Michelin North America Inc. introduced the Michelin Premier A/S tire with new EverGrip technology today at the North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit Jan. 13-26, 2014.
The company says EverGrip technology provides drivers with exceptional levels of safety even as their tires wear down and when worn, the Michelin Premier A/S stops shorter on wet roads than the leading competitors’ new tires.
Available this spring, the Michelin Premier A/S tire combines hidden grooves that emerge as the tire wears down, expanding rain grooves that widen over time to continue to evacuate water and a unique rubber compound for increased wet grip.
“The Michelin Premier A/S tire represents a significant breakthrough in automotive safety,” says Scott Clark, chief operating officer of Michelin North America’s passenger and light truck tire division.
“With our truly revolutionary advancements in tire technology, we are able to directly address the effects of tire wear on traction and have been able to break the traditional paradigm.”
Michelin says tires rely on grooves between the treads to evacuate water and maintain grip with the road. Until now, tires traditionally lost traction in wet conditions as the tread became worn and grooves lost depth decreasing the tire’s ability to funnel water away, increasing stopping distances and the chances of hydroplaning. Wet traction is particularly important for automotive safety because drivers are more than twice as likely to be in an accident on wet roads compared to dry roads.
The company says that unlike conventional tires, the Michelin Premier A/S tire uses a revolutionary design with a unique set of features to maintain wet traction even as the tire becomes worn. Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip uses three main elements to provide this traction over time:
- High-traction compound: A proprietary rubber compound with extreme amounts of silica and sunflower oil. The silica provides the bonding strength and adherence to keep the treads on the road for high traction in wet conditions. The sunflower oil allows the tire to grip on wet roads at lower temperatures. These ingredients are mixed through an exacting process that ensures a consistent material contacting the road both when new and worn. Based on internal wet braking test results from 40 and 50 mph versus new Goodyear Assurance TripleTred A/S tires in size 235/55R17 (99H) using Michelin Premier A/S tires in size 235/55R17 (99H) buffed to 5/32-inchof tread. Actual on-road results may vary.
- Expanding rain grooves: In most tires, as the rain grooves lose depth, the amount of water they can funnel away from the tire is diminished. Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip has rain grooves positioned around the circumference of the tire with a special geometric shape that gets wider as the tread wears. This helps maintain the amount of water that the tire can channel away even as these rain grooves lose depth.
- Emerging grooves: Initially hidden when the tire is new, Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip has another set of grooves along the tire’s shoulder that emerge as the tire becomes worn. More than 150 hidden grooves emerge to provide additional help in channeling water away and maintaining wet traction as miles are logged.
The Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip initially will be available in 32 sizes ranging from 185/65R15 to 245/45R18 fitting a range of passenger cars including the Cadillac CTS, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry among others. Michelin will offer a limited 60,000-mile warranty with Michelin Premier A/S.
The Michelin Premier A/S will be manufactured in North America at Michelin plants in Lexington and Greenville, S.C., Ardmore, Okla., and Pictou County and Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
