Klarius Responds to DEFRA Report
The UK has the worst road pollution in Europe, according to a recent government report, with 95 per cent of cities exceeding the European Union limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This figure is almost double that of the next worst polluter, Germany, where 52 per cent of cities exceed the limit, followed by Italy with 42 per cent, France (21 per cent) and Spain (14 per cent). While the report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs warns that the UK will face large fines for breaching the EU limit unless radical measures, such as national road pricing and subsidies for electric cars, are taken, exhaust system manufacturer Klarius firmly believes that the best solution would be to ensure the quality of exhausts and catalytic convertors fitted to the UK’s cars.
Continue ReadingCITExpo 2009: Tiremart Hoping Visit will Bring “Good Luck”
Tiremart (Qingdao) set up in the year of 2000 in the CBD of Qingdao, China. Its specialises in exporting TBR, PCR, OTR, agricultural, motorcycle tyres, as well as tubes, flaps and rims to more than 50 countries in the world, with its main markets in the Middle East, India, South Asia, Africa and South America. It reports that its annual turnover reaches over $30 million. The company sells factory brands in addition to its own brand, Maxim. Currently, the Maxim brand includes an OTR series, rims, and TBR 1000R20 with an Indian market pattern. Tiremart says that it plans to develop and promote the brand further in the near future. It also states that the OEM tyre business makes up 40 per cent in our sales volume. As for its presence at CITExpo, the company states, “We would like to meet old and more new customers. We hope CITExpo this year will bring us good luck and will help us to make another big success in near future.”
Continue ReadingAutopromotec 2009: Cooper Chengshan a “Major” Chinese Brand
Cooper Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Company Limited is a joint venture between Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, ranked – according to Cooper Chengshan information – eighth in the world tyre industry (Cooper comes tenth in Tyres & Accessories’ industry rankings – see pages 54-5) and Shandong Chengshan Group, ranked the thrid biggest tyre manufacturer in China. As a major player in the Chinese tyre market Shandong Chengshan is an important component of Coopers strategy for South East Asia. The company holds a leading position in the region for technical research and development and has established a professionally comprehensive marketing approach which, has led to recognition as the producer of principal customer satisfied tyre brands in China. Among the brands produced are Fortune radial passenger and truck tyres; Austone radial passenger and truck tyres plus, a range of bias-ply tyres; Chengshan radial and bias-ply passenger, light truck and truck tyres plus, a range of bias-ply tyres; Starfire high performance passenger tyres; Dean radial truck and bus tyres.
Continue ReadingToyo Website Wins ‘Best in Class’ Award
Toyotires.com, the website representing Toyo Tire USA Corp., recently won “Best in Class” in the Consumer Goods category of the 2009 Interactive Media Awards. Designed and developed by Garrigan Lyman Group of Seattle, Washington, toyotires.com was created for the US market and provides a full insight into the Toyo Tires brand, according to the company. The Interactive Media Awards are judged and presented annually by the Interactive Media Council, Inc., a non-profit organization consisting of lead web designers, programmers, advertisers and web-related professionals. Toyo said clean visuals, easy navigation and ready access to continually updated product data are some of the elements designed into the new toyotires.com. The site is designed to inform consumers better about the full line of Toyo Tires’ products, including tyre applications for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. The site also serves as a resource tool for authorized Toyo Tires dealers. “We are proud that toyotires.com has been acknowledged by the interactive community,” said Julie Sediq, director of marketing communications. “Garrigan Lyman Group did a fantastic job of creating a website that conveys our position as a premium brand and delivers a positive user experience.” (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingAutopromotec 2009: New Parker TyreSaver 3.0
“The air we breathe consists largely of nitrogen, oxygen and water. The oxygen and water contained in compressed air has a negative impact on tyres and will influence handling, fuel efficiency, tyre life and rim condition, the environment and your own safety. The solution is to inflate tyres with a high concentration of nitrogen. Tyres filled with nitrogen last longer, are safer and more eco-friendly. In the future, every driver will have nitrogen inflated tyres,” claimed product manager at Parker Filtration and Separation B.V., Robin Biemans. A new design and engineering project has seen the company produce a new nitrogen tyre inflation tool. It can be used to inflate car, motorcycle, trailer and van tyres. The TyreSaver 3.0, describes Parker, is a robust, lightweight, mobile, nitrogen tyre inflator for the automotive industry, with low investment costs, making the company certain that it has a high sales and profit margin potential. “This workshop tool can be connected to a compressor and automatically generates nitrogen from compressed air; a simple concept that is, above all, inexpensive. This means that the investment will pay for itself in no time at all. The TyreSaver 3.0 is fitted with an exchangeable membrane cartridge that will operate for thousands of tyre inflations. The patent is currently pending,” continued Robin Biemans.
Continue ReadingBridgestone North America Adds Two to Blizzak Line
This season, two new tyres are being added to the Bridgestone Blizzak line: the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 and LM-60, each suited for vehicles ranging from light trucks and SUVs to sports cars and sedans. The Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 will be available in 46 R-speed-rated sizes ranging from 15 inches to 22 inches and 75-45 series. Replacing the DM-Z3, the DM-V1 is designed to disperse surface water and improve grip. A directional tread pattern and 3-D sipes enhance dry performance and continuous lug design and center tread grooves increase traction in the snow and ice, according to Bridgestone. Designed in response to unique road conditions in the US and Canada, the Blizzak LM-60 incorporates continuous lugs and zigzag sipes to improve snow and ice traction. Circumferential grooves channel water out of the tyre’s footprint area to resist hydroplaning and a directional tread pattern and 3-D sipes enhance dry performance of the LM-60, Bridgestone said. Available in 34 H-speed rated sizes from 17 inches to 20 inches in the 60-35 series, the LM-60 consolidates existing Blizzak tyres into one H-rated tire line. This consolidation includes the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-18, LM-22, and the LM-25. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingBridgestone Previews MotoGP’s UK Round 10
Donnington Park will host the tenth round of the MotoGP championship this weekend, with Bridgestone supplying riders with Soft and Medium slick compounds for front and rear. The manufacturer believes that last year’s predictably unpredictable weather will carry over to this year’s race, having a major impact on its outcome, even though the British round is held one month later this year as a result of a change-around in the MotoGP calendar. Due to the cooler British climes and the smooth and flowing nature of the Donington Park circuit, Bridgestone has selected the softest tyre compound options for this weekend: the soft and the medium compound slicks. The soft compound wets will also be available, as used in Le Mans and Mugello. Donington is a medium-slow circuit with a low-grip surface that traditionally has been a tricky one for Bridgestone, despite the result of the wet but slowly drying 2007 race, when Casey Stoner and the Ducati Team brought Bridgestone’s first victory at Donington, and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen finished third.
Continue ReadingGoodyear and Haweka Promote Benefits of Tractor Wheel Alignment
The importance of correct wheel alignment is already widely conveyed in the truck and passenger car segments. In these parts of the market customers have been hearing about how correct alignment improves road comfort, fuel consumption and prevents premature wear for years. But what about the off-road and agricultural segments? Is it worth aligning vehicles that are literally designed to face the axle jolting lumps and bumps other drivers try to avoid? Goodyear and Haweka certainly think so. In June Goodyear and Haweka teamed up to promote an agricultural wheel alignment programme that will see the two-companies promote the benefits of wheel alignment to customers, dealers and vehicle sales offices. Goodyear is communicating the tyre alignment message because, according to the company, tough economic times mean improving fuel consumption and preventing the costs that come with premature tyre wear are more important than ever. A similar partnership between the German branches of the two companies has been in operation for some time.
Continue ReadingMAM Says No To 0870
In response to customer feedback, and in light of recent Ofcom announcements, MAM Software has decided to replace all of its 0870 phone numbers with standard geographic numbers. Following Ofcoms recent announcement regarding changes to non-geographic numbers, we took the opportunity to review and improve our customer contact strategy. explained Robin Darnell, MAMs Director of Support Services. In order to offer our customers better value, we decided against implementing the new 0871 or 0844 numbers and have instead reverted back to standard 01226 phone numbers.
Continue ReadingMorghew Park Estate Chooses Michelin and Mitas Fitments
Morghew Park Estate has selected a new tyre fitment policy across three of the off-road vehicles it uses to support its commercial shooting, which takes place around a 2,000 acre Estate in Tenterden, Kent. One of the first changes made was to fit new Michelin 280/80 R18 MXCL tyres to the primary shoot transport – a 1968 ex-Belgian Army Mercedes Benz Unimog 404S, powered by a 2.2 litre petrol engine. The vehicle had previously featured an ageing set of Russian tyres which were not providing the necessary grip to enable the driver to make proper use of the simultaneous front and rear diff locks. Piers Carey, Farm manager on the Morghew Park Estate, explained: “When the terrain got challenging, the tyres on the Unimog just weren’t up to the job. ATS Euromaster advised us to fit Michelin MXCL’s and they have transformed the Unimog into a transporter which can tackle the steepest and muddiest terrain we encounter.”
Continue ReadingGarden Using Dunweedin Scoops Prize
Landscape designers Rebecca Butterworth, Victoria Pustygina and Ludovica Ginanneschi clinched the coveted award for the Best Conceptual Garden at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with an exhibit including Terrasofta rubber landscape shavings by Dunweedin’, made from 100 per cent recycled fork-lift truck tyres.
Continue ReadingToyo Proxes R888 Chosen for Wheeler Dealers TV Show
When the Wheeler Dealers TV programme upgraded a Porsche 944 into a track day cart the team chose Toyo Proxes R888’s the tyre manufacturer has reported. Mike Brewer, a well known motoring TV presenter, and Ed China, the star mechanic, buy and restore iconic cars and then try to sell them at a profit. In this instance they bought a 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo and planned to convert it into a race car, complete with a roll cage, new seats and a harness. They were looking for a specialist race tyre and a leading Porsche modification company recommended Toyo Tires. “Of course the tyre of choice was the ultra high performance Proxes R888; our road legal track tyre, known for its outstanding performance and phenomenal grip, both on and off the track,” company representatives told Tyres & Accessories (tyrepress.com), adding: “Mike brewer was amazed at the extreme stickiness of the tyres and the difference they made to the overall handling and performance of the car. By the end of the transformation, the Porsche looked and performed like a true race car and sold at a huge profit.”
Continue ReadingAnalysts say Euro Auto Industry up 5%
An analyst’s note from Deutsche Bank suggests that vehicle registrations across Europe could be rising for the second month in succession. Conversations with the industry have led the analyst to predict a rise of 5 per cent, with particular strength in Germany (up 35 per cent) and Italy (up 14 per cent. The UK (+2 per cent) and France (no change) have remained steady, while the other country to have initiated sales through scrappage schemes, Spain is down 14 per cent. The not concludes that Deutsche Bank expects the market to be 3 per cent lower in quarters three and four in 2009, following a 3 per cent decline in quarter two and a 16 per cent drop in quarter one.
Continue Reading“A buyers market for cash rich companies”: Tyre Industry Report
According to a new report published by financial analyst Plimsoll, one in seven companies in the UK tyre, exhaust and battery industry could change hands due to economic pressures and the presence of a number of cash rich competitors. The report suggests that the market is going into an extended period of consolidation, which could pave the way for a defragmentation of the sector, currently regarded as one of the UK’s most sprawling. Plimsoll’s David Pattison, author of the new Plimsoll Industry Analysis – Tyres, Exhausts & Batteries, explains: “In our report we analysed 535 companies with a turnover of over £1 million per annum and have picked out 140 that are primed to be taken over. Buying one of these businesses represents a massive opportunity for someone to enhance their share of the market. Either way, the market is set for a wave of takeovers in the next months”. Plimsoll says that its report will tell you which companies are set to be buying and who will be selling. Readers of Tyres and Accessories are entitled to a £50 discount of this new special edition of the Plimsoll Industry Analysis – Tyres, Exhausts & Batteries. Call 01642 626400 for further details and quote reference PR/TI75.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Service Gauges Whether it is Time to Retire the Tyres
As Kwik-Fit points out, it’s not just bald tyres that cause danger – old ones are also problematic. New research commissioned by the company found that as many as 16.7 million motorists’ tyres could be suffering from premature ageing, a condition that tends to affect tyres more than five years old. While tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals to slow down the rate of ageing, factors such as infrequent use and poor storage can accelerate the ageing process and render them unroadworthy. This is why tyre manufacturers recommend that tyres over five years of age should be visually inspected for signs of premature ageing. To help identify their age all tyres display a coded date of manufacture, something that – no surprises here – three-quarters of British motorists are unaware of. But even so, Kwik-Fit notes that the average punter is unlikely to be able to translate the ‘tyroglyphics’ that appear on the side of the tyre.
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