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.