TüV says Michelin tyres last longer

Stoke, UK - At the launch in February of Michelin's Primacy HP range of tyres, the company presented data from the German testing Institute (TüV) that appears to show Michelin tyres offer better value per kilometre than other tyre brands.

Michelin said the study shows that The Primacy tyres deliver 25 percent longer tread life than the best competing tyre and 54 percent better than the worst competing tyre. The company did not mention how the Primacy tyres performed against other tyres with respect to rolling resistance but said that after 10 000 km of motoring, Primacy tyres delivered slightly improved wet braking performance than competing tyres after the same ageing process.

Michelin's statement said, "The new Michelin Primacy HP tyres have been compared to other premium brands in the 225/55R16 95W size. All were subjected to identical tests done in identical conditions on BMW 5-series saloons. All possible driving parameters were defined and neutralised to avoid any impact on the results, so that only impartial results were reported. These unbiased results are from independent tests carried out in the third-quarter of 2005 by TüV.

"The new Michelin Primacy HP is designed for upper sector saloons such as the Mercedes C, E and S class, the BMW 1, 3 and 5 series and the Audi A4 and A6. The Primacy HP tyre is presently available in 16,17 and 18 inch sizes in V, W and Y rating. Run-flat ZP (Zero Pressure) versions are also available." the statement continued.

Michelin added that the study revealed that most tyres showed a substantial deterioration in performance after 10 000 km of driving. By contrast, said Michelin, the TüV report showed that Michelin tyres delivered almost exactly the same level of wet grip, rolling resistance and wear rate after this distance as they did after just a few tens of km. Despite this lack of deterioration, Michelin said after 10 000 km of motoring, the Primacy tyres brought a car to a halt from 80 kph in 1.2m less than the average of all competing tyres -well within the statistical spread of results.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Press releaase from Michelin