 |
|
The first “low profile” tyre
The invention of the TRX by MICHELIN in 1975 permitted a more even distribution of tension in the whole tyre casing, which is where the name of TR standing for Tension Répartie (“distributed tension”) comes from. The TRX won renown in Formula 1 racing with Renault and Prost and in the world rally championship on the Audi Quattro, 205 Turbo 16 and R5 Turbo. |
|
 Printable version
Send to a friend
|
| |
The result of extensive research…
For the first time, the tyre and its rim complemented one another perfectly, working as a single unit. The rim underwent a fundamental transformation, the essential characteristic of which was a flatter, lower flange. This new design of the rim and tyre bead resulted in a gradual curvature of the casing, without the “S” shaped flexing inherent in traditional designs.
…for real directional control
Thanks to this innovative construction, the TRX tyre offers better directional stability and makes a great contribution to the active safety of the vehicle, thanks to its exceptional handling close to the limit, especially when cornering.
- remarkable grip thanks to the ideal distribution of pressure in the contact patch.
- excellent comfort due to the increased useful flexing zone
- New look to the tyre/wheel assembly and the heavily sculpted tread pattern.
| |  |
|
| |
The Era of Car Safety.
The 70’s saw the dawn of increased awareness of the importance of vehicle safety. In many countries it became compulsory to wear seat belts and speed limits were introduced on main roads and motorways.
For the tyre, this led to improvements in grip, more precise steering, increased stability and better levels of comfort, thus avoiding excessive driver fatigue on long journeys.
This decade witnessed the advent of high performance vehicles capable of covering hundreds of miles in one go, with exceptional levels of safety and comfort, such as the BMW 7 series (1977), 5 and 3 series which followed the same trend, CX 2400 GTI (1977), 604 (1975), R30…
Sports cars also benefited from this progress. Examples were the Ferrari 308 GTS and GTB (1977) and 512 BB (1976), Alpine A310 V6 (1976), Renault 5 Turbo (1979), M 635 (1984), 205 Turbo16 (1985)…
All these cars (and many others) had the Michelin TRX fitted as original equipment, and still can today, with a tyre true to that era, but manufactured using today’s techniques and materials. | |  |
|
| |
|
|
|
