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Meet Michelin

Michelin is a French-based tyre company headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand. They are currently the second-largest tyre manufacturer behind Bridgestone. Michelin has several important milestones in tyre technology advancement under their name, and continue to be one of the most well-known brands in tyres since their inception.

History of Michelin

Michelin was originally a rubber company working out of a factory in Clermont-Ferrand run by two brothers, Edouard and Andre Michelin. One fateful day in 1889, a cyclist came by the factory requiring a tyre repair. Tyres in that era were permanently bonded to the wheel they were on, for simplicity and reliability reasons, and the repair required carefully removing the tyre from the wheel. Of course, the repair failed after only a short distance.

After Edouard’s experience repairing this tyre, he was inspired to create his own pneumatic tyre that didn’t require permanent gluing to the rim and soon took out a patent in 1891. Later that year, the winner of the world’s first long-distance cycle event won on a bike fitted with removable pneumatic Michelin tyres.

1934 saw the introduction of a key technology which is still used in some forms today. Michelin released a type of run-flat tyre that would ride on a special foam filling, should air pressure be lost.

Michelin continued with their streak of innovation pushing the limits of what was possible with tyre manufacturing processes and in 1946, the first radial tyre was developed. Radial tyres had the advantage of better handling, less deformation at high speeds as well as being more fuel efficient than the bias ply designs of the day.

The next decades saw Michelin grow and expand into the United States and begin to sell tyres globally. Initially, the radial tyre was not well received in the US market, with 87% of tyres still being bias ply, until 1968 when Consumer Reports acknowledged the benefits of radial technology. The report really kicked off an explosion in the uptake of radial tyres. Market share from radial tyres is at 100% today.

Pit crey at an endurance event holding a Michelin racing slick

Michelin In Motorsport

Michelin today enjoys experience gained from many years in competitive motorsport. Although not currently tyre suppliers for either MotoGP or Formula One their experience is significant.

Michelin Participated in MotoGP series from 1978 through to 2008 before withdrawing until 2016, taking over as official tyre supplier from Bridgestone at the end of the 2015 season.

Formula One has a long and storied history with Michelin tyres. In 1977 the factory Renault team was equipped with Michelin tyres. Michelin introduced radial tyres to the Formula One series and helped Brabham and McLaren win the drivers championships before they withdrew from F1 at the end of the 1984 seasons.

Michelin rejoined Formula 1 in 2001 and was initially very poor performing, eventually becoming the dominant tyre by the 2005 season. Michelin’s luck soon ran out, with a series of critical tyre failures at the 1995 United States Grand Prix forcing Michelin to prevent any teams using their tyres to abandon the race due to safety issues.

Bridgestone became sole tyre supplier for Formula One from 2006 until 2010, when Pirelli took over at the start of the 2011 season.

Michelin also supplies tyres to several teams for the World Rally Championship as well as 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance racing series.

Michelin Primacy tyres fitted to a blue car

The Michelin Range.

When it comes to passenger and SUV tyres, Michelin divides their range up into several categories. Donnellans the Tyremen are here to help you choose the right tyre for your vehicle.

Latitude

Michelin Latitude tyres are designed to meet the needs of SUV and Crossover type vehicles. That is larger vehicles that primarily see on-road use. Today's SUVs are becoming more luxurious and more powerful, and tyres need to keep up with the trends.

Purchasing tyres from the Latitude range will get you a bigger tyre designed to last longer, be quieter without sacrificing tyre noise and comfort.

LTX

LTX Tyres are for light trucks and SUVs that need to deal with more heavy-duty use across on-road and light off-road use. If you drive a larger or heavily loaded vehicle, you’ll appreciate the higher load ratings and reinforced sidewall designs found on Michelin LTX tyres. If you need even more rugged tyres, continue reading to learn more about the Agilis range of tyres.

Primacy

For owners of performance touring vehicles, choosing a tyre from the Michelin Primacy range is going to compliment your car. Primacy tyres have a focus on great aquaplaning resistance, wet weather braking performance, stability at highway speeds as well as comfortable tread noise volume.

Choosing a tyre in this range is what the designer of your vehicle wanted. Something that works with the design language of your vehicle to give you a relaxing drive.

Pilot

Designed to be fitted to the highest performing vehicles, the Michelin Pilot range is where you should shop if you’re looking for the fastest lap times, and unmatched levels of grip.

Whether you drive a TrackHawk Jeep or a Toyota Supra, the range covers a wide variety of styles ranging from dry performance through to sports touring tyres.

Energy

Michelin Energy tyres are all about fuel efficiency through advanced tread compounds and lower rolling friction. Energy tyres are designed to keep tyre temperatures under control without sacrificing grip and safety.

Agilis

Commercial vehicles aren’t left out of the Michelin catalogue either. The Agilis range of tyres caters to light truck owners looking for a cost-effective solution that offers great safety right down to the last kilometre. Features like anti-rash sidewalls, lower rolling resistance and improved mileage, compared to previous generation tyre designs, make this an easy choice for fleet vehicles.

Porsche GT Cup car racing in the rain at IMSA 24hrs of Daytona

Other tyres in the Michelin lineup.

Michelin makes a whole range of tyres to suit nearly every vehicle, including planes, construction equipment, trucks and heavy machinery, and even the now-retired NASA Space Shuttle program.

Contact Donnellans

Donnellans the Tyremen are your local tyre experts with five convenient locations across south east Melbourne. Come discuss your vehicle and your requirements and we will be able to provide expert product recommendations.

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