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Tire use
Challenges of the tire-use phase
Research orientations
Michelin's solutions
Actual use is the stage in the tire life cycle where safety and environmental concerns are especially important. This is why, for many years, Michelin has been active in research aimed at reducing rolling resistance, increasing service life and cutting tire/road contact noise.
"Innovating to optimize tire performance during use’’
Tire performance during use is the subject of constant research by the Group, which enjoys technological leadership in this area. In 2004, the company devoted 674 million euro or 4.3% of turnover to research and development, giving it top ranking worldwide in this field.

Reducing fuel consumption
The tire Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) clearly shows that the impact of tires on the environment and human health is mostly due to fuel consumption, and thus to rolling resistance, and not to the tire production phase or end-of-life collection and processing.
What is rolling resistance ?
As the wheel goes round, the tire is deformed to make contact with the road. All the forces required for acceleration, braking and cornering are transmitted through this contact patch. As it is deformed, the tire also absorbs road surface asperities. It is the tire s ability to be deformed which ensures grip and comfort. Tire rubber compounds dissipate energy in the form of heat whenever thay are being deformed: energy dissipation is the source of rollling resistance.

Michelin’s expertise lies in its ability to reconcile two seemingly contradictory items when reducing rolling resistance without creating a negative impact on tire performance.

The importance of rolling resistance in a vehicle’s fuel consumption
Today, it is true to say that one out of every five tanks of fuel, is used to overcome rolling resistance, the others being used to overcome air resistance (aerodynamic), to accelerate (inertia) and to climb slopes (gravity).

Mastering rolling resitance to reduce fuel consumption Reducing fuel consumption
« Low rolling resistance technology » results in reduced fuel consumption while maintaining all the essential qualities of the tire, notably all those which are related to safety.

The first generation of "green" tires, launched by Michelin in 1992, revolutionised low roling resistance by offering a real reduction in fuel consumption. In addition it offered increased safety for the users with improved grip on wet surfaces without compromising the service life of the tire. The first generation of "green" tires offered a 4% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the earlier generation of tire.

If all cars worldwide were equipped with low rolling resistance tires this gain would be equivalent to a reduction of about 80 million tons of CO2 annually caused by human activity. Since 1992 Michelin has sold around 500 million "green" tires

Reducing noise pollution
Michelin has been studying for some time the noise caused by its tires and making measurements on insonorised vehicles, but it is only recently that the noise of the tire/road contact was the subject of a European directive (2001/43/CE). This directive will be implemented gradually according to a predetermined timetable between 2003 and 2011. The directive proposes to limit the noise emitted by cars to a range between 72 and 78dB, according to the width and type of the product (coast-by at 80km/h).

While continuing to improve the tire performance we are developing partnerships with experts on these questions and notably with the road surfacing specialists.

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