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Michelin Pilot Sport 5: What Makes It So Good?

Tyres are the most important yet the most under-rated part of a car. The fact that something the size of a human palm can keep a person safe in all types of conditions is something to be respected.

Yet, many still do not understand the importance of having a good set of tyres. It is quite common to see tyres that are well past their “use by” dates and in terrible condition. But manufacturers are not to blame here, tyre technology is now at its best we have seen since the advent of the tyre.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is one of those tyres. Those in the know will appreciate the fact that the Pilot Sport comes from a long line of great tyres. That is no surprise though as Michelin, the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world after Bridgestone, has nearly a hundred years of experience developing tyres.

But what makes the new Pilot Sport 5 so special? The Pilot Sport has always been the go to tyre for those seeking a tyre that offers longevity, grip and quietness over all surfaces without breaking the bank. Known simply as PS5, the new tyre builds on those qualities, as we found out during a recent event at the Sepang International Circuit.

Michelin says the new PS5 offers better wet weather grip, is quieter and longer lasting than its predecessor, the PS4, which curiously will still be available in the market together with the PS5.

It is impossible to test the claim that the new PS5 lasts longer, but for every other claim, there was a specially laid out course.

Michelin also has another product but designed for SUV’s, known as the Primacy SUV+ which also promises all of the qualities of the PS5 but purpose built for SUVs. And so we began our test with SUV’s that were shod with Primacy and competitor tyres. The first aim was to test the quietness of the tyre.

To do this, Michelin provided a decibel meter that captured the interior noise for us to compare against the competition. The results were quite remarkable. The first group recorded 56.3 decibels on the Primacy while the competitor tyre recorded 61.3 decibels over the same surface and at equal speed.

The second group then confirmed the Primacy noise suppression superiority when they recorded 60.53 decibels over the competitors 64.2 decibels. The only thing that was different here were the cars, the first group did their test in Toyota Fortuners while the second group did it with Honda CRVs.

The second test was the wet braking test. To do this, we were told to accelerate to about 80km/h and slam on the brakes as hard as we could. The surface was of course inundated with flowing water.

To do this we were provided with Mercedes-Benz cars, which were Michelin’s partners for the duration of the event.

We did the test in four stints – twice in an A-Class sedan that was fitted with PS5’s and competitor tyres, and once again in an SUV, a GLA, that was fitted with Primacy SUV tyres and competitor tyres.

Slamming on the brakes just as the tyres hit the wet patch, it must be said that all tyres held their grip and the cars did not squirm under hard braking with ABS engaged. But the point here was to see which tyre provided the least braking distance. The last thing you want is a tyre that takes too long to stop.

And just to mix things up, Michelin also added worn down PS5’s and competitor tyre just to show how much grip levels deteriorate as the tyre goes through its life cycle.

For starters we compared new vs used PS5, and the new tyre brought the car to a stop in just 25.12 meters while the competitor tyre did it in 30.39 meters. That’s about 15 feet in difference and hugely significant in heavy traffic conditions.

The used PS5 on the other hand brought the car to a stop in 27.59 meters while the competitor tyre did it in 36.8 meters. That’s 9.21 meters in difference, or over 30 feet difference in stopping distance.

Assuming new cars are between 10-14 feet in length, that is about three and a half car lengths for the used competitor tyre to bring a Mercedes-Benz to a halt from 80km/h. In an emergency, that would surely result in a collision.

But just for reference sake, the Primacy SUV tyres brought the Mercedes GLA to a stop in just 27.4 meters while the competitor tyres needed 29.85 meters. The worn tyres on the other hand brought the GLA to a complete stop from 80km/h in 36.92 meters and the worn competitor tyres did it in 39.07 meters. The difference is not as dramatic as the PS5’s but significant no less.

The final course involved a high-speed turn that finished off with a dry condition emergency brake test. This time we were provided with a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Though there are no numbers to prove the claim, but the Michelin’s did turn towards where we wanted the car to go while the competitor tyres ended up understeering wide.

The results were clear and there is little doubt that the Michelin PS5 and Primacy were the superior tyre in all conditions. But how did Michelin create such a superior tyre? Reserch and development coupled with advanced technology of course.

Michelin says that it uses multiple technologies in a single tyre. Such as Dynamic Response Technology that reduces tyre flex for more accurate and direct handling. Then there is the MaxTouch Construction that evenly distributes forces of acceleration, braking and cornering which results in longer tread life. And for wet weather, the tyres offer Dual Sport Tread Design with an internal, side and large longitudinal grooves that flush water away for wet weather traction.

It is also worth noting that all Michelin passenger and light truck tyres come with a six year warranty from the date of purchase, provided that the tyres were sold within three years of the manufacturing date.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 and Primacy SUV+ tyres are now available in Malaysia.

Toyota Claims Breakthrough For Longer Range EV Batteries. 1200km Range & 10 Mins Charge Time

Toyota claims to have developed a technological advancement that will enable it to cut the weight, size, and price of batteries in half, which could signal a significant development for electric vehicles.

The second-largest automaker in the world was already working towards a goal of introducing upgraded solid-state batteries in cars by 2025, which have advantages over liquid-based batteries.

The Japanese business announced on Tuesday that it has made the process of producing the material needed to produce them simpler. The company hailed the discovery as a significant advancement that may significantly shorten charging periods and extend driving range.

If Toyota’s assertions were true, according to University of Birmingham business economics professor David Bailey, it might signify a turning point for the development of electric vehicles.

Toyota’s president claims that the company could now produce a solid-state battery with a range of 1,200km and a charge time of no more than 10 minutes since it had figured out how to make batteries more resilient.

The Financial Times, which broke the news of Toyota’s purported breakthrough, reports that the corporation anticipates being able to build solid-state batteries for use in electric vehicles as early as 2027.

As they promise to shorten charging periods, boost capacity, and lessen the fire risk associated with lithium-ion batteries, which employ a liquid electrolyte, solid-state batteries have been widely regarded as having the potential to revolutionise the field of electric vehicles.

However, the production of solid-state batteries has always been more expensive and difficult, which has limited their practical adoption.

But, Toyota now claims that it might potentially streamline the production process, making solid-state batteries potentially more accessible to manufacture than lithium-ion ones.

When compared to competitors in the market for electric vehicles, the Japanese automaker has been viewed as a bit of a laggard. It recalled 2,700 of its first electric vehicles (the bZ4X) in June of last year over worries that the wheels would come off.

Despite this, Toyota believes that, after 2028, it will be possible to produce an advanced solid-state battery with a range of more than 1,448 km in part due to lighter, simpler, and vehicles with fewer parts.

Proton Partners With E-Bidding Companies

Proton has established formal strategic alliances with three reputable E-Bidding Companies (EBC) to improve the way that trade-in vehicles are disposed of for customers. The company is certain it has made great progress towards providing a quicker and more effective means for clients to own new cars by working with EBCs myTukar, MUV, and Carsome.

It has become clear that customers need a better option to trade in and get rid of their old cars as sales volume keeps increasing. Customers may expect a variety of advantages from these collaborations, including improved convenience, reliability, competitive trade-in values, pricing transparency, safe payment and ownership transfer, daily auctions, quicker disposal, and thorough inspections.

Customers will be able to send their vehicles for auction through an easy-to-use online portal thanks to Proton’s relationship with EBCs. Customers might save time and effort by not having to visit numerous dealerships or haggle with potential buyers as a result.

Customers will be able to earn competitive trade-in values for their cars through an honest and open auction system. Consumers receive a flawless experience thanks to the clear pricing approach, which guarantees that consumers can make knowledgeable decisions during the trade-in process. The payment and ownership transfer processes are also accelerated to reduce any potential delays or issues.

Perodua Sales Better Than 2022, And It’s About To Get Better

Perodua has been on a sales rampage of sorts. In comparison to the 131,641 cars produced in the same period of 2022, Perodua produced 153,813 cars in the first half of 2023, which is a 17% increase.

In the first half of 2023 (1H23), registrations increased by 13.6% to 144,690 vehicles from 127,343 units sold during the same time in the previous year as a result of this manufacturing achievement.

With a total of 40,555 units sold between January and June, the Perodua Bezza has been the brand’s best-selling model thus far this year. The Perodua Myvi and Perodua Axia have each sold 32,319 and 28,199 units, respectively.

Perodua also stated that it will continue to increase its operational efficiencies, and as a result, is on track to fulfil its 330,000 production and 314,000 registration targets.

When comparing quarter to quarter, Perodua produced 69,013 automobiles in 2Q23, up 1% from 68,316 at the same time last year.

According to Perodua, one of the significant advancements it has made is a reduction in the tact time (the amount of time it takes to build a vehicle) at the Perodua Global Manufacturing plant (PGMSB) from 1.35 minutes to 1.25 minutes.

The recently launched Axia E was well received and the ready stock of 2,500 vehicles were completely distributed within 48 hours.

In addition to that, Bank Negara Malaysia kept its overnight policy rate steady at 3% which helped ease the financial cost of Perodua’s lower income earning customers.