Michelin's Tennis Shoes

Michelin - famous for its tyres manufactured for cars and especially those in Formula 1. Michelin has now embarked on a new venture where they transferred their technology in motor racing know-how into a revolutionary sole for tennis shoe. This was in collaboration with Babolat, the world leader in competition rackets and racket stringing.

Andy Roddick, the USA tennis player, has been wearing this newly designed shoes since Jan 2007, named Babolat Propulse.

The uniqueness of the tennis shoes:-
The sole is equipped with the OCS (Optimized Cell System) technology originally designed by Michelin for the World Rally Championships (WRC). The blend of rubber offers 40% greater resistance to abrasion and thermo-abrasion than other shoes on the market (according to tests carried out in March 2006 by an independent laboratory, the Centre Technique de la Chaussure, which compared the Propulse to a sample group of shoes in the same price range). The oblong-shaped tread of the sole improves slowing down, acceleration and sliding, just as for a racing car! The sole's curved geometry and the variation of its ridges and hollows prevent the appearance of cracks and make it possible to adapt grip to the type of surface of play, thus varying the sole's grip according to whether the player is on hard, dry or slippery ground. Babolat, for its part, has combined this special formulation of rubber with Exact Pro technology, a system of dynamic propulsion located beneath the forefoot, which optimises lateral movements when running.
Tags: Michelin, Michelin Tyre, Babolat, Babolat Propulse, Tennis Shoes, Andy Roddick