Last month, Michelin took the first step in trying to revolutionize the tire industry.

Sailun Tires has been around for 12 years, but you can be forgiven if you haven’t heard of them.

Hands up if you really care about tires. Anyone, anyone? Truth is only those with petrol coursing through their veins really seem to care deeply about what tires they put on their car, even though more people should.

Winter tires are big business. Having long proven their worth and ability compared to all-season tires, winter rubber has become a staple in markets where the weather gets cold and the roads turn nasty during the winter months.

There’s a growing segment in the tire world: ultra high-performance (UHP) all season tires.

We’ve attended a lot of tire events over the years. It’s always the same old thing when a manufacturer wants to show off the latest and greatest rubber. Three things are guaranteed at an event like this. First, there is a presentation highlighting the advanced design and technology of the new tire. Second, there will be supervised track time. And finally, a known inferior (and usually out of date) competitor’s tire is brought along to highlight how great this new tire is.

Tire engineering is like rocket science. Ok, it might not be quite that complex, but its close. The technology used to create a modern, class leading tire is incredible. Aspects of a tires design, like sidewall chaffing caused near the tire bead, are things most consumers will never think about while flying down the freeway at 75 mph. The amount of engineering and technology put into a tires development is staggering.

The name Cooper might not bring up mental pictures of high-speed racing like Formula One or NASCAR, but the company certainly knows what it’s doing when it comes to a high-performance street tire.