Desser Tire & Rubber Co appointed Dunlop Distributor for the Americas
At the end of June, Desser Tire & Rubber Co., Inc. was appointed Dunlop distributor for The Americas. Desser Tire and Rubber Co., Inc., and its affiliate retread repair station, Aero Wheel and Brake Service Corp., Inc., join the world’s only specialist aircraft tyre manufacturer in providing new aircraft tyre distribution and retreading services to the expanding North and South American market.
Continue ReadingSofima Filters developing new CNG/LPG filter range
Sofima Filters has announced the development of a new range of filters for LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) fuelled car engines. Sofima Filters leading stockist Fuel Parts UK’s managing director Andy West said: “Sofima Filters is consistently demonstrating its ability to progress the aftermarket range of filters on offer. The keen advances and continual growth is why we don’t hesitate to recommend their product range to our clients.”
Continue ReadingZircotec exhaust coating reduces Aston Martin’s temperature under the hood
Zircotec’s ceramic coating technology is used to reduce the surface heat of exhausts, and Aston Martin saw the potential in the material for cooling its V12 Zagato endurance racing car at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The coating, derived from Zircotec’s ThermoHold, was selected by the manufacturer for its durable and lightweight method of reducing under-bonnet temperatures at the Nordschleife, improving reliability and preventing heat damage to bodywork, fuel and electrical systems. With its origins in the nuclear industry, Zircotec’s ThermoHold technology is applied to the exhaust system by plasma spraying to prevent heat being radiated by the 6.0 litre V12 engine.
Continue ReadingL-Ray goes smaller for third DVS-1220 tyre analyser
Michigan-based business L-Ray has been manufacturing non-destructive tyre testing equipment for almost 40 years – previously under the names IHI (International Holographics, Inc) and Grant Engineering. While a small business, it operates on the global stage in manufacturing and retreading segments - in total, the company says it provides over 250 machines in more than 24 countries – first producing holography machines and then shearography machines. In 2007 L-Ray introduced its new Differometric Technology, which president Lee Petrimoulx says is “much faster and provides high quality digital images for checking tyres or retread casings”.
Continue ReadingBest Choice: New brand, New factory
Founded in 1995 and based in Beijing Best Choice International Trade Co. Ltd. quickly established strategic business relationships with domestic tyre manufacturers eager to market their products internationally. Over the years, this has led to the development of a loyal customer base. Consequently, Best Choice reports that it has the developed the ability to source quality tyres at very advantageous prices. All this culminated in the launch of a new private brand at the recent Autopromotec exhibition.
Continue ReadingHard surface tyre added to Michelin BibSteel range
Promising “even higher productivity on North American construction sites and work sites,” Michelin North America has launched the latest addition to its radial skid steer range, the BibSteel Hard-Surface tyre. This new product, which replaces the Michelin Stabil’XZSL radial, is said to deliver increased traction and durability plus a better ride than its cross-ply counterparts.
Continue ReadingAutopromotec debut for Alligator, TyreCheck aftermarket TPMS sensor
Amongst the new products on display at the Autopromotec 2011 show in Bologna, which begins today, is the ‘sens.it’ universal replacement sensor for TPMS systems. This sensor, developed by German firm Alligator Ventilfabrik, is being brought to the market in partnership with Ireland’s TyreCheck and is said to cover 90 per cent of all original equipment TPMS. It is being shown at Autopromotec along with TyreCheck’s ‘Incontact’ tyre retailer sales and marketing solution.
Continue ReadingMichelin targets fast-growing markets with Energy XM2
The world is becoming increasingly mobile and vehicle parcs in emerging markets are swelling through first-time car purchases. In many countries motorists travel on a road infrastructure not designed with such volumes of traffic or modern vehicle technology in mind, and for this reason products designed for Western Europe may not present the best solution there; affordable technical solutions that accommodate differing conditions are required. This certainly applies to tyres. Concurrent to the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2011, an event described as the global summit for sustainable mobility, Michelin released a new product aimed primarily at emerging markets, the Energy XM2.
Continue ReadingNew generation bead booster a ‘real breakthrough’, says Gaither
Gaither Tool is credited for introducing the first portable automatic bead booster, and Gaither Europe has now launched what it considers to be the next generation of modern bead booster – the Gaither Bead Bazooka. This latest model offers the considerable advantage of being lighter and more compact; Gaither reports the Bead Bazooka weighs just 5.5 kilograms – less than half that of the 12.5 kilogram Gaither GB5A. It is also 60 per cent smaller. Gaither believes these reduced dimensions are just one of the advantages the Bead Bazooka offers; it also sees customers being attracted by its pricing and its delivery of the “most powerful automatic rapid air release system” of any bead seating device on the market.
Continue ReadingMaxxis industrial range developing with dockside freight popularity
Maxxis has developed a range of skid steer tyres designed to cope with varied heavy duty industrial applications safely and efficiently, including construction, agriculture and dockside freight, the latter of which is identified by the brand as a particularly fruitful area for spreading its popularity. “Our industrial tyres feature a specially formulated durable rubber compound, extra strong casings and robust sidewalls to deliver superior traction and long life when put to work in the most demanding applications,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin. “Their versatility is proving popular with dockside freight businesses, which is helping us to promote the Maxxis brand in this niche marketplace.”
Continue ReadingTotrax enters fifth year distributing Emrald
Twenty-five year-old independent supplier of specialist wheels, tyres, axles and components, Boston’s Totrax Ltd began supplying India-manufactured Emrald Greckster industrial tyres exclusively five years ago. The distributer also supplies the UK market with exclusive products from Europe, manufactured by Italmatic. An effective way in which Totrax has worked is having built up a network of independent industrial tyre specialists supplying the forklift truck and industrial trailer market with a complete range of tyres and wheels. This specialist network allows all members to supply the Emrald or Italmatic brands wherever their customers operate, allowing continuity of brand across the UK. Totrax also states that it will continue to seek to add industrial tyre specialists to its network, encouraging interested parties to contact the company.
Continue ReadingPaul Goggins MP wins Parliamentarian of the Month award for wheel efforts
Paul Goggins, Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has been awarded ‘Parliamentarian of the Month’ by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. The award is said to have been presented in recognition of his efforts to raise the issue of regulation for heavy goods vehicle wheel safety in parliament. In June 2010, Paul was approached by Motor Wheel Service because the firm was concerned about the lack of regulation to ensure the safety of second hand heavy goods vehicle wheels. They believe that there has been a rise of approximately 10,000 substandard second hand HGV wheels entering the UK market per year. Paul is concerned that there are no guarantees that these second hand wheels are safe because while tyres are heavily regulated to ensure they meet minimum standards of safety, wheels are not.
Continue ReadingRMI backs TPMS rule change
The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has reacted to the European Commission’s plans to tighten the mandatory detection requirements for Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). While the RMI backs the change and sees it as an important move towards improving road safety, it also wants to ensure that its members will be ready and equipped to work with the new technology.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop supporting van segment with specialist range
Both Goodyear and Dunlop have been producing tyres for over 100 years and van tyres have been a major part of both brand portfolios for many years. The current Goodyear range focuses around two key products for vans; these are the Cargo G26 and Cargo Marathon.
Continue ReadingRL Automotive markets TAC-Scan at CV Show
With the cost of fuel only going one way, how tyres are managed is becoming increasingly more important. That’s why RL Automotive was showing its TAC-Scan laser-based tyre wear diagnostic equipment at April’s CV Show. According to the company, tyre wear diagnostic equipment has been left behind in the tide of new technology as it is largely still done manually, which not only effects accuracy but also makes readings subjective.
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