Brembo and Michelin have partnered to integrate real-time tyre-grip data into Brembo’s Sensify brake-by-wire system, motor1.com reports.
Sensify departs from conventional hydraulics by sending pedal inputs to a control unit that modulates brake force individually at each wheel.
Depending on configuration, braking may use hydraulics — with dedicated master cylinders driven by electric motors — or purely electric calipers, or a hybrid of both. This per-corner variability enables far finer control than a traditional anti-lock system.
Michelin supplies instant estimates of four critical tyre parameters —load, wear, pressure and temperature — allowing Sensify to calculate each tyre’s actual adhesion coefficient.
According to Michelin’s head of OE tyre business Serge Lafon, this data lets the system maximise brake pressure without locking the tyres.
Brembo R&D head Ignacio Alvarez Troncoso adds that the speed and precision of Michelin’s physics data “make a huge difference” in Sensify’s decision-making.
Initial virtual simulations gave way to live trials last autumn at Michelin’s proving ground.
Tests conducted with both summer and winter tyres, across new, worn, under-inflated and properly inflated conditions, in wet and dry environments, recorded up to a four-metre reduction in stopping distance from speeds of 50kph to 140kph compared with a standard ABS system.
Lafon said Sensify “applies the maximum pressure without locking the tyre,” dynamically compensating for environmental and wear factors by constantly recalculating grip.
Beyond improved braking performance, the collaboration underscores a broader trend towards software-defined vehicles.
Sensify’s electronic architecture is designed to share its real-time tyre-data stream with other vehicle systems, potentially enhancing active suspension, torque vectoring, active aerodynamics and powertrain control.
Michelin’s expertise in modelling tyre behaviour complements Brembo’s hardware development, creating a feedback loop that could influence future braking and vehicle-dynamics hardware.
Both companies stress that their work is at an early stage.
Sensify, with Michelin’s data integration, is slated to debut in a production vehicle in 2026, though neither partner has confirmed if Michelin-enhanced versions will feature at launch.
As motor1.com notes, the pilot marks the start of what Brembo and Michelin see as a transformative step for braking technology and interconnected vehicle systems.
