June 2012: Michelin’s New Public Report Release

The most important topic of discussion on the tyre market is the new EU labelling system which has begun to be implemented on the European market starting this June.

Regarding this issue, Michelin has decided to release to the public the results of the company’s data regarding the passenger car tyre wear results of the company and competing companies (Pirelli, Bridgestone and Continental) which shows that the company’s products offer the best results.

In the survey the treadwear of the new Michelin products is not mentioned. The survey has been conducted for Michelin’s products over the past 6 years, tyres used on one of the company’s most popular automobiles, the Ford Focus.

The research data has been collected between 2006 and 2011 and focused on normal tyre wear. It is based on the results accumulated from the observation of over 4000 front tyres and over 1300 rear tyres. As each company has had its own tread patterns during the years, the data collected has been adapted to include this factor.

In the research the tyres that have had suffered irreparable damage have not been taken into consideration.

In terms of front axle the best results have been achieved by Michelin which participated in the survey with a 1904 sample size and obtained an average mileage of 27036.

The second runner up was Bridgestone with a 493 sample size that obtained a 23772 average tyre mileage. The third company was Pirelli, with a sample size of 704 which obtained 21693 average tyre mileage. Continental had obtained an average tyre mileage of 18374 with a sample size of 908 tyres.

In terms of rear axle the best results have been recorded again by Michelin which participated with a 653 sample size and obtained an average mileage of 44610. The second in the list was Bridgestone which obtained from the 168 sample size an average tyre mileage of 42074.

The third company was Pirelli, with a 252 sample size that obtained an average tyre mileage of 38958. Continental had obtained an average tyre mileage of 32693 with a sample size of 246 tyres.

The data was released by Michelin and it is the result of the company’s constant monitoring of its performances. The company which has undergone the study during the past years has not been mentioned.

Michelin representatives have declared that this is the first time the company has made such data available for the public. The reason why the company has decided for this approach is because the company desired to show that its products offer considerable longer tyre life which in turn means increased end economy.

The reason why the Michelin results have attracted so much attention is because the tyre sample size is quite impressive, with a total of over 5000 units over a prolonged period of time on actual cases. The tyres in the study have been used by vehicles on the normal driving conditions of the UK roads, meaning that the results are considerably more conclusive than scientifically conducted tests, offering end results that contain a higher level of accuracy for the end consumer.