Michelin Energy™ Saver Passenger Car Tire for Europe

The new Michelin Energy Saver All-Season, which will be launched in North America in 2009, benefits from the full range of Michelin’s energy-savings expertise. It has been fully adapted to the specific needs of the North American market with technologies that reduce fuel consumption while improving performance in other areas. These technologies were used to develop the Michelin Energy Saver, a European summer tire that was introduced in the replacement market in early 2008.

The Michelin Energy Saver is the fourth-generation tire to display Michelin’s Green X marking. In 1992, Michelin introduced the world’s first energy-efficient tires by integrating silica into the rubber compound.

Reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while enhancing safety and increasing tire life

The Michelin Energy™ Saver tire, launched in Europe in 2007, helps to reduce fuel consumption by nearly 0.2 liters per 100 kilometers and consequently CO2 emissions by up to 4 grams per kilometer. The new tire’s major accomplishment is that it generates these savings while also delivering outstanding mileage and enhanced motorist safety. This has been proven on wet roads by the tire’s braking distances, which are shorter than those of competing tires .

At a time when energy and high oil prices are among the most important road transport issues, the Michelin Energy™ Saver provides a tangible, comprehensive solution. It integrates Michelin’s expertise and illustrates its research and development commitment to improving performance in different areas, which would not be possible without Michelin’s specific technological capabilities.

The new Michelin Energy Saver car tire achieves outstanding results in all three areas- it reduces the amount of fuel consumed, lasts longer and considerably shortens the distance needed to bring the vehicle to a halt.

These results position Michelin as the preferred partners for all carmakers looking to reduce the environmental impact of their vehicles while ensuring superior safety. In its first year on the market, the Michelin Energy™ Saver has been approved for use on 40 different models. Some European manufacturers have even chosen Michelin as their sole supplier, simply because Michelin tires make a crucial contribution to improving their vehicles’ environmental performance.

Clearly, carmakers are faced with a serious challenge. In late 2007, the European Commission proposed legislation to reduce the average emissions of new cars sold in the EU to 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer km by 2012 through improvements in engine technologies. The Commission also announced that other measures intended to drive an additional reduction of 10 grams of CO2 per kilometer would be introduced to reach the EU’s goal of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer .

In 2006, the average amount of CO2 emissions for new cars sold in Europe was 160 grams per kilometer . This means that by 2012, carmakers must achieve a reduction of 30 grams per kilometer in the average level of CO2 emissions for all their models. In this regard, the Michelin Energy™ Saver has a key role to play because the tire alone can immediately reduce CO2 emissions by an average of 4 grams per kilometer without the need to make any other changes in the vehicle and, most importantly, without impacting the tire’s longevity and wet-road grip. For carmakers, this represents a “plug and play” solution.

To achieve this result, Michelin research and development teams have developed unique technologies. What’s involved? Thanks to its lower mass, unique composition and innovative assembly and manufacturing processes, the new Michelin tire is able to deliver performance levels that are well ahead of other tires in the market. It heats up very little when driving- thus lowering fuel consumption- but quickly for short periods when the rubber is in contact with the road during braking, thereby reducing the distances needed to bring the vehicle to a halt.

Safety as a guiding principle

Reducing fuel consumption and maintaining superior tread life only make sense if the gains are made without compromising the tire’s safety performance.

Accident statistics have shown that the majority of serious accidents in Europe occur during changing weather conditions. In wet-road tests conducted by TÜV SUD Automotive, a car equipped with the Michelin Energy™ Saver tires has a braking distance almost 10 feet shorter than the same vehicle fitted with the previous-generation tires (when brakes are applied at a speed of 80 kilometers an hour). The same study showed that, among the major tire brands, the Michelin Energy™ Saver also has a shorter-than-average braking distance . Size 205/55 R 16 V tires were subject to an additional test after they had been driven 14,000 kilometers, and the Michelin Energy™ Saver again had a shorter braking distance than its major brand competitors. This clearly shows that the tire maintains the same performance levels over time, even as the tread wears down.

Michelin’s Green X label: the guarantee of tire energy efficiency

A tire’s impact on fuel consumption varies greatly from one brand to another, and even among different ranges produced under a given brand. Given the importance of this challenge, Michelin is actively pursuing initiatives to provide drivers with clear, transparent information about tire energy performance. Through the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO), Michelin has recommended the implementation of an energy efficiency indexing system for tires and the entire European tire industry is working to get the project off the ground.

Today, Michelin displays the Green X label on the sidewalls of its energy efficient tires. It is important to bear in mind that these Michelin tires help reduce fuel consumption, even as they deliver exceptional wearlife and enhanced safety. This is clearly the case with the new Michelin Energy Saver.

Wet-surface braking test (from 80 km/h to 10 km/h) conducted by TÜV SÜD Automotive in 2007 on store-bought 175/65 R14, 195/65 R15 and 205/55 R16 tires manufactured by Michelin and five other major-brand tire makers.

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin.com) employs more than 22,300 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.