Rigid channels wear down to reveal new treads and continued traction.

There’s no funny story or eureka moment to explain how Michelin engineers molded the world’s first “regenerating” truck tire. The France-based manufacturer just points to several years of serious research and testing before it rolled out the innovation to domestic truckers this year.

Rigid channels wear down to reveal new treads and continued traction..

The trick to making tires last longer is in deep treads that wear gracefully without losing their edge. Michelin’s XDA5, which went on sale Sept. 1, claims to do both.

Truck tires take a lot of abuse before they end up on a jungle gym or in a junk yard, but many tires are tossed out or recapped prematurely simply because truckers think they look too bald; other tires end up losing their grip and are discarded.

Michelin’s drive tire for Class 8 trucks may hold up. A patented set of rigid, interlocking sipes—or tiny channels—in the wear pads provide traction without making the tire too wiggly. They eventually reveal a teardrop-shaped groove at10⁄32 in., a point when many truckers throw on new tires. The groove provides enough grip and visual satisfaction to “entice” drivers to keep them on 30% longer, says Marc Laferriere, vice president of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. The tires are well suited for construction trucks carrying equipment and goods over long distances, he adds.

The treads cost 5% to 10% more, but Michelin thinks they will stick around for the long haul. New tires bought this year are guaranteed to last 30% longer than ones in use, or the supplier will pay back double the price premium.