Product News

Michelin's Emission Reducing Tyre for new Vauxhall Insignia ecoFLEX
Marangoni Tyre Expands its Range of Winter Tyres

Michelin's Emission Reducing Tyre for new Vauxhall Insignia ecoFLEX

Michelin has developed a tyre - the highly energy-efficient Michelin Primacy HP - specifically for the new Insignia ecoFLEX. The tyre helps to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres, thereby lowering CO2 emissions by more than 4 grams per kilometre.

In this way, the tyre contributes to the Insignia ecoFLEX's excellent performance in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions - fewer than 140 grams per kilometre - on a 160-horsepower vehicle. As with all its tyres displaying the Green X marking, Michelin has met the challenge of increasing energy efficiency while improving other qualities such as grip and longevity.

Michelin has been involved in GM's development program since its inception and has set up a dedicated technical team for the Insignia project. The car manufacturer identified very early on the important contribution the tyre can make to a vehicle's environmental balance. Indeed, tyres account for 20% of total fuel consumption. With each turn of the wheel, the tyre compresses to hug the road and absorb surface irregularities. As its structure is deformed, the rubber heats up and some of the energy is lost, a phenomenon that creates rolling resistance.

In 1992, Michelin demonstrated that integrating silica in tyre rubber compounds would reduce fuel consumption while optimising performance in other key areas, such as grip and wear-resistance. Since the market launch of these first green tyres, Michelin has helped to generate fuel savings of more than 10 billion litres, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by 25 million tonnes.

Marangoni Tyre Expands its Range of Winter Tyres

Winter tyres are often mistakenly thought of as tyres that, like chains, are only fitted when expecting to travel on snow-covered roads. This attitude probably dates back to when they were still called "snow tyres", and had very deep treads to help rid the grooves of snow and ice. The current name "winter tyres", on the other hand, more appropriately underlines how modern winter tyres are designed for driving conditions when the outside temperature falls below 7°C, regardless of the road conditions: dry, wet or snow-covered.

Winter tyres are no longer just a requirement for a relatively limited number of drivers who live in or visit extreme areas, but rather an important safety feature for anyone who gets behind the wheel in the cold season. This evolution of the winter tyre is above all due to the development of compounds with advanced characteristics that guarantee better grip at low temperatures.

Marangoni Tyre has long been committed to the development of winter tyres, and has recently developed the SPE technology (Solid Particles Encapsulation), which improves performance by encapsulating billions of sodium-based microcrystals in the compound; these microcrystals separate in a controlled manner to create microscopic holes that accommodate the snow, improving grip, traction and control under braking and acceleration. Benefiting from this new technology, developed by the Marangoni Research & Development centre and tested at the World Test Center in Ivalo, Finland, is above all the 2009 winter range, which includes two brand-new models, the 4Winter for middle segment cars, and the 4ICE E+ studdable tyres, as well as the already famed Meteo HP high performance tyre, now available in a series of new sizes.

Marangoni 4Winter: a winter tyre for small and compact cars

Developed for small A-segment cars, such as the Citroen C1, Opel Agila, Suzuki Splash and Toyota Aygo, and compact B-segment cars such as the Citroen C3, Ford Ka, Peugeot 107, Renault Clio and VW Lupo, the new Marangoni 4Winter tyre stands out above all for the new directional tread pattern, featuring three wide longitudinal grooves, and the optimised sequence of side blocks, which means very low noise both in the wet and in the dry.

Marangoni 4Winter will initially be sold in 9 different sizes (five of which are available immediately) for 14- and 15-inch wheels.

Marangoni 4ICE E+: studdable for harsh climates

The other new addition to the Marangoni 2009 range is the 4ICE E+ studdable winter tyre, designed specifically for typical northern climates, ensuring maximum driving safety even in the worst weather conditions. Featuring a directional tread pattern with exclusive dovetail siping that means perfect traction in every situation, the Marangoni 4ICE E+ guarantees maximum grip on icy roads and maximum stability on snow-covered surfaces, even at very low temperatures. The range includes 7 different sizes, for 14-, 15- and 16-inch wheels.

Meteo HP: new sizes for a cold season "classic"

The Meteo HP high performance winter tyre is a "classic" in the Marangoni Tyre product range, and in recent years has continued to gain share on the European replacement tyre market, due to its high and constant efficiency across an exceptionally wide range of temperatures for a winter tyre. The asymmetrical tread features four deep longitudinal grooves and dense variable-angle siping for maximum grip on tricky surfaces.

The Marangoni Meteo HP is designed to ensure efficiency on any type of road surface, especially on snowy and icy ground, yet at the same time can comfortably cope with high speed motorway journeys (up to speed rating V). It is thus a complete and extremely safe winter tyre, specifically designed for sporting cars, large sedans and station wagons, where performance, weight and size make large rims necessary (up to 18"). With the 2009 range, the Meteo HP now includes two new sizes (225/40 R18 and 215/60 R16), bringing the total number of sizes available to 20: from the 195/55 R15 to the 225/40R18.