German motoring association ADAC has evaluated tyre abrasion, and the results show that Michelin products performed particularly well. The tyre maker comments that these results “illustrate the innovative efforts made by Michelin to offer tyres that perform throughout their lives, combining excellent lifespan, reduced particle emissions, and minimum raw material consumption.”
The FIA and FIA Foundation-sponsored study of 160 tyre models, covering multiple brands, demonstrated that Michelin tyres emitted 26 per cent less particles than the premium competitor average. This result backs up a previous, 2021-published test that showed Michelin tyres emitted 28 per cent less particles than the average for premium tyres. Michelin’s closest competitor emitted 20 per cent more particles per kilometre driven and per tonne transported.
Tyre abrasion a Euro 7 target
Road transport generates around half a million tonnes of tyre wear and roadway particles in Europe during the course of a year. The Euro 7 standard, which will likely apply from late 2026, includes the measurement of global wear particle emissions for all tyres sold in Europe. Tyres that do not meet Euro 7 standard will be excluded from the region’s markets.
Michelin reports that it has “committed to understanding and reducing tyre abrasion for almost 20 years.” This commitment has allowed for developing innovations that reduced the wear emissions from its tyres by five per cent between 2015 and 2020 – the equivalent of 100,000 tonnes of particles that have not been released. The company invested 786 million euros in research and development last year, and progress made on reducing abrasion particles and saving raw materials can be seen in the latest Michelin products: The Michelin Primacy 5 reduces particle emissions by 14 per cent compared to the Primacy 4+; the all-new Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport reduces particle emissions by 23 per cent compared to the Pilot Sport 5, the Michelin summer tyre in the same category.
