Michelin through its Chief Representative to the Philippines Michael Nunag announced that PlayStation has selected Michelin as “official tire technology partner” for its Gran Turismo driving simulator franchise.

Under the multi-year agreement, Michelin becomes “official tire supplier” of the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships, with Michelin-branded tires featured in the game.

The relationship begins by increasing Michelin’s visibility through free downloadable content on Gran Turismo Sport now available. The Michelin-themed download will feature for the first time:

• A new Michelin section on the Gran Turismo Sport “Brand Central” virtual museum, which introduces players to Michelin’s deep history in global motorsports, performance and innovation.
• Tire technology by Michelin available in the “Tuning” section of Gran Turismo Sport, applicable to the game’s established hard, medium, and soft formats.
• On-track branding elements and scenography from many of the world’s most celebrated motorsports competitions and venues.

Through racing series such as FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Rally Championship, FIA Formula E, and International Motor Sports Association series in the U.S., Michelin uses motorsports as a laboratory to collect vast amounts of real-world data that power its industry-leading models and simulators for tire development. Tire technologies proven on the track eventually transfer to road-going performance vehicles like many of those on screen in Gran Turismo.

Michelin will share this knowledge openly with Sony in the first co-development exchange of its kind, aiming to provide Gran Turismo players with a new dimension of strategy and competition linked to tire selection and performance, drawing ever closer to the pit-level decisions that race teams evaluate on every track.