103,000km on a single set of General Grabbers
One Cape Town driver is reporting an astonishing 103,000 km on a single set of Grabber 4x4 tyres. Lodi van Deventer from Brackenfell, Cape Town, reached this milestone after three years with the General Grabber AW 265/70 R16 tyres fitted on his Toyota Fortuner. Most people find it hard to believe that I have covered over 100,000 km on the General Grabbers, Van Deventer says. The majority of the driving was on tar in both urban and rural environments, but I also did quite a bit of gravel driving in the Stilbaai area during holidays.
Continue ReadingBilstein Modular Damping System
Bilsteins Modular Damping System (or MDS) is designed to be a comprehensive solution for all manner of competition machines. Many applications are available, in both coilovers and struts for many popular road race and cup class vehicles. As the name suggests, the system consists of modular components, which means it can be built in a wide array of configurations to suit any competition chassis. The types of connections range from standard uniball-bearing to pin connections and through to all manner of fork alternatives. In the strut variant, the outer tube is available with a clamp or a bracket. Each unit can be dimensioned and configured to each team or builders precise request.
Continue Reading![Bridgestone app helps farmers protect soil](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bridgestone-app.jpg)
Bridgestone app helps farmers protect soil
Farmers are well aware that maintaining low tyre inflation pressure is essential to minimise soil compaction. However, since a tyre’s recommended pressure varies depending on tyre size, tractor speed and payload, it is not always easy to keep track of the correct information. That is why Bridgestone has developed a user-friendly smartphone app that tells farmers in an instant the minimum tyre pressure they can use in specific conditions. As such, Bridgestone believes the app goes a long way towards helping farmers protect their soil, and boost the performance, productivity and working life of their VT-Tractor tyres.
Continue ReadingTRL researching vehicle cyber security
TRL, which until recent years was known as the Transport Research Laboratory, has reported that it is investigating “the everyday risks of cyber security breaches as vehicles become more digitally controlled.” According to researchers such research is increasingly important as the next generation of autonomous vehicles make their debut next year (something that has been covered by Tyrepress/Tyres & Accessories a number of times in the past - see Automotive suppliers, smart cars, intelligent tyres and safety concerns and Researchers Hack a Hole In Tyre Tag Security for more on this subject). The specific risk is said to be related to the interception of data packages communicated to and from vehicles is ever present. Therefore the encryption and decryption of software and data is likely to become “the battle ground between the vehicle manufacturers and the cyber terrorists or hackers as programmers will need to be able to ensure rigour in the systems’ coding”, says TRL
Continue Reading![Nokian announces ‘A’-rated winter tyre for electric vehicles](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/hak-r2.jpg)
Nokian announces ‘A’-rated winter tyre for electric vehicles
Nokian Tyres is claiming an industry first with the release of a Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 fitment designed for the electric BMW i3. The Finnish manufacturer says the winter tyre has achieved an ‘A’ European tyre label rating for rolling resistance – a boast that not even the most optimistic tyre maker has voiced since the label’s introduction in late 2012. But given Nokian’s impeccable credentials as a winter tyre specialist, we can be confident that this particular Hakkapeliitta R2 does exactly what it says on the tin. To quote the manufacturer, the tyre “allows for safe, economical, and high-performance driving on snow and ice in demanding Nordic winter weather.”
Continue Reading![Goodyear’s Wrangler for new-generation Ford F-150](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/f150.jpg)
Goodyear’s Wrangler for new-generation Ford F-150
An all-new version of the best-selling truck in the USA – the Ford F-150 – is now arriving at dealers, and Goodyear reports it is supplying tyres to four F-150 models. The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure will be supplied to the 2015 Ford F-150 XL, XLT, Lariat and King Ranch models in sizes 275/55R20, LT 245/70R17 and LT275/65R18, and the Wrangler Fortitude supplied in HT in 275/65R18 and 265/70R17.
Continue Reading![US lab advocates tyre pyrolysis to supply EV batteries](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Recycled-Tire-Battery-Schematics_hr.jpg)
US lab advocates tyre pyrolysis to supply EV batteries
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are aiming are advocating tyre pyrolysis as a way of recovering carbon black for use as a graphite substitute in lithium-ion batteries. The goal is to scale up the recovery process and demonstrate applications as anodes for lithium-ion batteries in large-format “pouch cells”. These batteries could then be used in plug-in electric vehicles and to store energy produced by wind and solar sources.
Continue Reading![Goodyear reports healthy UK, European growth for FleetFirst](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/fleetfirst.jpg)
Goodyear reports healthy UK, European growth for FleetFirst
During the course of 2014, Goodyear’s FleetFirst fleet tyre management programme has enjoyed considerable growth throughout Europe. Goodyear Dunlop reports that 75 fleets from nine countries have joined the programme since the start of the year, bringing a total of more than 30,000 additional vehicles into FleetFirst. The new additions to FleetFirst include pan-European fleets based in France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. Arguably the best-known of these fleets is Eddie Stobart, which operates more than 5,000 vehicles, while another large UK-based fleet to sign up during the year is Turners Soham Ltd, which operates more than 2,500 vehicles.
Continue Reading![Ducati chooses redesigned Pirelli MT 60 RS for all Scrambler models](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/art.jpg)
Ducati chooses redesigned Pirelli MT 60 RS for all Scrambler models
Pirelli’s MT 60 RS has been chosen as original equipment for all four versions of Ducati’s new Scrambler. The motorcycle manufacturer is fitting the Pirelli enduro street tyre in size 110/80 R18 (front) and 180/55 R17 (rear) on the Icon, Urban Enduro, Full Throttle and Classic. Although the MT 60 RS is something of a perennial within the Pirelli portfolio, the Italian tyre maker says the particular sizes supplied to Ducati were specifically made for the Scrambler, and when developing the fitments it “totally redesigned the MT 60 RS in terms of specifications and performance.”
Continue Reading![Continental producing first Taraxagum-based test tyres](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/19_Taraxagum_Tire.jpg)
Continental producing first Taraxagum-based test tyres
Continental has produced a limited number of Russian dandelion rubber-based tyres for product development and testing purposes. The first products featuring the new natural rubber alternative will be winter tyres. Speaking at a press conference in London on Friday 5 December, David O’Donnell, senior vice president research and development for Continental’s tyre division, shared a number details relating to both the natural rubber replacement material and the tyre production strategy related to it.
Continue Reading![Pro-Align presents latest automated Revolution](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Revolution-beadmassage.jpg)
Pro-Align presents latest automated Revolution
While the financial context of the last five years has undoubtedly provided a challenging market environment for many players in the tyre industry, the premium garage equipment sector has seen opportunity. As tyre retailers have broadly seen margins squeezed further as consumers look to save on tyres, so has the importance of maximising ancillary services grown. On the occasion of the launch of another trail-blazing addition to its range with the Revolution tyre changer, Hunter garage machinery supplier to the UK Pro-Align took the opportunity to show Tyrepress the effects of providing innovative services to the sector.
Continue Reading![Vacu-Lug to introduce MTP budget OTR tyre range](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MTP.jpg)
Vacu-Lug to introduce MTP budget OTR tyre range
It looks like it will be a Happy New Year for Grantham-based firm Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres, as the company has announced it will begin distributing a new budget line of off-the-road tyres as soon as the end-of-year festivities are behind us. The range, named MTP, is produced by Magna Tyres Group and will act as Vacu-Lug’s official budget brand. Vacu-Lug says the brand’s inclusion in its product portfolio affirms the message that it is possible to offer a quality product to customers on a lower budget.
Continue Reading![Three new air tools from Chicago Pneumatic](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CP7776-Application.jpg)
Three new air tools from Chicago Pneumatic
Chicago Pneumatic has launched three powerful new air tools that aim to enable service professionals to increase productivity in the workshop. The manufacturer says the new CP7748TL and CP7776 impact wrenches are comfortable and easy to use, while the new generation CP7749 – which it calls “ultra-compact” – is said to deliver the best power-to-weight ratio in its class.
Continue Reading![Goodyear’s self-inflating truck tyres undergoing testing in North America](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/amt.jpg)
Goodyear’s self-inflating truck tyres undergoing testing in North America
Truck fleets in the US are currently testing tyres containing Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) as part of a research project supported by United States Department of Energys (DOE) Office of Vehicle Technology.
Continue ReadingApollo debuts India’s largest loader tyre
The largest loader tyre produced in India to-date, the Apollo AWL 822, has been launched at the International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2014 show in Kolkata. The AWL 822 is a size 45/65-45 L5 tyre that contains 1,300 kilogrammes of rubber, 700 kilogrammes of carbon black and silica, 200 kilogrammes of nylon fabric and 300 kilogrammes of other rubber chemicals. The tyre is produced at Apollo Tyres’ Limda plant, in India’s Gujarat state.
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