Regrooving

GENERAL PRINCIPLE

Regrooving involves removing rubber from the layer of existing rubber to restore tread pattern depth.

Regroovable MICHELIN tyres are marked with the symbol “U” on the sidewall or the word “REGROOVABLE”.

Regrooving Truck tyres is an operation authorised by the Highway Code (Art. 4 of the decree of 24/10/94) and recommended by E.T.R.T.O. and A.F.N.O.R. (standard NFR12714) for the safety and increase in performance which it brings about.

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Why regroove?

GREATER LONGEVITY

By re-establishing the height of the tyre’s tread pattern again, regrooving extends the mileage of the tyre by 25% kilometres⁽¹⁾ on average, for both new MICHELIN tyres and retreaded MICHELIN Remix tyres.

MORE FUEL SAVING

Save up to 5% of fuel⁽²⁾.

Regrooving which is carried out when the tyre has its lowest rolling resistance, also optimises fuel consumption.

The potential 25% extra mileage provided by regrooving is obtained during the period when fuel consumption is at its lowest.

BETTER GRIP

Better grip and improved safety. Regrooving re-establishes a deeper tyre tread pattern, giving you better road grip to drive safely. On wet roads, regrooved tyres offer improved transversal grip and approximately 10% higher traction than the same worn tyres⁽³⁾.

REDUCE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Lower CO₂
emissions

Less wast

Fewer
materials

By reducing your fuel consumption and improving the mileage potential, regrooving is good for the environment.

Regrooving extends the life of your tyre when it is using the least amount of fuel. This allows you to reduce your CO₂ emissions up to 1.1 kg/100 km per axle.

By extending the life of new MICHELIN tyres and retreaded MICHELIN Remix tyres by up to 25%⁽¹⁾, you are saving 1 tread for every 4 tyres you regroove.

Regrooving does not affect MICHELIN Remix retreading. The acceptance rate of MICHELIN Remix retreading is similar for a regrooved and non-regrooved MICHELIN tyre: 89%⁽⁴⁾

Regrooving in practice

The operator and company assume responsibility if regrooving is different to the tyre manufacturers’ recommendations (compliance with pattern, depth, blade, etc.).

Regrooving when there is 2 to 4 mm of tread left makes it possible to:

Re-establish the tread pattern
Adjust the depth of regrooving to ensure that there is always at least a 2 mm depth of rubber between the base of the tread and the crown plies when the tyre no longer has a regroove depth indicator showing.

Regrooving that is too deep:

Can cause damage to the tyre resulting in premature destruction of the tyres;
Can compromise acceptance for retreading;
Can expose the plies at the base of the tread which is prohibited by the legislation.

Do not regroove if:

The tread pattern shows signs of significant damage: perforations, scratches, cuts, tearing, etc. In this condition there is a risk of oxidisation the metallic plies: damage of this nature could lead to rapid deterioration of the tyre whilst in service, possibly leading to sudden total deflation.

Manage regrooved tyres stock

To minimise vehicle down time, due to the action of regrooving, we advise that you have a stock of built up regrooved tyres in order to optimise the operation.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Regrooving should only be carried out in a well ventilated place with a tool which has an electrically heated blade.

Regrooving should only be carried out in a well ventilated place with a tool which has an electrically heated blade.
Before regrooving, the tyre should be examined to ensure that it is in good condition. Any damage or unsatisfactory repair should be repaired correctly. If the tread shows evidence of knocks, multiple notches or wear of the tread blocks, then regrooving is not recommended.
The width and depth of the regrooving is given for each tyre size and type of tread pattern. We suggest that a rounded blade be used. It should be noted that because of the rounded profile of the blade the regroove width will reduce slightly as the tyre wears further after regroove.
The tread depths should be taken at several places around the tyre. The cut depth of the regrooving blade must be related to the minimum tread depth found. On recent tread patterns, a regroove depth indicator located in the tread wear indicator enables the blade to be set at the optimum depth.
Each groove must be regrooved using the treadwear indicator.

If a tyre shows signs of abnormal wear, it is technically possible to only regroove part of the tread.
The treads of MICHELIN Remix tyres can be regrooved in a similar way to new tyres.
All regrooving widths given are approximate.
To regroove any MICHELIN tyre not shown in this booklet, please contact your Michelin representative for advice.

REGROOVING TREAD PATTERNS OF STEERING TYRES FOR USE ON DRIVE AXLE

Even if Michelin recommends regrooving bus and truck steering tyres, not all users will do so.
In addition, some countries regulations do not accept regrooved tyres on the front axles.

In order to optimise the tyre’s mileage potential and reduce the user’s costs, specific regrooving diagrams for drive axles are available as an option. They offer grip and traction capabilities.