Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Redefines All-Season Performance; New Ultra-High Performance Tire Delivers Year Round Driving Without Compromise

    GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 4 The latest Z-rated addition to
Michelin's Pilot line completely redefines the all-season performance tire
category.  With the exact placement of weather taming compounds, the Michelin
Pilot Sport A/S allows drivers to push their ultra-high performance vehicle
harder in virtually any weather condition without compromise.
    "This is a true breakthrough in tire technology," says Michelin Brand
Manager David Jones.  "Michelin's unique C3M manufacturing process allows us
to precisely place three different rubber compounds across the tread --
something only Michelin can do.  Each of those compounds delivers a different
kind of performance, insuring the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S can keep pace with
the best summer tires and still deliver confident performance in rain and
snowy conditions."
    The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S sets the standard for enthusiast driving in
wet and winter conditions without any sacrifice of dry performance.  It's like
having three tires in one.  For wet traction, stability and stopping, the
center rib of the tire contains 100 percent silica, the agent commonly found
in rain tires.  Winter weather and cold temperatures are matched with a
softer, yet durable rubber compound on each side of the center rib.  And for
the ultimate in performance driving, the tire's shoulder contains a carbon
black compound to crisply navigate through corners and turns.
    Beyond the innovative tread, the C3M manufacturing process allows
components beneath the rubber to be woven in with pinpoint precision.  This
permits belts, cords and super-strong Kevlar(R) reinforcements -- the same
high strength material used in the design of Michelin's Formula One
racing tires -- to be placed at performance-specific angles to control the
shape of the tire while its in motion -- a critical factor in performance.
    "Every aspect of this tire is designed for maximum performance," comments
Michelin Design Engineer Dan Osborne.  "From the multiple zero-degree belts,
to open belt angles, to proprietary rubber compounds around the bead and
across the tread -- we've combined all-season performance with summer max
handling, wet and dry, in a way that has been impossible until now.  The
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S has it all."
    The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S will be available nationwide beginning
September 2001.  Offered in 36 sizes for a wide range of domestic and import
performance vehicles, the Pilot Sport A/S represents Michelin innovation at
its finest.  To learn more about the Pilot Sport A/S or Michelin's complete
line of performance tires, visit the website at http://www.michelin.com.
    The winner of 28 J.D. Power Awards for Customer Satisfaction, Michelin
manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes,
automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks,
motorcycles and the space shuttle.  The company also publishes travel guides,
maps and atlases covering Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs 26,500 and
operates 23 plants in 19 locations.

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