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september 29, 2016 - Michelin

Michelin at the Paris Motorshow 2016

LONG-LASTING PERFORMANCE #michelin TIRES OFFER THE SAME PERFORMANCE FROM THE FIRST MILE TO THE LAST

Clean transport and road safety are everyone’s concern. While some manufacturers are lobbying for tires to be replaced as soon as the tread depth reaches 3 or 4 mm, #michelin, the world’s leading #tire company, maintains that the current legal limit of 1.6 mm is perfectly suited to the challenges of modern motoring.

Michelin markets tires that ensure optimum safety throughout the tire’s longer lifespan, and save fuel due to limited rolling resistance. This is the only way of limiting excessive raw material consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, whilst allowing motorists to use their tires longer in total safety.

Michelin’s winter tires, such as the Pilot Alpin with its full-depth 3D sipes or the #michelin CrossClimate, a summer #tire also approved for winter use in regions where winter tires are mandatory, guarantee maximum effectiveness right down to the statutory minimum of 1.6 mm.

Michelin reaffirms its opposition to a change in the legislation on this matter, for four reasons:

1–Safety

• Current legislation, which dates back to 1989, was based on performance levels at the time. In view of the progress made in the #tire world, the majority of pro- ducts on the market today are logically superior.

• At present, no statistics establish a link between an increase in the number of accidents and the fact that the #tire tread on the vehicles involved was less than 4 mm deep.

• Braking distances depend on a wide range of factors. The braking system, ABS sensors, road surface texture, weather (humidity and temperature), #tire pressure and temperature, and the driver’s actions all play a significant part alongside the tire’s intrinsic qualities.

  • When new, tires can already exhibit large differences in performance between brands and manufacturers, models and dimensions. Premium tires may, with a tread depth of 1.6 mm, be more efficient than a new budget #tire.

  • It is known that a new #tire on a vehicle does not really exist. In its first miles, the #tire starts to wear. #michelin ensures all of its tires offer a high level of performance across all criteria to the wear indicator at 1.6 mm, that is to say after several years and tens of thousands of miles.

    2–Cost

    • Replacing tires as soon as the tread depth reaches 3 or 4 mm inevitably means doing so more frequently, which represents a significant increase in running costs for the motorist. This is unacceptable at a time when the opposite should be true as a result of the progress made in #tire technology, even before improvements to the vehicle itself are considered. 

More information on the press release