Michelin presented its ‘Selfseal technology’ at Michelin Challenge Bibendum, Tyrepress reported.
With the use of a rubber compound, the technology immediately plugs holes in the tread.
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The company plans to launch tyres featuring Selfseal technology in 2015. These tyres will be available for light commercial vehicles and passenger cars.
Michelin plans to target Selfseal at emerging markets such as Southeast Asian countries, where on average tyres puncture once every 3,000 kilometres, compared to European countries, where punctures occurs once every 75,000 kilometres.
The company said that given the tremendous growth in the number of cars on the road in China, the relevance of such an innovation is immediately clear. China also sees large numbers of punctures due to construction industry debris, such as nails, on roads.
Some reports suggest that Michelin expects its self-sealing innerliner technology to eventually become standard on all tyres.
Among the changes Michelin sees would removing the need for a spare tyre or tyre-changing equipment on board a car. The development guards against pressure loss in about 85 percent of situations, primarily those that affect the crown area.
Michelin is said to be evaluating how best to present the benefits of the technology and how to estimate the value to consumers and OE customers.
