Michelin: Labelling helps motorists, but let's raise standards further

With the formal introduction of tyre labelling upon us, it is no surprise that the nation's leading tyre manufacturers are seeking to raise the profile of the label and what it means. According to Michelin, the primary strength of tyre labelling is that it has been introduced to enable motorists to make an informed decision about their tyre choice. But the leading tyre maker also looks forward to a tightening of the rules and a further raising of standards. One particular request is to include mileage/tread wear on future labels.

Eric Le Corre, managing director of Michelin Tyre PLC explained: “A tyre’s performance is a contributing factor to road safety and the environmental impact of road transport. However, not all tyres offer the same performance. Just to put the differences into context, a braking distance can be 30 per cent shorter between the best and worst class of tyres – this is the equivalent of 18 metres (at 50mph) or the length of four cars. Furthermore, and perhaps of most interest to motorists, there can be a loss of fuel economy of as much as 7.5 per cent between the best and worst rated tyres. This equates to just over £200 in fuel saving over the lifetime of the tyre and at a time when prices at the pumps are at an all-time high, this represents a significant saving in running costs.

“However, we do believe that the labelling could go further in terms of including guidance on the tyre’s durability to give an indication of how long it should last. This is because there appears to be a discerning trend in cars failing their MOT due to tyres being worn below the legal tread and of course, tread depth below the legal limit of 1.6mm can have a serious impact on the vehicle’s safety.  When only a small fraction of the tyre’ overall surface area makes contact with the road, it’s vital that the tyre is at its optimum.”