When you have such a critical component as tyres, asking them to perform multiple primary roles is demanding compromise.
Every tyre manufacturer knows this and every tyre manufacturer does its best to ensure compromises are kept to a minimum – some manufacturers are more successful at this than others.
One such is Michelin, a tyre company which identifies 10 core elements for its total performance tyre range. These core elements are crucial when it comes to the development of any given tyre series as they form the pillars which Michelin’s engineers build on to enhance and improve that tyre series.
We are seeing how this works with the LTX All Terrain tyre which moves from the LTX Force to the new LTX Trail.
As the name implies, the LTX Trail is designed for vehicles which may find themselves on and off road, remembering that to get off-road, you generally spend a fair amount of time on-road, and this is often where All Terrain tyres fall short.
In the past, an all-terrain tyre like the LTX Force, would have a bias towards off-road conditions with the compromise being on-highway driveability, quietness, comfort, and longevity.
The LTX Trail builds on the off-road strength of the previous Force tyre but puts a great deal of attention on the on-road performance of the tyres which are well suited to utility vehicles and SUVs.
Accordingly, the LTX acquits itself brilliantly when it comes to inner city commuting, gives very good control on wet road surfaces , is good for conventional highway driving. It is also excellent in light off-road conditions and good when it comes to moderate off-road surfaces.
To claim better on-road performance, the all-terrain tyre must be able to contend with various road conditions, perhaps the most challenging being that of the glass-like surfaces of wet highways.
For the LTX Trail, the compound of the tyre and its scientifically engineered tread design has allowed independent testing to show that on half-worn tyres, the LTX Trail stops from 8-0 km/h to 0km/h 4.6 metres shorter than a premium competitor.
This also speaks to a central pillar of the Michelin improvement program summarised in the Michelin maxim of safe when new, safe when worn.
This means that your tyres are built to retain their effectiveness – across those 10 elements mentioned earlier – right through their lifespan, giving drivers confidence and peace of mind from when the tyres are first fitted, to when they come off for replacement.
As demonstration of the Total Performance Tyre promise of continual improvement based on what has gone before, there are various innovations which Michelin has engineered into the LTX Trail.
Contained with in the sidewall of the tyre for instance are fabrics which work harmoniously with the rubber compound to form a very strong but pliant sidewall construction.
At the same time, the visible ‘footprint’ of the tyre comprises three significant elements, including varied tread block design and structure to deliver on road performance in comfort (sound), grip and resilience.
In terms of on-road noise, Michelin’s Duo Harmony block design uses two different shapes of tread-block within a single strip which reduces road noise by up to 19.8 per cent (again, independently tested) by dispersing the noise energy across a wider spectrum, reducing the overall sound.
The LTX Trail also shows improved grip through its use of sipe technology. These small waffle-shaped ‘cuts’ in each tread block flex as the tyre rolls and form a massive amount of edge lines which is core to providing grip.
And with increased grip comes reduced longevity, correct? Nope. Totally false premise as Michelin can demonstrate with the LTX Trail.
Here is a tyre with significantly improved grip as determined by its stopping ability on wet surfaces and which can demonstrate – again through independent testing – an astonishing 41 per cent increase in longevity over its nearest competitor.
If that claim challenges you to go and find out more about the suitability of an LTX Trail tyre quartet for your ute or SUV, then call into your nearest Michelin dealer to find out the truth for yourself.
