Michelin welcomes new EU reg on condition of worn tires

Clermont-Ferrand – Michelin has signalled its support for a new European regulation governing the performance of passenger car tires being used in a 'worn-state'.

EU regulation R117-04, which came into force on 1 July, is intended to ensure better safety on the roads while protecting the environment.

Tires must now meet specific criteria for wet-grip, rolling-resistance, and noise emissions even when worn down to the tread depth of 1.6mm – 2.0mm.

The new provision also includes a regulatory test to improve road safety in which tires are artificially worn to a fixed contour and tread depth for evaluation.

In a 9 July statement, Michelin said the regulation was "necessary to inform consumers about the importance of the performance of their tires in a worn state."

“This transparency is all the more essential since certain [aspects of performance] deteriorate over the kilometres, particularly in terms of safety,” it added.

The wet-braking test adopted by EU authorities measures the distance required to decelerate a vehicle from 80 to 20 km/h on a standard road surface with a water depth of one millimetre.

The new EU regulation also requires testing of other parameters, such as coefficient road-grip and the influence of ambient temperatures on tire performance.

Michelin said its worn tires are designed to maintain performance over time and exhibit braking distances on average 3.4 metres shorter than a new competitor tire*.

According to a Michelin study, 50% of tires are removed before reaching 3mm of residual depth.

Globally, it added, 400 million tires are removed prematurely each year, and 35 million tonnes of CO2 could thus be saved by the new regulation.

The EU regulation, continued Michelin, could impact demand for new tires in Europe: reducing consumption by 128 million units annually while saving 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Keeping the tires for longer can also help preserve consumers' purchasing power, saving European motorists around €7 billion each year, Michelin argued.

* Tests carried out by Michelin on 30 Sept 2018 at the “ATP Automotive Testing” test center in Papenburg, Germany on size 205/55R16.