Tyres 48 www.aftermarketonline.net SEPTEMBER 2024 Motorists set to benefit from new worn tyre rules Michelin backs roll-out of regulations that could reduce tyre scrappage and save billions every year New EU safety regulations that could save motorists around £6 billion a year by preventing the premature scrapping of millions of tyres has been backed by Michelin. EU regulation R117-04, which came into force on 1 July, is intended to ensure better safety on the roads while protecting the environment. Tyres sold across the EU and into the UK must now meet specific criteria for wet-grip, rolling-resistance, and noise emissions, even when worn down to the tread depth of 1.6 millimetres to 2mm, Michelin said. The new regulation guarantees improved safety on the roads and for solving the issues of protecting both the planet and the purchasing power of European motorists, the tyre giant said. Statutory test This new European provision includes a stringent statutory test that allows for improved road safety while encouraging motorists to rely on trusted tyres, right down to the legal tread depth of 1.6mm. A wet braking test adopted by the European authorities measures the distance required for a vehicle to decelerate from 80-20 kilometres per hour (50-12mph) on a standard road surface with a water height of 1mm. In addition to these specific points, this test includes other precise parameters, such as the road grip coefficient or the ambient temperature. The tests on wet ground are already in force for defining the safety threshold of new tyres according to the regulations and are widely recognised by the tyre industry. They also meet the more extreme situations that a motorist may encounter on the road, Michelin said. Performance “Designing tyres that perform from the first to the last mile is in Michelin’s DNA and stems from a design choice made by the group, with one aim: user safety. “For example, when stopping on wet ground, a worn Michelin tyre designed to maintain its performance over time can brake on average 3.4m shorter than a new competitor tyre.” This distance represents about one car length — a few metres that can be crucial in an emergency. Each year, Michelin invests the equivalent of around £1bn in innovation and R&D, allowing its 6,000 researchers to create, for example, new tyre architectures, innovative tread patterns, and even to discover composite materials with hitherto unseen properties. According to a Michelin study, 50% of tyres are removed before reaching a residual depth of 3mm. The new regulation is expected to influence the demand for new tyres in Europe, which could be reduced by 128 million units every year, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 6.6 million tonnes. On a global scale, an estimated 400 million tyres are removed prematurely every year. Keeping tyres longer will also benefit consumers, saving European motorists’ purchasing power. This means around £6bn could be saved by drivers every year. www.michelin.co.uk Designing tyres that perform from the first to the last mile is in our DNA
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