Michelin Archives

Michelin’s airless UPTIS tyre now undergoing testing, market launch in 2024

Air has been used to fill tyres and give them their form for over 133 years, used for bicycles and then motor cars. The use of air has been a simple and cost-effective (air is free) solution to providing hard wheels with an outer layer that could absorb bumps and other road irregularities. Pneumatic tyres, as such tyres are known, are used for all sorts of vehicle today – from two-wheelers to family cars to Formula 1 racing cars and even aircraft.

However, there has always been one disadvantage of having air inside – a puncture will allow the air to leak and the tyre cannot function properly. Depending on the speed at which the air leaks, the tyre might remain usable even at lower pressures than normal but rapid and sudden loss of air – and therefore pressure – can be dangerous and loss of control might occur.

Over the years, tyremakers have found various solutions to the problem of pressure loss by developing stronger tyres with special structures. This has led to run-flat tyres which can continue to be used even when there is no air in the tyre, allowing the motorist to reach a place where it can be replaced or repaired.

Making air unnecessary
Still, the majority of tyres rely on air inside to support them and so long as they are made of rubber, there always remains the possibility of a nail or sharp object causing a puncture. So researchers have long searched for a tyre that does not have to rely on air. Many ideas have been tried but few have been able to go beyond concept stage.

One idea that has shown promise since being presented to the world in 2019 is Michelin’s Unique Puncture-proof Tire System (UPTIS). The system eliminates the need for air with a revolutionary structure capable of supporting the vehicle, while also delivering a safe, comfortable ride. Without air, flat tyres and pressure loss are no longer an issue.

Genuine technological breakthrough
UPTIS is said to represent a genuine technological breakthrough thanks to its unique structure and materials. Ushering a new generation of airless solutions developed by Michelin, it combines an aluminium wheel and a flexible load-bearing structure made from glassfibre reinforced plastic (GFRP), a high-tech material.

The UPTIS concept is also a fundamental step towards more sustainable mobility. It can generate significant benefits for motorists, fleet owners and the environment. Apart from peace of mind for motorists as being immobilized or inconvenienced by flat tyres will no longer be a worry, UPTIS can enhance efficiency for fleet owners by reducing the risks of vehicle downtime and eliminating tyre-related maintenance needs (pressure checks and inflation).

Punctures can be of all sizes and when they are too large, the tyre cannot be repaired. It is then thrown away. Michelin says that every year, 20% of tyres are discarded as scrap due to flats and rapid pressure loss (12%) or irregular wear and tear caused by poor tyre pressure (8%). Extrapolated on a global scale, this is the equivalent of 200 million tyres, or 2 million tonnes – that’s 200 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower! This airless technology can help drastically reduce the number of tyres that are scrapped.

*Prototype tyres with UPTIS are now being run in a joint programme with General Motors using the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Data collected will be used to improve the tyre for commercialisation by 2024.*

Real-world testing
The development programme has now reached the stage of producing prototypes in volume for real-world testing as the final test before the tyres are offered to the public. The data collected by engineers during this period of testing will enable them to perfect the prototype in preparation for its market launch in 2024.

You can’t see pollution from tyres but it is frighteningly high!

Michelin Malaysia adds more sizes for X MULTI Z 2 range for commercial vehicles

Although commercial vehicles may not change as frequently as passenger cars, the tyres they run on have technologies which are continuous improved in many aspects. This is the case with the Michelin X MULTI Z 2, introduced in February last year as the latest addition to the tyremaker’s best-selling range in the East Asia and Australia regions.

3 major breakthrough technologies
There are 3 major breakthrough technologies in the X MULTI Z 2, beginning with REGENION. This technology enables differently shaped grooves to be used, ensuring minimal tread deformation. The advantage of minimizing tread deformation is that rolling resistance is lowered, leading to less fuel consumption.

*The X Multi Z 2 tyre is suitable for long-distance, regional and urban use.*

With the ground-breaking 3D metal printing techniques, the longitudinal grooves regenerate as the tyre wears, delivering a high level of grip and traction throughout the tyre’s lifecycle in all weather conditions. There is also a lower wear rate, claimed to be more than 20% compared to its predecessor, the X MULTI Z.

INFINICOIL is another technology and this adopts reinforced tread plies with a continuously wound steel wire of up to 400 metres long (depending on tyre size) inside the casing. The high tensile steel wire increases tyre strength and thus optimizes the ground contact patch and delivers high mileage potential.

This technology provides greater stability throughout the tyre’s lifetime, help reduce risk of sudden pressure loss for better vehicle control, extend mobility even when punctured, and improve uneven wear as it flattens the contact patch – thus, contributing to longer mileage and less unexpected breakdown incidences.

Finally, the use of HT NYLON provides strengthened bead endurance that helps not only reduce tyre damage linked to long-distance/high-speed usage and continuous usage cycle by 10% but also increase retreadability.

Additional sizes
New size offerings are now available for a wider range of applications. These new sizes – 295/80R22.5 and 12R22.5 – along with the original 11R22.5 are available at all authorized Michelin truck tyre dealers around Malaysia.

“We are proud to bring in new additions to the line-up of sizes offered by the Michelin X MULTI Z 2 range. The truck tyre market is an important segment that bolsters economic activities for the nation, and is crucial now more than ever, as we go into yet another movement control order in Malaysia. Thanks to the three core revolutionary technologies, the Michelin X MULTI Z 2 brings to our targeted customers uncompromised safety performance and helps meet their delivery timing and efficiency – thus, leading to increased productivity and improved cost-effectiveness for their businesses,” said Michelin Malaysia’s Commercial Director for B2B, Muhammad Arya Subrata.

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First Michelin Virtual Racing Series 2021 now underway in Malaysia

Michelin Malaysia’s first-ever e-Racing competition – the Michelin Virtual Racing Series 2021 – is now underway. It is Michelin’s first major endeavour into the local e-sports industry which has seen increased activity in the past few years, especially last year when the Movement Control Order (MCO) limited outdoor motorsports events.

The event, which is open to Malaysian residents, is hosted exclusively on Gran Turismo Sport, and is an official e-Racing sanctioned event under the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM). Driving Standards regulations from real-world MSF SuperTurismo regulations will be implemented for this event.

6-week event
The competition has 3 phases in June and July. beginning with time trial submissions until June 27. The top 94 participants with the fastest times will go through time trial Verification Sessions and then race head-to-head in Tournament Rounds. These will be held over 2 weekends in July.

All the races will be held on the Sardegna Road Track A II with participants using the BMW M6 GT3 M Power equipped with Michelin racing medium tyres. Driving Standards regulations from real-world MSF SuperTurismo regulations will be implemented for this event.

The event offers winners prizes worth a total of RM70,000, with prizes in cash as well as passenger car tyres and exclusive merchandise.

“As an active supporter of the e-sports and e-gaming industry on a global level, we are proud to channel our support locally as well, with the first-ever Michelin Virtual Racing Series in Malaysia. With the global pandemic limiting our movement in the real-world, we encourage residents of Malaysia – who are doing their part by staying at home and keeping everyone safe – to take part in this exciting journey with us from the comfort of their home,” said Oliver Biggart, MD of Michelin Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Are you good enough to be a Lamborghini Official Sim driver?

Michelin to introduce Pilot Sport EV for electric sportscars next month

*Visit www.bhpetrol.com.my for more information.*

As electric vehicles move into the mainstream, tyremakers are slowly focussing R&D on developing tyres which are more specifically engineered to meet the specific handling and range requirements. This will be especially so with the new generation of electrically-powered sportscars like the Porsche Taycan. Issues like weight and rolling resistance will have a great priority.

Specifically for electric sportscars
Michelin’s Pilot Sport EV is the first tyre from the French company which is designed to address the specific demands made by electric sportscars. It is the result of the unique experience acquired by Michelin’s involvement in the all-electric single-seater Formula E racing series.

*Michelin, as the tyre supplier for the all-electric single-seater Formula E championship, has developed tyres specifically for the racing cars.*

Technological experience from Formula E
A founding partner of Formula E, Michelin proposed a specific solution for the championship’s racing cars that is similar in its concept to a road tyre. The Michelin Formula E tyre is capable of racing in any weather conditions, while its size – 18 inches – is consistent with current road-car norms.

One example of how the Pilot Sport EV benefits directly from the progress Michelin has achieved over 6 seasons in Formula E is the ElectricGrip Compound technology. This features a hard compound for the centre of the tread to provide the grip required to handle high torque characteristics of electric sports cars. The sidewalls carry over the same pattern and velvet-finish markings of Michelin’s Formula E tyre.

Additionally, MaxTouch Construction maximizes the tyre’s contact with the road and evenly distribute the forces of acceleration, braking and cornering – delivering longer tread life without sacrificing performance.

Quieter and further
Electric cars run quietly so the tyres will also have to be as quiet as possible. To achieve this, Michelin engineers have cut out 20% of road noise using the company’s Acoustic technology which takes the form of a custom-developed polyurethane foam that reduces cabin noise.

There is the promise of optimal grip on dry and wet road – irrespective of the tyre’s level of wear – taking into account the higher weight and weight-distribution characteristics associated with electric sportscars. Resistance to wear is also tailored in response to the high torque and acceleration forces generated by electric powertrains.

The tyre’s low rolling resistance is claimed to extend operating range by up to 60 kms. This has been calculated in a Rolling Resistance internal study comparing a 255/45 R19 Pilot Sport EV (6.7 kg/t) with the same-sized Pilot Sport 4 SUV (8.8 kg/t). In the case of an electric vehicle weighing 2,151 kgs with a range of 540 km, the difference (2.1 kg/t) equates to more than 60 kms of additional range, or more than 10% of the original range.

Carbon-neutral throughout
The new tyre is also an eco-responsible product and will be CO₂-neutral at the point of sale. Michelin has cut CO₂ emissions from its industrial sites by 25% since 2010 and aims at their carbon neutrality by 2050.

In order to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the life of its tyre and address the demands of electric sportscar owners, Michelin has pledged to neutralize the CO₂ emissions associated with the tyre’s production and transport to its point of sale. This process includes the financing of projects aimed at offsetting and absorbing the residual CO₂emissions associated with tyre production through the Livelihoods carbon fund until the day comes when it will be possible to eliminate them entirely.

The Pilot Sport EV will go on sale from April 2021, starting with the China market, followed by Europe and North America from the third quarter of this year. By 2024, Michelin plans to increase its sales in the high-growth markets by a factor of eight.

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Michelin appoints new Managing Director for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei

There’s a new Michelin Managing Director in town and his name is Tushar Gupta for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Replacing the highly regarded Pascal Nouvellon (who was promoted to a new global role over at Michelin HQ in France), Mr Gupta will be taking over the role which started back in September 2019. (more…)

‘Upcycle’ is theme for Michelin’s global design competition in 2020

Michelin North America’s 20th global design competition – Michelin Challenge Design – in 2020 will linking the past to the future of sustainable mobility. The design theme — Upcycle — will challenge the entrants to take inspiration from previously recognized works over the past two decades.

Previous Michelin Challenge Design themes have included Electrification (2010), Lightweighting (2013), Autonomous and Semiautonomous Vehicles (2014), Mobility for All (2016), and Inspiring Mobility in Megacities (2019).

“The world is pursuing a circular economy, which does more with less by using fewer resources and raw materials in the production of solutions for the societal, environmental and economic challenges of our time,” said Nicholas Mailhiot, Chairman of Michelin Challenge Design.

Inspiration from previously recognized
To recognize the role of design in sustainable mobility, artists, designers, engineers, architects, urban planners, futurists or teams are invited to take inspiration from one or more of 300 previously recognized Michelin Challenge Design entries. Entrants will visually communicate how their repurposed Upcycle design increases societal, environmental or economic value.

Three winners will be honoured at a private reception during the Movin’On Summit to be held in June 2020 in Montreal, where their winning entries will be displayed, and design portfolios reviewed by Michelin Challenge Design jurors and top designers from the auto industry.

“To move toward a circular economy, we are all challenged to find a second life or purpose beyond reusing and recycling. Deepening the integration of design into the Movin’On global sustainable mobility summit through Upcycle is an ideal way to celebrate our 20th Michelin Challenge Design competition,” said Mike Marchand, Partnerships Director, Sustainable Development & Mobility, Michelin North America.

2019 Michelin Challenge Design — *A submission for this year’s competition from a team of designers from China and India.*

More than 14,000 entries from 134 countries
Created by Michelin in 2001 to encourage and recognize young designers around the world, Michelin Challenge Design has become one of the most prestigious global design competitions. The program’s jury members are made up of advanced design leaders for major mobility producers and recently have been joined by experts from the global sustainable mobility community. Through the first 19 challenges, Michelin has received more than 14,000 entries from 134 countries.

Recent winners and finalists have come from South Korea, India, United Kingdom, Russia, Algeria, United States, Italy, Germany, Columbia, France, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Czech Republic, Australia, Indonesia, Belgium, Turkey, Mexico, Albania and Bahrain. Let’s add Malaysia to the list as well!

The Michelin Challenge Design competition is now open for pre-registrations. The entry portal for submissions is at www.michelinchallengedesign.com which will open on January 1, 2020, and close on March 1, 2020.

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Michelin is the Official Tyre Technology Partner for Gran Turismo

The folks from Playstation has announced that Michelin will be the Official Tyre Technology Partner for the Gran Turismo franchise which is a video game that is considered by many as one of the best and most authentic in this current generation of gamers and futurists.

Michelin was also announced as the official tyre supplier for the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships where the brand will be featured in the game throughout the World Tour live event currently taking place. (more…)

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV launched – From RM700

Any SUV owners in the house? If you’re looking for one of the best tyre options for your beloved vehicle, the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV is now available here in Malaysia. These rubbers have been specifically designed for ‘excellent longevity, remarkable braking performance, dynamic handling, and comfortable driving experience.’ (more…)

Michelin & PETRON Join Forces In Road Safety Programme For Universities

Michelin has joined Petron in its effort to communicate and impart road safety advocacy in universities around Malaysia. The objective of the ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM for Michelin is to educate and create awareness amongst the younger generation, as tyres are the first line of defence on the road, it is very important to ensure that these tyres are in good condition for better safety on the road. Other partners for this program include Road Transport Department (JPJ), Road Safety Department Malaysia (JKJR) and other private companies.

University students with Miss Nora Guitet, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication Director (Michelin – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam) at the Petron Road Safety Program with Michelin Malaysia as one of its partners

“Michelin has always been a strong advocate of safety – we place the utmost priority in ensuring our tyres are the safest on the road, in all conditions. The team is very pleased to be a part of this program as it is in line with our own road safety campaign,” shared Miss Nora Guitet, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication Director (Michelin – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam).

She further added, “Being at UMP and UNISZA these past two weekends gave us first-hand opportunity to raise awareness that tyres are an essential part of road safety. Our aim during this program is to educate students on tyre care and maintenance to ensure they know the steps and precautions to take to be safe on the road.”

Michelin and Petron together with other partners have successfully completed the ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM in Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Terengganu (UNISZA) and Universiti Selangor (UNISEL). The program will continue at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) Seremban, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Selangor and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai Johor from October through December.

MID-WEEK FEATURE: New Michelin Primacy 4 Launched! “Safe When New, Safe When Worn”

Piston.my was recently invited to Pattaya, Thailand to witness and try-out the latest offering from renown tyre maker, Michelin, the new Primacy 4! Sep Irran, Editor of MotoMalaya.net files this report…

One of the world’s leading tyre manufacturers, Michelin, has officially unveiled their latest generation vehicle tyre; the Michelin Primacy 4. The latest and best addition into their premium Primacy range yet comes with a very assuring slogan, “Safe When New, Safe When Worn”.

This particular catchphrase is not just mere words the PR department from Michelin conjured up, folks. After years of research and development, they’ve pushed the limits of tyre safety technology and produced a tyre that provides lasting safety and excellent performance not only when brand new but up to the point where they’re worn down after miles of usage whilst providing the ultimate comfort throughout.

According to Pascal Nouvellon, Managing Director of MICHELIN Malaysia, “A tyre’s grip and braking performance – especially on wet roads – is critical to road safety in our country. Malaysian consumers today choose their tyres based on their characteristics when they are new.”

“But what happens to grip and braking performance after 50,000 kilometres, or after a few years of use? In the tyre industry, performance tests are typically conducted on new products. Michelin is a step ahead. We want to demonstrate that our performance is maintained with mileage and time,” added Pascal.

Three years worth of effort and innovation led to the birth of two new technologies developed for the new Michelin Primacy 4. The first one is the EverGrip™ Technology where it provides two remarkable features, which are:

New tyre sculpture – provides increased water evacuation space by 50% for wet grip as the tyre wears with usage, which allows the tyre to still safely grip wet roads even when worn.
New-generation rubber compound – bonds rubber and silica more strongly and evenly together, which provides uniform energy dissipation upon contact with the road, resulting in better grip on wet roads, even when worn.

The second ground-breaking technology by the folks from Michelin is the second-generation Silent Rib Technology which helps in elevating the overall driving experience and comfort. How are they able to achieve this? By the introduction of brand new inter-locking bands that helps to minimize the deformation of tread blocks as the tyre is rolling. This helps by:

Reducing the air pumping sound effects for a more silent ride
Providing better shock absorption in response to road obstacles for a more comfortable ride

Michelin invited media members from all over Asia to Pattaya, Thailand for a very exciting test drive to see how the Michelin Primacy 4 is able to perform under different conditions. The Primacy 4 Experience showcased how it’s able to perform under super wet conditions when brand new AND when worn out to 2mm remaining tyre depth. The result was quite amazing, to say the least.

Michelin commissioned TÜV Rheinland Thailand Limited to test new and worn MICHELIN Primacy 4 tyres on wet roads, as well as new and worn tyres of other premium tyre brands. The result? Michelin Primacy 4 tyres brake 2.5 meters shorter when new, and 5.1 meters shorter when worn, compared to other premium brands in the market.

With Michelin’s main focus of pushing the limits of tyre safety even when worn, they’ve accomplished something more amazing in which we were able to witness for ourselves at the test track. The Michelin Primacy 4 tyres are able to brake 1.8 meters shorter than brand new tyres from other premium brands!

Pascal continued by saying that “The new Michelin Primacy 4 addresses two major pain points of consumers in our country: safety journey after journey, due to unfavourable road conditions and rain-related accidents; and on comfort, due to challenging road and traffic conditions. Sustainability of our products is Michelin’s key corporate strategy. Instead of producing tyres that are easily depleted, we strive to deliver tyres that provide safety and true value to consumers, while respecting the environment, throughout its full life cycle.”

The new Michelin Primacy 4 will be available from July 2018 onwards with 64 available sizes from 15 to 18 inches in diameter, with an estimated MSRP of between RM400 to RM700 each depending on size (TBC, check local authorised dealer).

Those who own popular vehicles like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, BMW 3 and 5-series, Mercedes E and C-Class plus many more are all able to enjoy the new Primacy 4. For more information, head over to www.michelin.my, ‘TYREPLUS’ or any of the Michelin’s authorised dealers across Malaysia.