New Michelin Pilot Sport 3 Tyre Aims to Take Driving Enjoyment up a Gear

Yesterday Michelin launched the latest generation of its Pilot Sport family of high performance tyres. According to the company, the new tyre maintains all the the dry handling and high speed performance benefits of its predecessor with marked improvements in wear life (10 per cent longer); rolling resistance (10 per cent less) and wet stopping distances. In fact, the French tyre manufacturer claims to have improved the latter so much that it now stops three metres shorter than its closest competitor in the wet.

During the launch presentation passenger car marketing director, Gary Guthrie, explained the concept behind the new product. The Pilot Spot 3 is said to be designed to take “the enjoyment of driving to the next level” through improved steering sensitivity and precision. According to Guthrie, what is revolutionary about the tyre is that is does this while also reducing rolling resistance and therefore fuel consumption, which itself has a positive affect on carbon emissions. Guthrie calls this “pleasure with responsibility,” which in the case of the sports-orientated Pilot Sport 3 can also be described as “adrenaline without the downside.

The tyre was launched globally yesterday, with initial stock orders already in place in the UK and the other main European markets. This means the new 16 to 19-inch, 195 to 285 width tyres will begin being fitted to cars around the world in the next few weeks. While the tyres have been simultaneously been launched in Europe, The Americas and the Africa/Middle East and Chinese/Asia Pacific markets, Europe and the Americas are likely to account for most of the tyres sales. The new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 is expected to retail at comparable prices to its predecessor, the Pilot Sport 2.