Michelin North America has announced the launch of its new Agilis CrossClimate tire, targeting commercial fleets and small business owners.
Michelin has created the new tire to specifically fit ¾- and 1-ton pick-up trucks and vans used in commercial applications, as well as for European vans that are currently popular in the North American market.
The target vehicles are generally being used in the following applications:
- Local and parcel delivery fleets
- Food and beverage, and temperature-controlled vehicles
- Telecom and utility fleets
- Trades, including landscaping, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, pest control and other trade fleets
The new tire will be available in 16 light-truck (LT) sizes from April 1 for passenger-vehicle platforms, including the Ford F-Series, Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Express, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram 2500 and Mercedes Sprinter. The company offers five C-Metric sizes for lighter-duty commercial vehicles too, such as the Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster and Nissan NV200.
Aimed at addressing the wide-ranging demand for these fleet vehicles in last-mile delivery and urban or suburban commercial uses, Michelin’s Agilis CrossClimate comes with the following benefits:
- Focus on durability over extended mileage
- Towing and hauling heavy loads with ease
- Better protection from impacts, punctures and aggressions
- All-weather (or all-season) performance for adverse work conditions throughout the year, including wet braking in high-stress applications
“Today’s local fleets demand a product to meet their specific commercial needs, and the Agilis CrossClimate tire is our most durable tire for heavy-duty light trucks and for lighter commercial applications,” says Adam Murphy, Vice President of B2B Marketing for Michelin. “Through engineering and innovation, Michelin has developed a tire that lasts longer under heavy loads, and also offers shorter wet-stopping distances and better snow traction than other leading competitive commercial tires.”
Michelin has designed its Agilis CrossClimate tire with multiple innovations.
MaxPressure Profile: This feature is designed to help optimize the tire footprint to offer better wear life under high pressure, heavy loads, high torque and stop-and-go driving.
Besides providing considerably cooler operating temperatures under full loads and at high speeds, the tires StabiliBlok design offers wider and longer tread blocks that resist extreme torque. In a release by the company, Michelin asserts that its Agilis CrossClimate LT-metric tire has lasted up to 19% longer under heavy loads when pitted against its three leading competitors’ comparable commercial tires.
The biting edges provided by SipeLock deliver better wet and snow traction without compromising on tread-block stability. Michelin’s Agilis CrossClimate C-metric tire and LT-metric tire stopped have performed well on wet pavement against competitors, stopping up to 24 feet shorter and 21 feet shorter respectively. Michelin asserts that its tire performed well against lead competitors on snow-covered roads as well, demonstrating better snow traction.
The tire is equipped with CurbGard sidewall protectors that help resist curb scrubbing in urban environments. For better sidewall strength and durability, the tire comes with twice as much nylon reinforcement as Michelin Defender LTX M/S.
A directional tread design is used on the C-Metric tire and the LT-metric features a non-directional tread pattern.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association has designated the Agilis CrossClimate as a “Three Peak Mountain Snowflake” (3PMSF) tire. Besides complying with the requirements of the tire industry for severe snow service, Michelin has engineered the tire to be a one-tire solution for drivers in climate zones with significant seasonal temperature changes.
