Maintaining the right tire pressure

Another critical performance factor is correct tire use. Michelin provides customers with extensive information about how to get the most out of their tires and offers technical training for business users.

Under-inflated tires not only cause a vehicle to burn more fuel and therefore emit more CO₂, they also brake less effectively and wear out faster. Michelin deploys a wide array of initiatives to raise driver awareness of the importance of correct tire pressure, particularly during the summer vacation period. It has also installed 89 Michelin Man air pumps in highway service areas or public-access Michelin parking lots in 12 countries, enabling motorists to freely check their pressure and top up their tires (Austria, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States). 62 Michelin Man air pumps are in France, where they are available around the clock in Michelin parking lots and, thanks to partnerships, in rest areas on motorways.

The Michelin Earthmover Management System (MEMS) is the only earthmover tire management solution available and operational worldwide. Designed especially for large-capacity open-pit mine trucks fitted with the world’s biggest tires, MEMS enables tire pressure and temperature to be monitored remotely and in real time without having to stop the vehicle. This represents important time-savings for trucks whose tires weigh up to five tonnes each and must be checked at least once a day.

At the same time, the Group is encouraging the development of onboard tire pressure monitoring systems, which will be mandatory on new vehicles in Europe beginning in 2012, and has helped to develop special systems for cars, trucks and earthmovers.

Reducing noise

Tires account for a signification portion of road traffic noise, ranging from at least 30% for a car traveling at 30 km/h in second gear to at least 50% when traveling at 50 km/h in third gear and around 90% in highway driving at 130 km/h. The amount of noise generated by a tire’s contact with the road depends on a number of factors, including not only the tire itself and the road pavement but also the vehicle, its speed and the layout of road infrastructure.

To reduce noise levels, Michelin has focused on the parameters within its control, namely tire materials architecture and tread design. Tire and road surface quality therefore have a major impact. For a given vehicle traveling at a given speed, for example, noise may vary by five decibels depending on the tire and ten decibels depending on the condition of the road. Michelin is pursuing major programs to reduce tire-related noise, working in particular with road surface experts.

Assessing the impact of tire wear particles

Tire wear results in the release of small particles from both the tire and the road surface. As a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Michelin is involved in the Tire Industry Project (TIP) to identify tire wear particles and analyze their health and environmental impact. The Group has provided the TIP with the same resources for collecting wear particles in real-world conditions that it has been using in its own research in recent years. The TIP’s interim report published in mid-2008 noted that these particles do not have much impact, but additional analytical studies are still underway.

Categories: Noise - Vehicles

Keywords: Adherence - green tire - Tires - Transportation