Hankook Ventus S1 evo Z offers proven motorsport technology to UUHP market
Hankook says the Ventus S1 Evo Z marks a new era in its high-end-tyre portfolio, streamlined for highly demanding sportscars. The manufacturer focused on delivering high grip in different weather conditions, developing a new silica enriched compound mixture with the latest generation of functional polymers, technology originating from its racing tyre development. This compound undergoes a slower curing process with low temperature vulcanisation to increase the blending of those molecules that then influences the driving performance. This ensures a consistently high level of grip across a wide range of applications and the result is a tread compound which is bespoke for sports cars of premium manufacturers, representing the top of their range.
Continue Reading
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 designed to take on ‘dramatic shifts in car market’
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was launched in late 2021 with the promise that it would be “ready for anything”. The tyre has certainly impressed in its initial run of independent tyres tests, picking up wins in the Auto Bild, Auto Motor und Sport, and Tyre Reviews tests. But Goodyear’s mission for the tyre has gone beyond its traditional wet and dry performance characteristics; the manufacturer wants to bring this technology to a very wide selection of cars – hence its plan to offer 65 fitments between 17” and 22”, a relatively broad range, by 2023. The tyre and this range is designed to offer fitments for existing growth vehicle types, like SUVs, and future dramatic changes in the market, with a construction making it suitable for the wave of battery electric and hybrid vehicles quickly entering the car parc. In 2021, petrol cars retained a leading 40 per cent share, but battery electric (EV) cars took a record 9 per cent of the European market and hybrid (PHEV and HEV) grew to a significant 20 per cent share, according to ACEA data.
Continue Reading
Tarmac trials fuel additive
Tarmac, the UK-based sustainable building materials and construction solutions business, has begun a trial of a ground-breaking fuel conditioner as part of its ongoing corporate commitment reducing emissions across its nationwide fleet of heavy goods vehicles. Working with fuel technology specialist partner SulNOx Group Plc, the business is using an innovative fuel additive on selected vehicles over a three-month period while carefully monitoring fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions data to identify savings.
Continue Reading
Klarius expands aftermarket exhaust range
Klarius has added 19 new aftermarket exhausts to its market-leading range, including replacement diesel particulate filters (DPFs) for the 2011-2015 Volkswagen Crafter van. All the latest parts, as well as the rest of the range, are available with next morning delivery to UK stockists and distributors.
Continue Reading
Hankook Ventus iON S: new summer tyre for e-cars to join global tyre family
Hankook has launched the Ventus iON S, the first summer tyre in a new product range that has been specifically designed for electric vehicles. By taking this approach, the company wants to make a decisive contribution from a tyre choice perspective to advancing the mobility transition towards zero-emission vehicles. The new summer tyre is a pioneer of the new, global “iON” tyre family designed for premium electric vehicles, which will include the Hankook Winter i*cept iON in September 2022.
Continue Reading
UK replacement 17”-plus tyre market increasing in value, size – GfK
GfK data shows that the 17” and above UK tyre replacement market continues to offer both increased volume and value. While the 19” and above segment retains the characteristics of specialised fitments, the top two fitments account for more than one-fifth of replacement tyres sized 17-18”.
Continue Reading
Rema Tip Top offers virtual tyre repair training using “data glasses”
After a break due to the pandemic, the Rema Tip Top Academy resumed training operations for users of Rema Tip Top repair systems in March 2022. In the course of the re-start, the classroom training programme was expanded to include webinars. In short, Rema Tip Top has taken a step towards the virtualisation of its course, with “a smart software solution and state-of-the-art video technology.”
Continue Reading
Kumho introduces Ecsta HS52
Kumho’s surprise victory in the 2021 in Auto Bild’s 52-tyre summer tyre test with its Ecsta HS51 high-performance tyre did not prevent the manufacturer from replacing the tyre with the Ecsta HS52 successor high performance tyre. Some sizes are already available at Kumho dealerships nationwide, with the balance of the line-up due shortly.
Continue Reading
West, Central European replacement tyre market accelerating towards larger tyres
With a wave of new ultra-high performance products from global brands arriving in the post-pandemic market, Tyres & Accessories looks at data supplied by specialist tyre industry analyst Astutus Research showing just how quickly the market for high rim diameter (HRD) tyres is now growing in Western and Central Europe (this data excludes Russia, Ukraine and the rest of Eastern Europe).
Continue Reading
Chinese truck tyre tariffs to persist in UK?
The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) judgement that the European Union’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs should be annulled has been welcomed by many of those responsible for distributing these products across the continent. Yet for importers of these products in post-Brexit United Kingdom, the truck tyre tariffs introduced by the European Commission appear to be persisting. Speaking to representatives of the Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA), the association whose members are most directly concerned with these tariffs, Tyres & Accessories now understands that the UK’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) does not intend to annul the tariffs since the ECJ’s judgement does not apply legally in the UK, even considering the view that the tariffs were implemented improperly under EC law. It follows that the status quo on these tariffs will be maintained, at least until the TRA reaches tyres in its review of the lengthy list of trade remedies inherited from the UK’s time as a member of the EU. Until such a review takes place, the tariffs will continue to apply until at least November 2023, and UK importers are effectively blocked from joining European colleagues in ending and recouping duties found to be improperly implemented.
Continue Reading
Supply shortages mean May car registrations down by 20 per cent
New UK car registrations fell -20.6 per cent to 124,394 units in the second weakest May since 1992, after the 2020 pandemic-hit market, as supply shortages continued to hamper new purchases and the fulfilment of existing orders, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The decline, compared with the first full month of reopened showrooms in May last year, demonstrates the impact of continued global supply chain disruptions, with the market -32.3 per cent below the 2019 pre-pandemic level despite strong order books.
Continue Reading
Hankook tyres help set altitude record
Hankook has been instrumental in setting a new Guinness World Records title with Challenge4 record-breaking driver Rainer Zietlow, in conquering the South American Andes. The all-electric vehicle reached a height of 5,816 metres up the Uturuncu volcano, which has two peaks reaching 6,008 and 5,930 metres. Zietlow set the new record on Hankooks new all-terrain tyre, the Dynapro AT2.
Continue Reading
Inter-Sprint launches Groundspeed truck tyre brand
Wholesaler Inter-Sprint has added a new truck tyre brand to its portfolio. Manufactured by Sentury Tire in its 4.0 smart factory in Thailand, Groundspeed debuted at The Tire Cologne and is available in a launch range that includes steer, drive and trailer dimensions, 13 SKUs in total.
Continue Reading
UHP focus for latest Nexen all-season range
When Nexen Tire first threw its hat into the ring of Europe’s all-season tyre market a decade ago, most motorists – and most tyre makers – considered these products best suited to smaller cars with just a handful of horses under the bonnet. Product development has brought all-season tyres a long way since then, and attitudes have changed too. So it was that when Nexen recently launched its latest tyre for this segment, there wasn’t a single dimension for runabouts or city cars to be seen.
Continue Reading
Bridgestone launches Fleetcare tyre, fleet management solution
Bridgestone has launched Fleetcare, the tyre manufacturer’s integrated tyre and fleet management solution. The new solution represents an evolution of Bridgestone’s Total Tyre Care, combining Bridgestone tyres and tyre management solutions with fleet management solutions from Webfleet. Bridgestone says Fleetcare offers a “complete package” of efficiency tools targeting the reduction of total cost of ownership from a single mobility partner.
Continue Reading