Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Russia's Kama Tyres expanding truck, ag tire capacities
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      63rd Polyurethanes Technical Conference set for fall
    • Phillips Carbon Black expanding capacity at site in India
      DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      New systems solutions advance the sustainability of automotive weatherseals
      Arburg: 2021 Technology Days in June will run for 6 days
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      Coi Rubber adding on to plant in China
    • WCCO task force navigates pandemic, expands communications
      ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
    • A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Angelos Papadimitriou to leave position with Pirelli after six months on job
      Tero Peltomaki named Cimcorp CEO
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hwa Fong joins Taiwan tire makers' bid for alternative to import duties
      NLRB certifies USW as bargaining unit for Kumho Tire plant in Georgia
    • Editorial: Against a backdrop of turmoil, M&A deals give glimpse of normalcy
      Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
    • Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
      Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
    • Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      Coi Rubber adding on to plant in China
    • Bridgestone bets on guayule as alternative natural rubber source
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2022 ITEC
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
June 06, 2018 02:00 AM

Michelin advocating for more worn tire safety information

Bruce Davis
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Most published tire tests show braking performance among new tires is not equal. Michelin's internal testing shows that worn tires can be even more unequal in their braking performances.

    LAURENS, S.C.—Are consumers working with only half a deck, so to speak, when it comes to choosing which tires to buy?

    It's no secret that tires exhibit widely varying degrees of performance when new, but how do the same tires perform when half-worn, both compared with themselves when new and with competitors' products, new and used?

    That's the crux of a business and technology position for which Michelin has been advocating the past few years.

    Now Michelin North America Inc. is taking up the mantle as well under the umbrella #thetruthaboutworntires, a campaign that the tire maker hopes will start a dialogue among tire companies to provide consumers with more complete information about how their tires will perform over time.

    Consumers today arguably are better informed than ever before about how new tires perform, but how well do those desirable new tire attributes hold up when the tires are 50-percent worn? Seventy-five- percent worn? At or near to the 2/32nd inch minimum legal tread depth in most states and provinces?

    Those attributes can change drastically as tires wear, Michelin contends, meaning that consumers make purchase decisions based on factors that become less and less relevant over time. Although safety may be subjective from one driver to another, Michelin said, braking distance—especially wet braking—is recognized by most as the best indicator of safety in the automotive and tire industry.

    Most published tire tests show braking performance among new tires is not equal. Michelin's internal testing shows that worn tires can be even more unequal in their braking performances. In some cases, one company's worn tires may even outperform another's new tires.

    Such was the case recently when Michelin invited dozens of journalists, bloggers and "influencers" to its Laurens Proving Grounds in rural South Carolina, about 60 miles south of Spartanburg.

    During that event, Michelin set up wet braking and wet handling demonstrations, comparing new and worn Michelins against new and worn competitor's tires. The "worn" tires were ones Michelin had buffed to 3/32nd inch; the tire maker opted for buffed tires to ensure full-width tread patterns for more equitable comparisons.

    The wet braking test pitted four identically prepared 2018 Toyota Camrys, two with new tires and two with tires worn to 3/32nd inch. The test was a full-force stop from 45 mph.

    On average, the new Michelin stopped in 78.4 feet on the wet concrete; the competing brand took 104.5 feet. When worn, the Michelin increased that distance to 87.5 feet, a 12-percent jump, and the competing brand needed 121.2 feet, 16-percent farther.

    The test was repeated with Ford F-150s; the Michelin went from 90.5 feet new to 120.3 feet worn (33 percent longer), while the competing brand jumped from 109 feet to 141 (29 percent).

    The wet-handling course test—featuring Nissan Jukes—was more subjective, with the assembled drivers experiencing reduced control with the worn tires but with measurably different, and predictable, results.

    Michelin has been making noise about worn-tire performance since 2014, since the launch of the Premier A/S with EverGrip technology, which combines a unique rubber compound designed for enhanced wet grip, hidden grooves that emerge as the tire wears down and expanding rain grooves that widen over time.

    At that time, then Michelin COO Scott Clark said the Premier A/S tire represented a "significant breakthrough in automotive safety" and a break in the "traditional paradigm" of tire performance over time.

    Michelin's internal testing shows that worn tires can be even more unequal in their braking performances.

    Michelin's message has evolved over the intervening four years to include economic (removing tires prematurely costs drivers more than $25 billion globally) and ecological (early tire removal takes roughly 400 million tires a year worldwide out of service needlessly) reasons in addition to the safety and performance issues.

    Citing this combination of issues, Clark—now chairman and president of Michelin North America—called on the global vehicle and tire industries at the North American International Auto Show to consider adopting testing procedures for partially worn tires.

    Clark at that time acknowledged that moving from Michelin-derived testing to independent third-party testing and eventually to an accepted industry standard will be a long and complicated process—a position a number of Michelin's competitors shared.

    Nonetheless, Clark said the issue is "something Michelin believes all of us need to start thinking about."

    The Michelin leadership reiterated and expounded upon that message during the recent testing at the 3,500-acre Laurens Proving Ground.

    While some would question Michelin's strategy as revenue-impairing in the short term, the company argues that serving consumers needs increases the chances of winning them over as repeat customers, which in turn results in increased business long-term.

    Tire Business asked Michelin's major competitors to weigh in on the matter.

    Bridgestone Americas shares Michelin's belief in the quality and performance of its tires, both at the time of purchase and throughout their life on a vehicle, as well as a commitment to helping consumers make informed purchase decision.

    "We do have concerns about the data quality and repeatability of the testing other tire manufacturers currently are proposing," according to Dave Johnson, chief quality officer.

    "Artificially prepared worn tires do not duplicate real-world wear and tire performance, and there are other criteria beyond braking distance to consider such as performance in seasonal conditions and driving in deep water, for example."

    Tire performance over time is influenced by a number of factors, including driver behavior and proper tire care and maintenance, Johnson said, noting that many consumers "are unaware of the critical role proper maintenance plays in ensuring tire safety and performance over time. "

    Bridgestone recently re-launched its consumer education website, TireSafety.com, to provide information on such matters.

    Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA) views later life tire performance as a "hot topic" for the future of the industry, considering the impact worn-tire performance could have on automated vehicle reliability.

    The change of tire performance as the tire wears is due either to the change of rubber thickness as the tire wears or from chemical changes to the internal components used in the tire, according to Rick Brennan, vice president of marketing for SRNA/Falken Tires, who said later life performance is a major project for Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.'s R&D group.

    Bruce Davis, Tire Business

    The wet-handling course test — featuring Nissan Jukes — was more subjective, with the assembled drivers experiencing reduced control with the worn tires but with measurably different, and predictable, results.

    Looking beyond tire performance in isolation, Brennan noted the development of future materials as well as tire design must be integrated with the electronics of the next vehicle generation to optimize performance attributes such as braking performance, traction in bad weather and fuel economy over the life of the tire.

    "Developing a structure to communicate differences between tires to the consumer is a much different story," he said. "Creating an information system will require developing testing standards, both for methods and surface requirements, as well as a generally acceptable rating system."

    He pointed to struggles the industry has gone through with rolling resistance labeling as an example.

    "Although an admirable project to undertake for the consumer, there are many complexity obstacles that need to be overcome," he said, such as what items should be measured and who would do the testing?

    Getting some kind of accepted system up and running would be an enormous project, he added, one that likely is not feasible given the number of manufacturers that must participate to make it worthwhile.

    Goodyear noted that because a tire must deliver on so many different performance attributes and is subjected to so many differing experiences as it wears, "efforts to meaningfully measure and compare worn-tire performance between tire brands and types have not proven reliable, either in natural wear or shaving tires to simulate natural wear."

    Goodyear questioned the use of shaved or buffed tires for comparison testing, asserting that "naturally wearing tires to 2/32nd-inch tread depth before testing is a lengthy and costly proposition, with lots of difficult-to-control variables, like vehicle, alignment, climate, surface, loading, etc."

    The tire maker also pointed out that performance differences exist between tire brands and types as they wear due to the unique chemistries of different compounds and sensitivities of different designs.

    To help consumers decide, Goodyear said it's important to understand what the tread pattern and depth does in terms of tire performance in different weather conditions—such as on wet, slushy, snowy, icy or gravelly road surfaces, where the tread pattern and depth play a big role in maintaining traction.

    Other major manufacturers either declined to comment, did not reply to Tire Business' request or deferred to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association to comment.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION