Mar 25, 2009 9:59 AM

A 383-page report provided by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory confirms that wide single tires are more fuel-efficient than duals on heavy trucks. More than 700,000 real-world miles were driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers during the four-year test.

"If fleets and owner-operators needed more proof that wide singles can save fuel costs, look no further," said David Stafford, chief operating officer of Michelin Americas Research Company (MARC).

Primary data collected during the tests includes instantaneous fuel consumption, speed, acceleration, gear, location, time of day, and grade. A total of 60 channels of data at 5 hertz for one year were collected and analyzed. Half of the tractors were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tires, and half with standard dual tires. Half of the trailers were outfitted with Michelin X One wide single tires, two with standard dual tires, and three with dual retread tires. Oak Ridge researchers found significant fuel efficiency improvement over dual tires when wide singles were in use—6 percent overall and 10 percent with fully loaded tractor-trailers.

E-mail Bill Knee at kneehe@ornl.gov for a copy of the report.