More useful for the general consumer would be the holy grail of tire maintenance -- a system that will vehicle occupants to check pressure and to inflate/deflate tire pressure to adapt to road conditions. This already exists in some niche vehicles, but it is not slick or sophisticated enough for consumer applications yet, though Michelin hopes to make it so.
On the safety front, Miraton said that Michelin is also working on technologies that would help vehicles stop in a shorter distance, and is having some success with that. Indeed, the company hopes to release a tire for large work trucks in the near future that would shorten their stopping distance by 20 to 30 percent.
The immediate of that will be most visible to average consumers when one of those big work trucks is trying to come to a stop behind them in their compact car.
There are also run-flats that work almost as well flat as they do when inflated and don't require a spare, and there will be more improvement there.
Beyond that there might be the tire without rubber that Michelin introduced at the Detroit auto show (the Tweel) and who knows what else?
If this all works out, Michelin will probably have to consider a new Latin phrase: "Nulli secundus."
On the safety front, Miraton said that Michelin is also working on technologies that would help vehicles stop in a shorter distance, and is having some success with that. Indeed, the company hopes to release a tire for large work trucks in the near future that would shorten their stopping distance by 20 to 30 percent.
The immediate of that will be most visible to average consumers when one of those big work trucks is trying to come to a stop behind them in their compact car.
There are also run-flats that work almost as well flat as they do when inflated and don't require a spare, and there will be more improvement there.
Beyond that there might be the tire without rubber that Michelin introduced at the Detroit auto show (the Tweel) and who knows what else?
If this all works out, Michelin will probably have to consider a new Latin phrase: "Nulli secundus."