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.
Michelin Primacy 4 Pattaya Thailand Launch Photo Gallery…
