• October 18, 2011

Michelin has launched a new Web site that has a guided experience designed to help consumers pick the right tires and rank their performance preferences based on wear life, fuel efficiency, braking, comfort and handling, per the company.

An interactive element serves up interactive videos of Sarah Robinson, Michelin Test Driver; Ben Ebel, Tire Designer; and Chris Baker, Tire Engineer, who give virtual tire advice and guide users as they make tire choices.

Michelin says research suggests consumers now mostly shop for tires online and seek testimonials from other consumers. So Michelin says it consolidated recommendations and opinions from forums, blogs, social networks and online retail sites and user ratings and reviews at one microsite, and that the company has posted some 12,000 user reviews across all tire lines.

Also new is a section within Michelinman.com with tips on tire safety, maintenance and other areas via videos, articles and interactive demonstrations that can also be downloaded, per the company.

"Consumers spend an average of 2.5 hours researching tires online, and many take much longer,” said Don Byrd, SVP marketing at Michelin North America. “Other online tire resources and tools aren't going far enough to offer recommendations that are specific to individual driver priorities."

Also integrated into the site is a "call me" feature wherein a "Michelin Certified Product Expert" will use call to answer questions within ten minutes of request, per Michelin.