Vipal: treads outperform tier one new tyres in European comparative tests

Vipal Rubber has released the results of two comparative tests carried out on two European highways involving the VRT3 and VL150.

Vipal’s performance evaluations seek to compare similar products, applied in their intended segments and submitted to use in equal conditions, ensuring impartiality in the results obtained. For this to be possible, the tests follow strict standards stipulated by Vipal’s methodology on performance evaluation.

Subjected to extreme operation conditions in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, a Scania R440 6×2 truck presented better results with VRT3 than when compared to “Tier 1 new” tyres. Yield was 52 per cent higher with the Vipal tread, covering 112,710 kilometres with the VRT3, while the new tyre registered 74,300 kilometres. In the same comparison, the tyre retreaded with the Vipal product covered 5,525 kilometres per millimetre of tread, while the new tyre travelled 3,555 kilometres per millimetre, a difference 55 per cent.

On the other hand the VL150A tread was tested in Germany and is said to have obtained superior performance than the competitor’s tread. The Vipal tread, which is also suitable for the highway freight transportation sector and is designed for trailer axles, was applied on the tyres of a Kogel 3-axle single-axle semi-trailer and travelled on German highways with high manoeuvrability requirements, facing a cold climate classified as a very high severity level. In the test, the VL150A covered 187,178 kilometres, being used in the trailing axle. The competitor’s tread recorded 139,339 kilometres, a 34 per cent higher advantage for Vipal. In terms of wear, the VL150A ran 15,095 kilometres per millimetre, against 11,237 kilometres per millimetre compared to the competitor’s tread – a difference of 34 per cent.

“We have been doing tests with retreading customers for years, but in the last three years we have also intensified testing on fleets and the results of that work are showing up. We can demonstrate and prove not only the quality of our product, but also the retreading benefits for the fleets that previously did not retread tyres in the proportion that is observed today. This is very important for Vipal Rubber and for the industry”, said Vipal’s Commercial Coordinator in Europe, Fabrício Nedeff.