Freightliner Extends Exclusive Options to Western Star

Previously available only in Freightliner and Sterling Trucks, parent company Freightliner LLC is now including the EzyRider seat, Michelin’s new X-One tires, and the AirLiner suspension to the Western Star Trucks line.

The X-One replaces the traditional on-highway dual tire configuration with a single tire that has a larger contact surface with the road. Instead of the usual eight tires for its tandem drive axles, a truck tractor only needs four X-One tires. The X-One, with the dimensions 445/50R22.5, has the same rolling radius as a conventional 275/80R22.5 tire, along with the same inflation pressure of 100 PSI. X-One comes on a 22.5×14.00 Accuride wheel.

Western Star will also be equipped with the AirLiner front suspension system, a proprietary design. Rated at 12,000 pounds, the AirLiner employs a lightweight design that shares the load equally between leaf springs and air springs. The company also recently introduced the AirLiner rear air suspension available in tandem 40,000-pound and 46,000-pound ratings, as well as tridems at 69,000 pounds. Production of Western Star trucks with AirLiner front suspension systems begins in April in Constellation set-back axle configurations (49SX). The front-axle AirLiner will be available in set-forward models (49FX and 49EX) by summer.