Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Next Set of Car Tyres

Between the car you drive and the road exists four contact patch that makes up to roughly the size of an A4 paper. Now think about this a little bit more.

Your car weighs more than a tonne, and the rubber holding it on the road is probably not even larger than the monitor you are staring at right now, and those rubber has to work when it’s 40 Celsius under the hot sun, or heavy rain, under intense braking, crazy sweeping corners, and somehow hold up for tens of thousands of kilometres.

Which is why I always consider tyres as one of the two most important components of the car (the other being the brake, but that is another topic for another day).

MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST media launch event

If you haven’t noticed already, I am quite a bit of a motoring enthusiast, and was more than happy when I got myself into the MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST media launch event to learn a little more about MICHELIN’s latest offering and what sort of technologies are packed into these unassuming and often under appreciated components of the car.

Managing Director of MICHELIN Malaysia, Beltran Yturriaga showing us the goods

First, a little background of the MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST tyres.

It is a result of 10 years of preliminary studies on tyres that travelled more than 1.3 million kilometres, followed by 18 months of design & development. This latest set of rubber is developed exclusively for the Asia Pacific region’s demanding roads (we don’t have the best roads, do we?) and weather conditions.

The result is a tyre that lasts 25% longer than it’s predecessor, the MICHELIN Primacy LC, 8% quieter than leading competitors, and brakes 1.6 meters shorter in wet condition than its predecessor (Based on TUV Rheinland (Thailand) wet braking test report).

I think these are all very important features you would want in a set of tyres. The Primacy LC was already a very highly rated tyre by reviewers, the 3 ST managed to improve basically every aspect of it. As explained by Beltran Yturriaga, that is the essence of MICHELIN Total Performance, no compromise.

the all new MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST, with myriad of different technologies

To achieve these, there are a few pretty interesting technologies built into the new Primacy 3 ST. I find them pretty interesting, regardless if you’re a tech driven person:

• EvenPeak Technology: by having greater variety in sizes and position of the thread blocks, noise generated from the tyre is spread out in greater frequency, making no peak sound and thus providing a more comfortable ride. The analogy is like playing a symphony instead of banging the same few keys on a piano.
• CushionGuard Technology: with shock absorbing sidewalls and supple FlexMax compounds, keeping the ride smooth, steady, and comfortable.
• FlexMax Technology: treads adapt to to irregularities of road surface as FlexMax chamfer prevents the tread block from distorting and losing contact pressure under the centre of tread blocks. Maximum rubber contact with the road.
• StabiliGrip Technology: using self-locking bands within the small grooves of the tyre to minimize block deformation, improve handling and cut through water in wet condition.

Click to view the  video demonstration on all these technology.

PC with headphones, keeping the noise out as the Primacy 3 ST would

The tyre also went through a 6-month testing period with a local fleet management company, and the response from the limo drivers thus far has been very favourable, with most says that cornering stability is improved, and the car is definitely much quieter and more comfortable than before.

So if you’re looking for a new set of rubber for your ride, I think this is one that should definitely in your short list. The new MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST is available in 16” to 19” sizes and priced from RM 480 MSRP, which is the same as its predecessor.

Do check out MICHELIN Malaysia facebook page too.