Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
Goodyear has launched a new off-highway tyre, the RH-4A+. The newest addition to its off-highway large haulage product line is engineered to deliver a lower operating cost per hour and higher productivity on hard rock surfaces. The tyre features an extra-deep E-4+ tread depth with a high net-to-gross tread pattern and optimised footprint pressure to help provide long hours to removal.
Electric vehicle start-up Rivian’s R1T pickup, which begins production in June 2021, and its R1S electric SUV will roll off production lines on Pirelli’s Scorpion range. The premium tyre manufacturer has developed special versions of its Scorpion Verde All Season, Scorpion Zero All Season and Scorpion All Terrain tyres to meet the OEM’s specifications. The OE fitments follow its “Pirelli Perfect Fit” strategy – all Pirelli tyres developed for Rivian have a special marking on the shoulder: RIV and Elect. The latter denotes Pirelli’s development of tyres for electric vehicles, which play a crucial role in key EV performance goals; safety, performance, and range optimisation.
Hankook and German touring car series DTM are marking a decade-long partnership this season. The manufacturer has supplied tyres at more than 150 races, with the Hankook Ventus Race demonstrating its quality in a diverse range of conditions. Following its DTM debut in 2011, Hankook has developed the tyre in four phases to tackle new developments in the series.
RH Claydon has today become the exclusive UK distributor of Triangle truck and bus and off the road tyres. The change of distributor for the brand follows Tym International’s decision to cease trading on 30 October. The specialist tyre importer-wholesaler, in which Triangle took a strategic holding in 2013, announced its liquidation in early September. Tym’s managing director, Steve Eke, has since been appointed UK & Ireland sales director of Triangle Tyre Europe. The Chinese tyre manufacturer, among the country’s top five according to Tyrepress data, set up a new European team headquartered in Milan in 2017 under general manager Corrado Moglia. Commencing its distributorship, RH Claydon stated that it looks forward to building a strong relationship with the brand.
TyreSafe usually presents its awards at a Gala ceremony, but the Coronavirus Crisis has made such an event unviable. TyreSafe has instead announced its award winners via social media and video presentation by its chair and chair of judges, Stuart Jackson. Tyrepress previously revealed the winners of the Tyre Manufacturer of the Year Award and the Innovation & Use of Technology Award, but the full list of the winners joining Hankook and Bridgestone is reproduced below. Additionally, you can view the judges’ review of submissions for several of the awards on Tyrepress below, or on TyreSafe’s YouTube channel.
TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month 2020 campaign is themed on movies. Its latest cinematic pastiche is designed to remind drivers to check their tyre tread regularly. The advice is communicated via the ‘TyreFlix production,’ Judge Tread. The organisation’s annual October campaign focuses on encouraging drivers to ensure their tyres are Ready for ACTion by checking Air pressure, Condition and Tread. Watch the video, and other campaign content, below, or on the TyreSafe YouTube channel.
Five months on from its groundbreaking ceremony, the first pictures from Shandong Jinyu Tire’s new Vietnam truck and bus radial tyre factory show the progress made so far. At its May 2020 event, Jinyu said the new tyre manufacturing plant would have an annual capacity of 2 million tyres in its first stage, supplying mainly European and North American markets. At its completion, due March 2024, Jinyu would have an annual capacity of 7 million TBR tyres, with a global sales footprint.
Hankook Tyre UK is TyreSafe’s Tyre Manufacturer of the Year for 2020. It is the second consecutive year that Hankook has won the award, recognising Hankook’s significant contribution to raising driver awareness of tyre safety-related issues. Over the past twelve months Hankook UK launched three tyre safety campaigns across social channels including Facebook and YouTube. TyreSafe chair and chair of awards judging, Stuart Jackson said: “Hankook’s commitment to raise awareness on tyre safety resulted in a well targeted campaign, which highlighted specific messages relevant to their core age group. A good library of resources was created to support it resulting in a programme of clear and engaging content.”
Goodyear has announced Kadex Aero Supply as an aviation distributor. The family-owned Canadian business has been distributing parts from more than 50 manufacturers to operators ranging from general aviation to airlines since 1994. Goodyear wants the partnership to expand its reach in Canada.
The Autozeitung winter tyre test has revealed “extreme differences” between the best and worst winter tyres, according to its testing panel. The first and last-placed tyres in the product comparison were ultimately no less than 43 percentage points apart in the overall rating. This is, in part, because Autozeitung has changed its evaluation scheme compared to previous years. A percentage value is now given for the performance shown in the three performance categories of snow, wet, and dry – previously points were awarded – with a mean average percentage calculated to define final placements. 14 tyres in size 205/55 R16 were mounted on a VW Golf 1.5 TSI for the test.
Fisker Inc has announced that it has chosen Munich as the location for its European headquarters. The designer and manufacturer of eco-friendly electric vehicles and advanced mobility solutions stats that Munich offers convenient access to key European EV markets and close proximity to Magna’s Graz facility in Austria.
Trico has revealed its new UK distributor – Pearl Automotive – through which all Trico products are now available, including its Flex, Exact Fit and Neoform lines. For nearly 50 years, Pearl Automotive has been a major distributor of workshop consumables to the aftermarket, supplying national accounts, buying groups and independent motor factors.
BKT’s title sponsorship of French football has increased its brand awareness according to new data compiled for the off-highway tyre specialist. The CSA Research panel found that brand awareness has reached 17 per cent among football fans following two years title sponsorship of the Coupe de la Ligue BKT.
Falken Tyre and digital marketing specialist Pixelgenau have won a German Design Award 2021 for its “Falken says tanks” sales campaign. Also known in German as “Falken sagt Tanke”, the long-running sales campaign rewards customers buying a set of Falken tyres from participating dealers with fuel vouchers worth 20 euros, along with the chance to win other prizes. The campaign takes place in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.
Goodyear Farm Tires is extending its warranty for product workmanship and material from eight to 10 years on its entire radial range. The extended warranty will apply across the UK and Europe. Lindsay Hart, European tyre sales director for Goodyear Farm Tires, said: “We are committed to providing the best possible product and service to our customers and this is the next phase of that.
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