Michelin slams 'unacceptable' lobbying for tougher tread-depth rules

PARIS (Sept. 29, 2016) — Group Michelin has expressed strong opposition to what it calls lobbying for tires to be replaced as soon as the tread depth reaches 3 to 4 millimeters, arguing that to do so would impact consumers negatively and create an environmental problem with no improvement in safety.

In a statement released at the Paris Auto Salon Sept. 29, the French tire-maker said the current legal limit of 1.6 mm (1/16th inch) was “perfectly suited to the challenges of modern motoring.”

In terms of safety there has been no statistics to link an increase in the number of accidents and the fact that the tire tread was less than 4 mm deep, Michelin said.

Current legislation, it noted, dates back to 1989 and was based on performance levels at the time.

“In view of the progress made in the tire world, the majority of products on the market today are logically superior,” the company added.

Braking distances depend on a wide range of factors, Michelin said, noting that braking systems, ABS sensors, road surface texture, weather (humidity and temperature), tire pressure and temperature, and the driver's actions all play a significant part alongside the tire's intrinsic qualities.

Replacing tires as soon as the tread depth reaches 3 or 4 mm would mean more frequent changes — roughly equal to an extra tire per car every two years — which in turn would increase costs significantly for motorists.

The practice is “unacceptable” as recent advances in the industry are aimed at reducing the cost of driving for consumers, Michelin said.

Additionally, early disposal of tires would lead to more waste and impact the environment.

“Tires should be replaced as late as possible to avoid overconsumption of raw materials and the energy used in manufacturing them,” it added.

Another factor is rolling resistance, which accounts for 20 percent of a car's fuel consumption and improves as the tire wears down.  Thus replacing tires prematurely would see annual fuel consumption rise by an estimated 237 million gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 3 million metric tons.

Michelin also pointed out that recycling, which is energy-intensive, would lower the overall sustainability performance of the tire industry.

“Increasing the legal minimum tread depth Europe-wide from 1.6mm to 3mm would amount to 1.5 million tons of raw materials wasted annually,” Michelin said, “equating to an energy demand of 290 million tons of crude oil,…(or) more than the annual production of Mexico and Venezuela combined.”