• Auto123 tests out Michelin's new Pilot Sport 4 and Sport 4 AS tires.
Sonoma, CA - In mid-March, French tire manufacturer Michelin held a media conference at the Sonoma racetrack in California. The purpose of the Michelin Sustainability Summit was to unveil the company's latest program to promote the environment and sustainability.
Part of the day was spent in the conference room with the multiple VPs of the North American division, as well as President Alexis Garcin. Afterwards, it was on to the track se we could experience the first products to emerge from this orientation, namely performance tires and prototypes dedicated to electric cars.
See also: The Best Summer and All-Season Tires for Electric Cars in 2023
The realities of electric vehicles
Michelin's representatives explained it well. With the current and upcoming new generations of electric cars, SUVs and trucks, manufacturers will have to deal with the extra weight of batteries, the higher torque of electric motors and the silence of the drive train, which will require more silence from tires when they come into contact with the ground.
With all these demands, it will be some time before designers arrive at ideal solutions across the board. But for the time being, Michelin - the company responsible for so many innovations, including the radial carcass tire, low rolling resistance tires and the famous Tweel airless tire - is starting to offer tires designed specifically for electric vehicles, but which can also be used on conventional vehicles.
The presentation included a discussion of the 200 or so "ingredients" or materials used in tire composition. However, when asked what "changes" had been made to the casings or construction of the new EV tires, Michelin was discreet. We were repeatedly told that technology is always evolving.
On the track
The afternoon was spent on the track, where Michelin had prepared a group of luxury and performance cars, equipped with the brand’s first tires featuring EV technology, the Pilot Sport 4 and Pilot Sport 4 AS. Models used for the exercise included the Porsche Taycan, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Genesis GV70 Electrified.
In addition, there were two Ford Explorers fitted with Primacy A/S tires, which, according to the technicians, are experimental products to be used to evaluate their behavior on vehicles powered by gasoline engines.
The instructors' role was to lead each group through three laps, including the two sports cars followed by the SUVs. Of course, despite the speed, the instructors had to encourage us to keep to a reasonable pace.
Primacy first
Following the recommendation of the instructors and technicians, I chose to start the session at the wheel of one of the two Ford Explorers. My role was to evaluate the experimental Primacy tires while trying to keep up with the pace set by the higher-performance cars.
Bearing in mind that these were experimental tires, I attacked the circuit following the faster cars. On the first lap, the lead instructor took into account the handicap presented by the SUVs. However, he was driving fast enough for me to see that these more modestly built and more common Michelin tires could keep up with the group. The instructor, behind the wheel of his Tesla, picked up the pace.
Despite the weight of the Ford SUV and its more modest mechanics, the Explorer still allowed me to keep up with the small group of sports cars. Of course, the Primacy tires screamed in the corners, but at no time did they give me the impression they were going to let me down. I have a feeling that these Michelin tires won't remain at the prototype stage for long.
Pilot Sport 4 on the Porsche Taycan
After the laps behind the wheel of the Explorer, I took the wheel of a Porsche Taycan, fitted with Pilot Sport 4s, which are intended to be the original factory tires on such a car.
It didn't take long for me to get a taste for the speed this Michelin could allow me on the track. The Taycan, so refined in terms of handling, just begs to go faster and faster. Despite the demanding nature of the circuit, the Michelin tires didn't scream at all, indicating that the tires were far from being at the limit of their grip. In fact, they helped control the car.
Pilot Sport 4 A/S on the Mercedes-Benz EQS
The other EV tire already in production at Michelin is the all-season (but not all-conditions) version of the Pilot Sport 4, and it was mounted on Mercedes-Benz EQS sedans. Now, the EQS sedan isn't a sports car like the Taycan, but it nonetheless boasts more than respectable handling and road manners.
On the track, still following the instructor and, this time, the Porsche, the EQS compelled me to drive at higher revs. There were no more Explorers in our group, which loosed the instructor to pick up the pace. So I accelerated to keep up with the instructor's Porsche and Tesla and, once again, found that the tire was doing its job very well.
However, when used with the sedan, the Michelin tires began to whine - very quietly - in the sharp corners. Despite this, the car responded well to this kind of exercise. I even pushed things a little more in the S-curves, riding the vibrators with a bit of arrogance at every turn... and trusting the Michelins.
A Lucid ride
Near the end of the day, Michelin offered us other vehicles, including a new Lucid Air Sapphire sedan with three electric motors (1,234 hp) and all-wheel drive. Unfortunately, Lucid's management didn't want us to drive the car, instead entrusting the steering wheel to one of their representatives. Naturally, the car was equipped with Pilot Sport 4 EV tires.
The test driver pushed the car to the limit, inducing intentional skids to demonstrate not only the amazing power of the Lucid, but also that Michelin is capable of keeping pace... right up to its limit.
At the end of the program, Michelin, in collaboration with Daimler Trucks, gave us the opportunity us to drive an all-electric Freightliner tractor equipped with highway tires, also labelled "EV" (Electric Vehicle).
For the moment, nothing was forthcoming from our hosts regarding the prices of these Michelin tires, nor when its full range of products will be available in EV versions. But we can be sure that the company's laboratories won’t be idle in the coming months and years.