Why Michelin EV Tires Offer a Great Balance of Factors

Nearly every hobby in the world has a joke that goes something like this, borrowed from motorsport: Fast, reliable, cheap; pick any two. The same concept applies to the art and science of tire construction—a game that Michelin has been a leading player in for more than a century. Instead of speed, reliability, and affordability, however, three of the big countervailing concerns of electric vehicle tire construction are range, performance, and noise.

Unlike the hybrids and EVs of a decade ago, today's electric cars aren't exclusively eco-focused efficiency specials; more often than not, in fact, today's EVs are high-performance vehicles, ready to slingshot toward the horizon to 60 mph in three or four seconds—or less. But range is still a primary concern for most electric vehicle buyers, even at the high-performance end of the spectrum, which means tire makers like Michelin can't simply throw range considerations out the window in the name of performance.

How Noisy Should Your EV Tires Be?

But even assuming you've nailed a great balance between performance and efficiency, there's still the gremlin of tire noise to worry about. Tire tread and road noise have a direct impact on the noise a tire makes, which is then transmitted into the cabin—that's why you can often hear a vehicle equipped with knobby off-road tires driving on the highway from a considerable distance. Tread type isn't the only influence on tire noise, however. The cavity inside the tire can also be a place where unpleasant or loud noises and harmonics are apt to develop. Accordingly, the construction of the tire itself can also play a role in the sounds generated by the tread and the cavity. The whole tire system interacts with the wheel, the suspension and all of its bushings, and the vehicle body itself to produce the overall road noise profile for a given EV.

Depending on the interplay of all these different factors, not every EV tire needs or uses acoustic reducing foam inside the tire cavity, but some do. Acoustic reducing foam is exactly what it sounds like, a sound-absorbing foam inside the tire that helps to mitigate the noises that emanate from within the tire.

It's worth keeping the acoustic reducing foam treatment in mind when contemplating a switch from the original equipment tires on your EV, as Russell Shepherd, technical communications director for Michelin North America, Inc., points out. "If you leave the OE (original equipment) fitment and go to our aftermarket fitment, you may not have that cavity noise. There are a few exceptions; in some cases it's not a big deal."

Tire noise also depends on the types of surfaces you drive on. "If you don't normally drive a route that has a lot of [terrain that generates] cavity noise, concrete joints and that sort of thing, you're not going to notice the difference" between a tire with the acoustic foam inside and one without, as Shepherd also pointed out. Of course, the inverse can also be true: If you do regularly drive a route that generates lots of tire cavity noise, an EV tire with acoustic reducing foam to damp the noise may be a welcome respite from some of the more tiring auditory aspects of your commute.

Achieving a Balance is Tricky

If it sounds like it might be exceptionally difficult to balance all of these factors to create a high-performing tire that's both efficient and relatively quiet, then it's clear you're paying attention. But despite the difficulty, regularly succeeds in doing exactly that, not because of some magic tire compound formula (although that certainly helps on occasion) but because of the company's vast and enduring institutional knowledge, built over more than a century of tire-making excellence.

Founded in 1889 by brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, France, the Michelin brand has since grown from its birth in bicycle tires—including a patent for the first removable pneumatic tire—into one of the largest tire manufacturers on earth, along the way developing a deep history in motorsport, commercial, and consumer tires.

"Michelin was the original tire manufacturer for Formula E [an all-electric powered Formula 1-style racing series], so we've got this experience, we love racing," explained Shepherd. "It's perfect for us, we've got decades of experience in low rolling resistance, long-wearing tires, and this passion for racing. And all those have come together and really left us well positioned for electric vehicles."

Just look at the roster of electric vehicles that come from the factory wearing custom MICHELIN® tires; it's heavily populated by high-performance EVs from the Porsche Taycan to the Tesla Model S Plaid to the Mustang Mach-E.

Even so, mixed in among the majority of MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport series tires offered as OE EV equipment are a handful of all-season and MICHELIN® Energy Saver™ tires that trade back some grip for better year-round performance or better commuting efficiency.

Therein lies one of Michelin's greatest strengths as an EV tire maker: Thanks to its deep well of research and development, Michelin knows how to customize an EV tire to suit not just the car, but the buyer as well, and accordingly makes a wide array of tire types for electric cars. Additionally, regardless of whether the tire comes on your EV off the showroom floor or if you choose a replacement tire, if they're MICHELIN® tires, you know they've been engineered to outlast the competition.

While there are a handful of things to look out for when shopping for new EV tires, if the tires your new Tesla or Porsche or Polestar came with (that is, if they didn't come equipped with MICHELIN® tires to start) don't offer enough of what you're after, whether that's grip, range, or quietness, the chances are good there's a MICHELIN® tire that will fit your car while striking a balance that's closer to your preferences.

Looking for a new set of EV tires?Then be sure to head over to Michelin's EV tires shopping toolto browse for a set of MICHELIN® tiresthat suit your needs.

(THIS STORY WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MICHELIN)