Michelin TRX Tyres
Michelin TRX tyres were among the world's first performance ultra low-profile tyres.
Video - Michelin TRX Tyres Explained
Michelin TRX
- Michelin TRX were ground-breaking super low-profile tyres from 1975.
- The TRX improved directional stability, longevity, and safety.
- The TRX offered an unified tyre and wheel system, with specific metric sized wheels rims fitted to metric sized tyres. This allowed for a lower profile tyre without losing ride comfort.
- The TRX was used by Renault and Prost in Formula 1 and Audi Quattro in World Rally.
- Follow this link to see the Michelin TRX specifications.
Michelin TRX Tyres Diagram
Benefits of TRX Tyres
For the first time, the tyre and its rim complemented one another perfectly, working as a single unit. The Michelin TRX rim underwent a fundamental transformation, the essential characteristic of which was a flatter, lower flange. This new design of the TRX rim and tyre bead resulted in a gradual curvature of the casing without the "5"-shaped flexing inherent in traditional designs.
1984 Ferrari Testarossa on Michelin TRX Tyres
Michelin TRX Handling
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.
1996 Michelin TRX Tyres Range
Michelin TRX Specifications
This chart displays the extent of the Michelin TRX range that was still being produced in 1996.
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 TR, standing for "Tension Repartie" ("distributed tension"), comes from. Michelin, with TRX tyres, won renown in Formula 1 racing with Renault and Prost and in the World Rally Championship on the Audi Quattro, 205 Turbo, Renault 16, and 5 Turbo.
Michelin TRX Period Advert
Michelin TRX Sizes
Michelin TRX tyres can only be fitted to Millimetric TRX rims in the following sizes:
- 340mm Michelin TRX Rim
- 365mm Michelin TRX Rim
- 390mm Michelin TRX Rim
- 415mm Michelin TRX Rim
Ferrari Even the pope fits Michelin TRX tyres on his Mondial!
Michelin TRX Safety
The 1970s 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.
The TRX's advancements in tyre technology led to enhanced grip, more precise steering, improved stability, and greater comfort, which improved safety and significantly reduced driver fatigue on long journeys. The 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of high-performance vehicles designed for long-distance travel with exceptional safety and comfort, including the BMW 7 Series (1977), BMW's 5 and 3 Series, Citroën CX 2400 GTi (1977), Peugeot 604 (1975), and Renault R30. All these cars fitted TRX tyres, either as standard, or a performance upgrade on higher-spec models.
Sports cars also benefited greatly from these innovations, with models such as the Ferrari 308 GTS and GTB (1977), Ferrari 512 BB (1976), Alpine A310 V6 (1976), Renault 5 Turbo (1979), BMW M635 (1984), and Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 (1985) pushing the boundaries of performance, handling, and driving pleasure, with no small help from TRX tyres.
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 current techniques and materials.
Citroen CX on New Michelin TRX Tyres at Longstone HQ
Michelin TRX FAQ
A: Michelin produced the millimetric TRX and TDX range of wheels and tyres in 1975. The TRX wheels had a different profile flange, allowing a different-shaped flex in the side wall, which allowed Michelin to produce lower-profile, higher-performance supercar tyres. TRX tyres did need to be fitted to the special millimetric TRX wheels.
A: Because the Michelin TRX system was so ground-breaking with fabulous performance, they took the world by storm. Many car manufacturers, such as Citroen, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Audi, Jaguar, and BMW, fitted them to their top-of-the-range cars, and Ferrari fitted Michelin TRX tyres to the majority of their range of classic supercars.
A: The TRX range of tyres was only fitted to the best cars, which were only made in small volumes. Today, because the tyres are made in such small volumes, it dramatically increases the cost of the Michelin TRX compared to, say, a Ford Mondeo tyre.
Michelin TRX Period Advert
Michelin TRX Relevant cars
The following list represents some of the classic and youngtimer cars that fitted Michelin TRX tyres in period. This list is by no means exhaustive, and more classic cars would have fitted TRX in period.
Alfa Romeo - Alfetta GTV.
Alpine - A310.
BMW - 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series.
Citroën - CX (CX GTi, CX GTi Turbo).
Ferrari - 308 GTB, 308 GTS, 308 GTBi, 308 GTSi, Mondial, Testarossa, 400 GT, 400i, 400i GT, 412, 412 GT, 512BB.
Ford - Granada, Mustang, Thunderbird.
Mercedes-Benz - 200, 230, 280, 380.
Peugeot - 205 Turbo 16, 604.
Renault - R5, R30.
MICHELIN TRX TYRES, FREE DELIVERY
