Michelin, Pirelli grab J.D. Power OE tire honors

Sept. 13, 2006

Michelin North America Inc. and Pirelli Tire North America Inc. have won top honors in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study.

Michelin topped rankings in the Luxury/Sport, Pickup/Full-size Van and SUV segments. Pirelli won top honors in the Mass Market/Non-Luxury segment.

The study measures owner satisfaction with OE tires, based on five factors: appearance, handling, ride, traction and wearability.

"The study finds that customer recommendations of tire brands are influenced by satisfaction with tire performance, the types of problems that may be experienced and by a need for tire replacement," say J.D. Power officials.

According to the study, wearability is the most important factor in overall OE tire satisfaction. The study is based on responses from more than 32,000 owners who bought a new vehicle between 2004 and 2005.