Sonic Rail Services moves fleet to Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tyres

Sonic Rail Services (SRS) is moving its entire van fleet to a Michelin Agilis CrossClimate policy after a trial showcased the tyre’s safety and savings potential.

The rail infrastructure business – which works on a wide range of construction projects for Network Rail and London Underground – currently runs Michelin Agilis tyres on its larger vans and Michelin Energy Saver + fitments on its smaller vehicles.

After sampling the superb all-year traction provided by Michelin’s latest generation summer tyres offering full winter capability, it intends to roll out Agilis CrossClimate on its 58-van fleet.

Jon Vincent, fleet maintenance manager, said: “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the drivers, particularly with regards to improved grip on wet and frosty roads.

“We are based in quite a rural area, with a lot of muddy country lanes and tight bends and the handling of the vehicles with the CrossClimates on has been exceptional.”

SRS has tested the Agilis CrossClimate fitments on one of each of the van models it has in service – including a huge 4.7-tonne Ford Transit, a smaller Ford Transit, a Ford Transit Courier, a Ford Fiesta and a Vauxhall Vivaro.

The Agilis CrossClimate range should provide its fleet with more safety in all weathers whilst enduring high mileage, impressive robustness, damage resistance and long-lasting performance, equating to lower running costs.

“The performance and grip levels from the tyres has been absolutely first class," continued Vincent.

“We’ve looked at specialised winter tyres before – but to get 58 vehicles back into the garage, swap all the tyres and then store those summer tyres for when the weather is better is a really big job.

“When you add up the cost of changing the tyres and the cost of storage it would be a pretty large expense.

“So, it’s far better for us to have one tyre that we can use all-year round. With the Agilis CrossClimate, we get best performance in the winter, and the best performance in summer – what more can you ask for?”

SRS was established in 1997 and currently employs over 70 permanent members of staff.

Its head office is in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, and has satellite offices in Kent and London.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service recently adopted a Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tyre policy across its fleet.

More than 350 ambulances will be fitted with the all-season tyres, as part of the new policy.