Michelin's Performance Shines in All Weather Conditions

GREENVILLE, S.C., June 7 -- Regardless of the weather, drivers can celebrate Michelin's Year of Performance every day thanks to the outstanding all-around prowess of the new Michelin(R) Pilot(R) XGT(R) Z4 all-season high-performance tire.

The Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 tire features three large circumferential grooves that promote efficient water evacuation from the contact patch and reduce water in the critical center area. The result is improved resistance to hydroplaning while maintaining exceptional dry weather performance.

Launched in conjunction with the Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Exalto(R) PE2(TM) today, both new tires incorporate the latest benefits from Michelin's relentless research into tire performance.

The design of the Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 tire's outer sipes feature a vertical zig-zag pattern which interlock in dry cornering to enhance cornering power and steering feel. The sipes retain their structural rigidity to minimize tread squirm. This differs from traditional tires that have sipes in the outer tread pattern that go straight from the surface of the tire to the bottom of the grooves.

The Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 tire is available now in 11 sizes with rim diameters ranging from 16- to 18-inches.

The new tire is the third new ultra high performance product to be introduced by Michelin this year in North America. Michelin's Year of Performance also has included the introduction of the Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Sport PS2(TM) tire (launched in February) and the Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Exalto PE2(TM).

"Michelin's new high performance range has been developed from hundreds of hours of research and thousands of testing miles at our proving grounds around the world," said Sheryl Henderson, director, Michelin brand, Michelin Americas Small Tires. "Those efforts as well as experience we have gained by participating in some of the world's toughest motorsports series have helped us develop performance products that satisfy consumer demands for exceptional driving experiences in dry, wet or wintry conditions."

Lessons learned from Michelin's commitment to international motorsports have helped develop the high modulus undertread. This complements the tread compound by maintaining tread block stability, greatly enhancing grip and steering response.

Driver comfort has also been a key factor in the development of the new tire. Tire casing plies wrap the bead in opposite directions to combine good ride compliance with responsive steering and handing.

Additional features of the Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 tire include:

-- Radically angled, variable-width lateral grooves accelerate water ejection from the contact patch for better overall wet traction. The angles of the groove also reduce tread noise.

-- Size-Optimized BAZ Technology (spiral-wrapped nylon Banded At Zero degrees to the tire's rotation) helps control tire shape and handling characteristics by resisting high-speed centrifugal deformation.

Michelin's commitment to providing high-performance products for all weather conditions will continue in September when the Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Alpin(R) PA2(TM) tire becomes available.

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 Inc. (http://www.michelinman.com/ ) employs 23,920 and operates 21 plants in 17 locations.