1. Press trial drive in Dubai
2. Maybach 62 S: exterior and interior
3. Maybach 62 S: engine and chassis
4. Maybach 57, Maybach 57 S, Maybach 62
5. Center of Excellence and Manufaktur Workshop
6. History
7. New high-performance tire

New high-performance tyres: Michelin develops exclusive tyres for Maybach 57 S and 62 S

• High-performance, high-comfort tyres with a sporty character
  
  
• State-of-the-art materials and production methods
  
  

Stuttgart/Dubai, Jan 28, 2007
Working closely together with tyre manufacturer Michelin, Maybach developed a high-performance tyre for the 57 S models, which is now also used on the new Maybach 62 S model. This tyre is the key factor behind the dynamic handling capabilities of both saloons and makes for dynamic handling as well as an extremely high level of comfort.

Development began in summer 2004, based on the tried-and-trusted Michelin Pilot Sport tyre series for high-performance vehicles. Right from the start, the experts at Maybach and Michelin opted for 20-inch wheels as, compared to the 19-inch wheels on the Maybach 57 and 62 models, they have the same diameter but a lower cross section and, therefore, offer better lateral rigidity. As a result, the build-up of lateral force is improved, thus allowing faster and more precise turn-in.

This was shown by the very first computer simulations and subsequently confirmed in on-the-road tests. For this purpose, Michelin produced several tyre variants with widely ranging handling characteristics, all of which had to prove their worth on the test track. The initial aims – outstanding dynamism and agile handling – were quickly achieved. Then it was a question of finding the tyre design which, whilst allowing sporty handling, also provided the high degree of comfort readily associated with every Maybach saloon.

To this end, Michelin uses high-grade materials and state-of-the-art production methods. By way of example, the tyre specialists incorporated a layer of Kevlar under the tyre tread to improve the rolling characteristics, thereby enhancing the ride comfort. Using a technology known as VCP (Variable Contact Patch), they applied several different tread compounds next to each other on the tyres – harder compounds with a higher carbon content on the outside shoulder, which is subject to higher loads, and softer compounds in the middle. They were therefore able to combine agile handling with outstanding ride comfort as well as giving the tyres a sporty look.

In a second stage of development, the experts at Maybach and Michelin set about fine-tuning their design. Here, once again, different tyre configurations were produced and thousands of miles of rigorous tests were performed on test rigs, handling courses and torture tracks, not to mention the everyday endurance trials. Criteria included comfort, turn-in ability, lateral acceleration, tyre noise and, of course, wet-weather performance. The end result is the new 275/45 R20 tyre which Michelin produces exclusively for the Maybach 57 S and the Maybach 62 S.

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