J.D. Power Press Release: Michelin and Pirelli are Favorite Tires

08/23/96

Michelin and Pirelli are Top Tire Brands in J.D. Power and Associates
Study on OE Tires


AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Aug. 19 -- Results of J.D. Power
and Associates Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study(SM)
announced today, places Michelin and Pirelli in a tie for Best
Passenger Vehicle Tires.  In addition, Michelin stands alone as top
Light Truck Tire in the study that reports on how consumers feel about
the original equipment tires (OE) on their one-year-old vehicles.
Study results are based on the opinions of more than 15,000 consumers
who respond to questions concerning brand awareness, loyalty, product
quality and performance.

The passenger vehicle tire category includes both cars and compact
vans.  These vehicles typically cater to smooth rides and extended
trips.  For the first time in the eight-year history of the study, two
tire manufacturers tie for the "Best Overall" position.  Both brands
typically do well in this segment and have individually received
honors in previous years.  A stellar performance is also exhibited by
Continental Tire which ranks third.  (The company was not ranked in
the 1995 study due to an insufficient sample size.)  BFGoodrich
follows Continental in the ranking.  Overall, 12 tire brands are
ranked in this year's OE study of passenger tires.

The Light Truck category is comprised of compact and full-size sport
utility vehicles and pickup truck as well as full-size vans.  These
vehicles are grouped together because of their more heavy-duty
requirements such as towing heavy loads and occasional off-road
performance.  Michelin also receives top honors in this category,
moving up from second place last year.  (Last year's awardee,
Yokohama, is not ranked this year due to an insufficient sample size.)
Bridgestone follows in second place, only one point behind Michelin.
Firestone and Goodyear round out those above the industry average in
third and fourth place, respectively.

"The performance of original equipment tires is critical," commented
Lee Nauert, Manager of Tire Research at J.D. Power and Associates.
"Over 70 percent of consumers agree that the tire brand on their new
cars and light trucks is very important.  Almost ten percent of
consumers replace an average of two original equipment tires in the
first year, at an estimated cost of more than $160 million.  These
tires are replaced primarily for road hazard and wear.  Roughly 40
percent of the consumers replacing these tires switch brands --
looking for better performance in longer mileage, traction, and
handling characteristics."

Owners of basic-large and luxury automobiles receive the highest tire
satisfaction, particularly in the areas of safety, style, ride, and
wearability of their tires.  Many of these are older respondents, who
may remember tires that did not perform nearly as well as today's
higher-tech lines.

The lowest satisfaction is recorded by owners of compact cars and
full- size pickup trucks.  Vehicles that sport the most satisfying
original equipment tires are, in alphabetical order: Acura, Buick,
BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Jaguar, Lexus, Land Rover, Lincoln, and
Mercedes-Benz.

The annual J.D. Power and Associates Original Equipment Tire
Satisfaction Study(SM) provides a nationally representative sample of
owners and lessees of all makes and models of 1995 passenger cars,
vans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold in the U.S.  The
study is funded entirely by J.D. Power and Associates to provide a
comprehensive and independent perspective of the tire industry.  The
study features six performance measures: product quality, wearability,
safety-traction, special traction, ride, and styling.  A total 15,347
respondents participated in the study.

J.D. Power and Associates is an international marketing information
firm with headquarters in Agoura Hills, California and offices in
Detroit, Michigan; Westport, Connecticut; Torrance, California;
Toronto, Canada; London, England; Tokyo, Japan; and Seoul, Korea.
J.D. Power and Associates is best known for marketing information,
consulting and measurement expertise in the areas of consumer opinion
and customer satisfaction.  J.D. Power and Associates can be accessed
through the World Wide Web at http://www.jdpower.com.  Email:
info@jdpower.com.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information
in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without
the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates.