Michelin Agilis 3 on sale in April

The new Michelin Agilis 3 summer tyre will go on sale this April. The newest member of Michelin’s light commercial vehicle tyre family will initially be available in a choice of 12 sizes. A further 12 sizes will be available in Europe by July 2020 to cover 75 per cent of the market, Michelin said.

The Agilis 3, which is the successor of the Agilis +, has reduced rolling resistance, CO2 emissions, fuel consumption as well as improved performance in wet conditions and an increased lifespan.

The tyres that make up the new Michelin Agilis 3 range weigh one kilo less than their corresponding predecessor, and Michein says that the difference is even as high as 1.7kg in the case of certain sizes. Fewer raw materials and natural resources are consequently required for their manufacture and the amount of waste that needs to be recycled is reduced.

According to the results of in-house tests carried out by Michelin, this new LCV tyre curbs CO2 emissions by 100kg on average over a distance of 20,000km.

The new tyre is A-graded for braking performance in wet conditions when new (in-line with European labelling legislation), but Michelin says it continues to perform in this domain even when worn, with results that are superior to the safety threshold legislation required for new tyres.

This achievement was made possible thanks to the use of EverGrip technologies, notably:

• An innovative rubber compound featuring an optimised dosage of carbon black and silica which contributes to the tyre’s safety and wet-weather braking performance throughout its working life.
• A new tread pattern, featuring:

1. Deep grooves: flexible tread blocks for superior vehicle handling on wet roads.
2. U shaped grooves: more vertically-sided tread blocks for a higher land-to-sea ratio at a tread-depth of 2mm to favour efficient water clearance all the way down to the TWI (tread wear indicator).

The Michelin Agilis 3 delivers long life and robustness thanks to two technologies developed for truck tyres which Michelin has carried over to a light commercial vehicle tyre for the first time:

• A rubber compound with superior resistance to abrasion
• A patented technology which combats stones becoming wedged in the tread

For even greater safety, Michelin has employed the same sidewall protection solution first seen on the Agilis CrossClimate, namely an additional layer that shields the tyre from scrubbing.