Michelin’s Primacy 3 receives rave reviews from industry experts
Fleet experts have commended Michelin for its Primacy 3 tyres, which provide “safety to the power of 3” with excellence in dry braking, wet braking and wet cornering.
A group of fleet professionals compared Primacy 3 with a budget tyre at the Rockingham Motor Speedway as part of GreenFleet’s Arrive ‘N’ Drive event, which is designed to show fleet managers the environmental and business benefits of embracing greener vehicle technology.
Following the trial Louise Fremont, Fleet Manager for the Ministry of Defence, said: “I would encourage everyone to take part in a test like this and compare Michelin to a budget brand tyre – there’s a shocking difference. If you are concerned at all about safety, you should put it before initial cost.
“Budget brands are a false economy. The biggest mistake that fleet managers make is that they don’t look at whole life tyre cost. It should also be about duty of care, not saving money.”
The Michelin Primacy 3, which has a new patented tread design and compound, was compared to a budget brand on two identical BMW 328is driven on a wet grip area at Rockingham.
Results from tests on the day showed the budget tyre took on average seven metres longer to stop than the Michelin Primacy 3 when braking from 80km/h to 20km/h – the same speeds specified for the wet grip test on the forthcoming tyre labelling legislation – prompting praise from members of Michelin’s Fleet Panel.
Andrew Gullery, Contracts Manager at Masterlease, said: “It was really good and there was a marked difference between the two, not just the wet braking, but the handling and cornering too.”
Mark Connor, Operations Director for Zenith, said: “The Michelins were much better and it goes to show that there is a clear difference between premium and budget tyre brands.”
As well as having excellent wet performance, Michelin’s Primacy 3 tyres have also been developed to provide excellent dry braking, as 70% of accidents happen on dry roads according to accident analysis carried out at the University of Dresden on 20,000 road accidents in Europe.
Whilst the new tread rubber compound optimises grip in both wet and dry conditions, the new self-locking sipes make the tread blocks more rigid and less likely to lose their shape, thereby ensuring full tread block contact with the road.
Chris Joyce, Chief Operating Officer for Fleet Hire, said: “The difference was really marked and I was very impressed. This is definitely a good tyre for fleets but somehow we need to get the message across to consumers.”
Steve Chandler, Supplier Network Manager at Lex Autolease, added: “This is the level of quality and performance we have come to expect from Michelin.”
The Michelin Primacy 3 range covers 45 tyre sizes from 185/60 R15 84H to 275/40 R19 101Y ZP.
Michelin (www.michelin.co.uk)
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tyres for every type of vehicle, including aircraft, bicycles, cars, earthmoving machines, farm equipment, trucks and motorcycles. Michelin employs 115,000 people, has sales organisations in more than 170 countries and operates 69 production sites in 18 countries throughout five continents. The Company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases and offers electronic mobility support services on ViaMichelin.com. Research and development is undertaken in technology centres in Asia, Europe and North America.
For further press information please contact:
Paul Cordle, Michelin Press Office
Tel: 44 (0) 1782 402341 Email: paul-m.cordle@uk.michelin.com
Lucy Harveyor James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR, Inver House, 37-39 Pound Street, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3PG
Tel: 44 (0)20 8647 4467 Fax: 44 (0)20 8544 4711 E-mail: lucy.harvey@garnettkeeler.com
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