharp edges. Due to this solution, the tire demonstrates good cross-country ability. At the same time, both shoulder zones have massive dimensions, which, on the one hand, allowed the contact patch area to be increased even more, and on the other hand, made the tire more stable when cornering. It is also worth noting the sharp profile of the shoulder blocks, which also contributes to the increase in the contact patch area.
The next component of the Max Touch Construction technology is the rubber compound. The tread of this tire consists of several layers that differ in elasticity. The lower layer is made of a more rigid rubber compound that provides resistance to dynamic deformations. In turn, the surface layer has greater elasticity, which allows the tread to more closely fit all the irregularities of the road surface, thereby ensuring the maximum contact patch area.
The tire carcass was also developed largely with the aim of increasing the contact patch area. Specifically for this purpose, a three-layer breaker appeared in its design, thanks to which it was possible to make the tire profile as flat as possible, which led to an increase in the contact patch area.
Long Service Life
If we judge by the warranty offered to overseas buyers of this tire, its service life is at least 100,000 kilometers. The French manufacturer's confidence has a basis in the optimized tread pattern, rubber compound with special components, and the aforementioned multi-layer carcass. All these technical tricks made it possible to achieve not only exceptional durability to both abrasive and uneven wear, but also significantly reduced rolling resistance.
Main Features of the Michelin LTX A/S Tire
- The S-shaped design of the symmetrical non-directional tread pattern is perfectly adapted to various road conditions, demonstrating excellent performance on any type of surface;
- The possibility of installation on both light trucks and American-made SUVs;
- The three-layer breaker has increased resistance to dynamic deformations, ensuring the stability of the contact patch size;
- The massive dimensions of the longitudinal ribs, due to which the likelihood of uneven wear has decreased;
- A very large contact patch area, due to which the tire demonstrates excellent traction on dry asphalt;
- Good resistance to aquaplaning is ensured by the block structure of the tread pattern, which is rich in longitudinal and transverse drainage channels.
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