Michelin targets Premier LTX at SUVs/CUVs

Greenville, South Carolina — Michelin North America Inc. has added a second line – the LTX for CUVs and SUVs – to the Premier “evolving-tread” car tire line it launched in early 2014.

Michelin is touting the Premier lines as providing “exceptional” levels of safety, even when worn, thanks to what it calls “EverGrip” technology. The tire maker claims Premier tires worn down to 5/32nd inch tread depth stop shorter on wet roads than competitors’ new tires.

The Premier LTX launches for the aftermarket in 47 metric sizes in 16- to 22-inch rim diameters and H and V speed ratings, designed primarily for mid-size CUVs and full-size SUVs. The sizes range from 215/70R16 H to 285/45R22 H.

Technically Michelin classifies the LTX as a light truck tire, but the company said there are no LT-designated sizes available nor are there any planned.

The LTX does, however, have a slightly different tread pattern than the A/S and a higher load-carrying capacity, Michelin said, with the latter necessary for fitment on larger SUVs, such as the Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Highlander, etc. The company did not provide actual load-carrying capacities.

Michelin recently announced the first OE fitment for the Premier LTX, on the 2016 Lexus RX, the brand’s four-door hatchback SUV.

Michelin describes its EverGrip technology as a combination of physical attributes – hidden grooves that emerge as the tire wears, expanding rain grooves that widen over time to continue to evacuate water – and the use of a rubber compound developed for increased wet grip, particularly in the worn condition.