The Thailand division of radial tyre pioneer Michelin has urged local truck and bus business operators to switch to radial tyres in the interest of safety, cost effectiveness and environmental benefits. The president of Michelin Siam Co. Ltd, Prayong Hirunyawanich said that although the company has sold radials in Thailand for 16 years, their sales are still overshadowed by those of conventional bias tyres. Statistics show that about 1.8 million tyres are fitted to trucks and buses every year, but only half a million – 28 per cent – of these are radials.

The use of radial tyres is low because consumers are not aware of the products and they are turned off by the initial 30-50 per cent higher price compared with bias tyres, says Netiphand Hutasingh, Michelin’s truck and bus marketing manager. “Most consumers first think about their spending if they switch to radial tyres but they do not really know the benefits they will receive from the products in the long run,” he commented.