Trentbarton has signed a new five-year deal with Michelin, saying it has been impressed with the longevity and durability of the product. The renewed Michelin Effitires contract will see the tyre manufacturer’s Connected Solutions division supply and manage the tyres on more than 400 buses, as well as the Wellglade Group’s other businesses Notts & Derby, TM Travel and Kinchbus.
Engineering Director at Trentbarton Matt Evans commented: “We’ve been working with Michelin for a number of years now, and I’ve been a big advocate of the product for a long-time. It is widely regarded as the best tyre on the market. The sidewall protection is second to none, which helps to keep any disruption to our services and unnecessary costs to an absolute minimum. That’s really the most important thing from an operator point of view.”
The new agreement will see Michelin supply the tyres direct to Trentbarton, whose in-house team will handle the fitting and all replacement work. Michelin will also carry out fleet-wide inspections as part of the agreement, ensuring the customer is getting the most from every tyre while maximising uptime and compliance.
The tyres will be managed through a multi-life policy with Michelin’s technicians regrooving them once the tread depth reaches 3-4mm, helping to extend each casing’s life in its most fuel-efficient state. Once the regrooved tyres have worn, they will be retreaded at the Michelin Remix plant in Stoke, a process which helps to save natural resources, as well as doubling the tyre casing lifespan.
The buses will be running predominantly on products from the Michelin X InCity range, alongside the new 265/70 R19.5 X InCity EV Z fitments. Designed for electric buses, Michelin says the tyres also offer outstanding performance for traditional diesel vehicles, with an improved sidewall for urban usage and a wet grip design.
“Michelin products always stand the test of time and the level of service we get from the team is very good,” added Matt. “The Michelins tend to wear evenly as well. In my experience, that can be a real issue for other manufacturers. Overall, we had no reason to look elsewhere.”
