SUCH IS THE rate of progress in tyre technology that French tyre giant Michelin has launched a brand new version of the Pilot Preceda barely four years after the original's debut.

At first glance, the new tyre (codenamed PP2) doesn't look wildly different from its predecessor. It still has sporty-looking square shoulders and an asymmetric tread pattern with four main grooves, but there are several important changes beneath the skin.

The most significant one is the switch to a silica compound, which delivers improvements in both wet weather grip and rolling resistance.

Michelin says the PP2 has around 20 percent less rolling resistance than conventional tyres, which translates into real-world fuel savings of between two and three percent.

Also new is the variable pitch design of the outer tread blocks, a feature borrowed from Michelin's flagship Pilot Sport PS2. This has the effect of breaking up harmonic noise frequencies, while the tyre's construction itself filters out vibrations.

The claims of class-leading quietness were borne out by back-to-back testing of the PP2 and a similarly-priced rival from a Japanese manufacturer.

A pair of Nissan Cefiros were brought up to 80km/h on a smooth stretch of tarmac, at which point the engines were completely shut off and the cars allowed to coast to a halt.

There wasn't a great difference in the cabin noise levels initially, but as the cars slowed down below 40km/h, there was a noticeable low-frequency hum from the rival tyre that just wasn't present on the PP2-shod car.

Michelin expects a good proportion of PP2 buyers to be upgraders - motorists who replace their cars' standard wheels and tyres with larger ones. These people will be happy to know that they don't have to sacrifice a comfortable and quiet ride when they go one or even two sizes up.

What really proved eye-opening was the handling test, which was done using Mazda 3s on a dry surface. While the car fitted with the rival tyre had marginally sharper steering response, the one with the PP2 proved far less understeer-prone and much more controllable at high speeds.

Even at the limit of adhesion, the PP2 continued to respond faithfully to steering inputs so threading the car neatly through the tight handling course didn't require much effort on the driver's part. Not so with the less forgiving rival tyre, which lost traction in a less predictable fashion.

A visual inspection of the tyres on both cars after the test said it all. While the PP2s looked pretty new apart from some signs of scrubbing on the outer tread blocks, the rival tyres were completely worn out, with some rubber beginning to chunk off. That's a clear sign as to how much harder they had to work.

The Pilot Preceda PP2 is an excellent all-rounder which proves that grip and comfort aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. It's available in 46 sizes to fit most medium to large cars in the market.