MICHELIN ONLINE TIRE DIGEST OFFERS TIRE TIPS FOR HOT SUMMER

Dubai, 6th June 2016 - Michelin, the world’s tire technology leader, has created the online portal thetiredigest.michelin.com, which offers motorists useful tips on tire safety, maintenance and technology that are especially useful during the hot summer months. Targeting the everyday commuter, this site will go a long way in assisting motorists to learn more about tires.

“At Michelin, we care about giving people a better way forward, and we believe in taking care of our customers throughout the year. We would like to invite all to visit thetiredigest.michelin.com,” said Pierre Granzotto, General Manager for Passenger Cars and Vice President for Michelin AIM (Africa, India & Middle East). “It is essential to take care of your vehicle’s tires, especially during the summer months when the scorching degrees and high humidity can be taxing for the car, as well as its different components. Well maintained tires, a car’s only contact with the road, will improve motorists’ safety and help avoid any costly repairs.”

Here is a selection of a few useful tips that will help motorists stay safe while on the road during these hot summer months:

Regularly check the state of all four tires at the same time for signs of obvious damage or abnormal wear. Look for any visible signs of wear or damage, such as deep cracks, exposed cables, cuts or uneven wear of the tires. To check the remaining service life of the tires, you can use a tread depth gauge (available at any tire specialist), or rely on the wear indicators that most tires have. Regularly check the tread depth at several points on the tire and consult a specialist in case of doubt. The minimum legal tread depth required is 1.6 mm for passenger car tires.
Check the pressure of your tires at least once a month. Always check the pressure when the tires are “cold”, meaning the car hasn’t been driven for at least 2 hours or for not more than 3 km, in order to obtain the most precise measurement. If the pressure check happens when the tires are warm, then add 0.3 bar to the recommended level. The recommended inflation pressure can be located near the door latch on the driver's side, in the car’s manual, or on the inside of the fuel lid cover. Please carry out this check on all four tires, as well as the spare tire, if available.
Ensure that your wheels are properly balanced. If there is vibration through the steering wheel or through the vehicle body, the wheels could be incorrectly balanced. Please have them professionally balanced at a reputable dealer to avoid uneven and premature wear of tires and also reduce excessive stress on the suspension components.
Have the alignment of your wheels checked by a professional. It is important for the vehicle to have the correct wheel alignment. Very often, whenever the vehicle drives over a large object or hits a pothole or pavement, the wheels might get misaligned. This can affect the handling of the vehicle and will cause the tires to wear unevenly and prematurely.
Take your car to a reputable tire dealer for examination in case of a flat tire. He will be able to advise you if there is damage to the tire’s structure and if it is repairable or not.
Permutate your tires in accordance with the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation. By switching tires from the front to the rear (usually once every 5.000 km), wear is optimised over the four tires. This helps ensure equally balanced wear of all tires on the vehicle.
Keep an eye on the suspension. Old or worn shock absorbers can cause faster tire wear and impact vehicle handling.
Never overload your vehicle. Overloading increases tire wear and fuel consumption, adversely affects vehicle handling and stability, and increases the braking distance.

About Michelin

Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to sustainably improving the mobility of goods and people by manufacturing, distributing and marketing tires for every type of vehicle. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in more than 170 countries, has 112,300 employees and operates 68 production plants in 17 countries. The Group also has a Technology Center, responsible for research and development, with operations in Europe, North America and Asia (www.michelin.com).

Dubai is the regional headquarters for Michelin Africa, India & the Middle East (AIM). You can also connect with Michelin in the Middle East on www.facebook.com/MichelinArabia.

For press inquiries, please contact:

Majid Al Mahmoudi
External Communications Manager
Michelin Africa, India & the Middle East
T: 971 (0) 48 078 276
E: [email protected]