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Those who know their tyres are increasingly warming to all-season solutions. Although dismissed as a compromise on numerous occasions, most recently in this month’s GTÜ 2018 winter tyre test, an experienced and respected tester recently commented off the record that “the future belongs” to the segment. This is an impression that may also be gained from perusing the freshly minted all-season tyre test from Auto Bild.
Pirelli Tyres Ltd has been fined after two employees had their arms broken by the same machine at the tyre maker’s factory in Dalston Road, Carlisle.
At a meeting held yesterday, the Board of Directors of Sailun Jinyu Group Co. Ltd. approved a change of the company’s name to Sailun Group Co., Ltd.
In 2016, Cooper Tire & Rubber invested some US$93 million to acquire a 65 per cent shareholding in Qingdao Ge Rui Da Rubber Co., Ltd (GRT). The remaining 35 per cent share in the China-based truck and bus radial manufacturing operation was retained by Qingdao Yiyuan Investment Co., Ltd. (QYI), however QYI is now selling its stake in the business. Sailun Jinyu Group Co., Ltd. has signed a share transfer agreement with QYI to acquire its 35 per cent interest in GRT for RMB 220 million (£24.4 million, US$32.0 million), subject to government approval.
For its 2018 winter tyre test, German vehicle inspection organisation GTÜ evaluated nine winter tyres together with German motoring organisation ACE and Austrian counterpart ARBÖ. For good measure, it also tested three all-season tyres alongside the winter rubber. The result? An all-season tyre took second place in the winter test.
Pinpointing precisely where a winter tyre comes into contact with an icy road surface is surprisingly difficult. Yokohama Rubber partnered with Kanazawa University in Japan to identify this oft-allusive point of contact, and in a statement reports the development of an “evaluation technology that visualises rubber’s frictional state of contact on an icy surface.” Yokohama Rubber expects this evaluation technology to ultimately result in cold weather tyres with dramatically improved ice performance.
Shandong Linglong Tire’s plans to set up a tyre factory in Serbia gained a further boost on 17 September with the finalisation of an investment framework agreement with the country’s Ministry of Finance. The document was signed by Linglong chairman Wang Feng and Siniša Mali, Serbia’s Minister of Finance, at a ceremony in Beijing also attended by Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia.
Marangoni Tread Latino America has been accredited with INMETRO certification for its RingTread and Unitread pre-cure retreading materials production. Certification came after an independent assessment of Marangoni’s production plant in Brazil by Instituto Falcão Bauer, an accredited certification body in Brazil.
An additional investment is being made in the Sumitomo Rubber do Brasil factory in Fazenda Rio Grande, Brazil, which is scheduled to begin producing truck and bus tyres next March. This investment of BRL 153 million (£28.7 million, US$37.6 million) builds upon the BRL 312 million investment Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) announced in July 2016 for setting up bus and truck tyre production equipment in Fazenda Rio Grande. The extra investment will double the original starting capacity of 500 truck and bus tyres a day – SRI now plans for a daily capacity of 1,000 truck and bus tyres by October 2019.
Engagements in MotoGP, WRC and Formula E are just fine, but let’s face it, many tyre makers participate in motorsport. Yet Michelin need not be downhearted, because as far as Tyrepress.com is aware it is the only tyre firm involved in the art of rock painting.
A new P Zero World – the second Pirelli has set up in Europe and just the third worldwide – has opened a few metres away from Portier corner on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. The outlet’s opening was celebrated by a parade of more than 40 supercars taking part in the first-ever P Zero Road Experience held on public roads, and the inauguration of P Zero World in Monte Carlo also hosted the world debut of the latest creation from MV Agusta and Pirelli Design.
A good concept vehicle shouldn’t just be stuffed full of forward-thinking technologies and ideas, it should also look as if it’s absconded from the future. The CitE – MAN’s vision of the “future of city delivery transport” – ticks both boxes. Currently on display at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the all-electric CitE displays the truck manufacturer’s latest ergonomic and safety concepts. The tyres are also a one-off, made especially for the CitE by Continental. The tyre maker views the concept project as an opportunity to gain experience in electric vehicle tyre development, referring to the Conti e.MotionPro study, as a “starting point for the development of tyres for electric commercial vehicles.”
BMW Motorsport and Dunlop have extended their long-established partnership in the VLN Endurance Championship for at least another two years. The tyre maker will continue to equip all BMW Cup-class cars in the VLN races. These races are run at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and Dunlop will also supply its 265/660 R18 racing tyres for the circuit’s 24-hour race.
This year, Alliance Automotive UK (AAUK) will return as sponsor of the IAAF Annual Awards and Dinner. The event takes place on 6 December, at The DoubleTree by Hilton, Milton Keynes, and is expected to attract around 600 attendees.
Goodyear has introduced what it calls its “most fuel-efficient” truck tyre range to date. Presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 show in Germany, the new Goodyear Fuelmax Performance products are the first Goodyear truck tyres to feature full silica tread compound technology, achieve an EU tyre label grade ‘A’ for fuel efficiency and meet full 3PMSF ‘snowflake’ winter tyre requirements. The tyres anticipate proposed EU legislation to reduce heavy duty vehicle CO2 emissions by 15 per cent in 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.
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