Cooper Adds UHP Sizes
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has expanded its Zeon 2XS and Zeon XST ultra-high performance lines with new sizes for performance cars and SUVs. And it added two new sizes to its Cooper Lifeliner SLE touring line. Cooper added five new 18 and 19-inch sizes to, its Zeon 2XS line targeting BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Cadillac, Lexus, Mustang, Audi and Chrysler models. In addition, it added sizes 305/35R23, 305/40R23 and 285/45R22 to the Zeon XST line to target sport tuned trucks and SUVs. Sizes 235/65R16 and 225/60R17 were added to the Lifeliner SLE family, Cooper said, to target the Saturn Vue, Chevy Equinox and Lincoln Town Car.
Continue ReadingAftermarket Marketing Intensifies
The Aftermarket Show has signed up a number of new exhibitors say organisers, as the campaign to book potential exhibitors is intensified. One of the new exhibitors includes Beissbarth UK. Managing director, Philip Hodges, said: “As a supplier of automotive service equipment to garage workshops, we believe that The Aftermarket Show is the ideal avenue for us to unveil and demonstrate our next-generation products to the garage and consumer. “The event has some very exciting plans for its ongoing development and we are determined to play an active role in this, championing the cause for the garage equipment sector.”
Continue ReadingVredestein Sportrac 2 Tops Auto Express Test
Auto Express magazine has named the Vredestein Sportac 2 as tyre test winner in its 2005 Product Honours report. Goodyear’s Hydragrip and the Barum Bravaris were also commended. “Think tyres and Vredestein is unlikely to be the first name that springs to mind, but the Dutch firm’s rubber certainly is impressive,” the consumer magazine wrote, adding: “Vredestein has always made products that perform well in the wet, and the Sportrac 2 was no exception, recording a series of top-three results.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Says F1 Tyre Supply Unbalanced
Michelin has revealed that an eighth team has approached Michelin looking for a Formula supply agreement. Michelin stated that since its return to Formula One it has noticed an imbalance of teams requesting its tyres, with seven teams currently using its products.
Continue ReadingTerra-S’s Tire-Repair-Kit
Terra-S, located in Owingen, Lake Constance, Germany has developed a modern alternative to the spare wheel to meet the requirements of a modern puncture situation. The practical Tire-Repair-Kit, which contains sealant, a high performance miniature compressor and additional accessories, is designed to replace the spare wheel completely. Terra- S claims the system saves space, fuel and weight provides “much easier puncture-help than a strenuous wheel change.” The Tire-Repair-Kit is applied by unscrewing the valve using the provided valve remover; the punctured tyre can then be filled with liquid tyre sealant. Once the valve is screwed in again the compressor can inflate the tyre. As the tyre moves the liquid fills the holes, hardening in any punctured areas, the company says.
Continue ReadingSumitomo to Raise Domestic Tyre Prices
Sumitomo Rubber has announced that it will raise domestic market tyre prices by between 4 and 4.5 per cent in September. The company’s move is said to be in response to the higher cost of synthetic rubber and other input materials. Analysts have suggested that this is a positive step, which could result in a 2 billion yen boost in full year operation profit. As a result the company’s share went up 1.4 per cent to 1,130 yen. “We maintain our full-year earnings forecasts, as our figures are already above the company’s, and recent rises in materials costs could be negative,” the Deutsche Bank Analysts added.
Continue ReadingRetreading Exhibition in China
According to market experts there are currently about 1,000 companies in China that are producing retreaded tyres of some sort. While the Chinese tyre market continues its impressive growth and has gained about 27 per cent in output last year alone. The importance of the Chinese retreading business is also increasing. That’s why the second “Chinese International Tire Cyclic Utilization” exhibition will take place in Beijing, this October. Organised by the China Tire Retreading & Utilization Association (CTRA), the show that attracts new tyre manufacturers will take place 25-27 October 2005 in the capital’s military museum.
Continue ReadingA Good Time to Blame the Industry – Plimsoll Analysis
Industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing asks, if the market suffers a recession this year, which companies in the Tyre Manufacturers and Distributors sector will be most affected and which couldnt care less? It also asks which companies are already at risk and will use any talk of a slow down to bury bad news? The new publication (Plimsoll Portfolio Analysis, Tyre Manufacturers & distributors 3rd Edition 2005) examines the current financial state of the top 240 companies in the sector and the study has revealed four distinct profiles of company behaviour.
Continue ReadingConti Board Member to Join VW?
Continental AG personnel director, Thomas Sattelberger, has been named as a potential candidate to replace Peter Hartz at Volkswagen. Mr Hartz resigned amid allegations that his department was involved in Indian bribery scandal. Mr Sattelberger is reported to be one of the top candidates, Dow Jones Newswires has reported. His experience and that fact that he is not a Volkwagen insider are both likely to count in his favour. Continental spokesman Hannes Boekhoff made no comment. Mr Sattelberger has been part of Continental executive committee since July 2003. Before that he worked for Lufthansa and DaimlerChrysler. Meanwhile ThyssenKrupp rejected reports that director Ralph Labonte was another possible succesor. A ThyssenKrupp spokesperson said that Labonte is not available to fill that position.
Continue ReadingThird Truck Point Business Manager
Bridgestone UK has appointed Stuart Monk (34) as the third business development manager for the Truck Point network of independent truck tyre dealers. Mr Monk, who will cover the Midlands area, has a strong financial background in banking, joining Bridgestone UK in 2002 and working in senior positions in the central billing department. His new role is structured round initiatives being taken by Bridgestone to support the independents’ business activities with fleet customers and to ensure that there are clear lines of communication between Bridgestone UK, the fleets and the dealers.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Fleet Expands Service Centre and Adds Staff
Kwik-Fit Fleet has announced a major redevelopment and expansion of its Fleet Service Centre. The latest developments include taking on 10 new service centre operators, on top of the 30 recruited 12 months ago, and relocating the service centre to a newly-refurbished dedicated area within Kwik-Fit Financial Services’ call centre at Tannochside.
Continue ReadingTime to Heed the Wake-Up Call
With so much to gain, why is the service and repair industry not heeding the wake up call asks Beissbarth UK’s managing director Phillip Hodges. “This is the last chance saloon for those in the industry who are plainly not up to the job, and giving competent operators a bad name, “ added Mr Hodges. If the industry cannot regulate itself then government will do it and the smaller firms will sink without trace under the weight of the subsequent red tape. This is the final wake up call.” Mr Hodges cites a litany of damning consumer research reports ignored by the industry, compounded by threats from the National Consumer Council (NCC) to make a super complaint’ about the service and repair sector to government ministers, which could result in an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
Continue ReadingVDB Tyres Stolen
Two fully loaded trailers, with over 2,000 tyres, were stolen from Van den Ban’s headquarters in Holland last Friday. The company is appealing to members of both the UK and European tyre markets to provide any information that may lead to the recovery of these tyres.
Continue ReadingKayaba Coil Spring Catalogue
Kayaba has launched an all-new European 2005 catalogue for its range of K-Flex replacement coil springs. The 424-page catalogue contains over 3,000 different part numbers covering applications for cars, car derived vans and light commercial vehicles. Coil springs are a vital part of a vehicle’s ride control and are responsible for comfort and ride height. Kayaba recommend that coil springs are replaced every four years or 50,000 miles as general wear and tear can lead to reduced performance and safety.
Continue ReadingAutoclimate Offers Denso Compressors
The latest addition to Autoclimates fast-growing portfolio of air conditioning components is the range of Denso compressors; the brand fitted as OE by many of Europes leading car makers.
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