Michelin expands ‘most fuel efficient’ commercial vehicle tyre range
Michelin has announced the expansion of the X Line Energy commercial vehicle tyre range, which the manufacturer says is its “most fuel-efficient” ever. Joining the 315/70 R 22.5 X Line Energy tyres, launched in October 2012, are the 315/80 R 22.5 X Line Energy Z (multi-position) and 315/80 R 22.5 X Line Energy D (drive) tyres.
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Hankook UK sales director Barrie Horrocks passes away
Hankook Tyre UK sales director Barrie Horrocks passed away on 19 February, following a battle with cancer. The company with whom Horrocks worked for the last 12 years released a statement recognising his “significant contribution to the growth of the company”. Hankook added that he would be deeply missed by all at company and by […]
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Government to consult on closed road motorsports
The Motor Sports Association – governing body of four wheel motor sport – has welcomed the launch of a government consultation regarding a proposed change in the law that would allow motor sport events to take place on closed public roads in Britain. The Road Traffic Act states that it is illegal to organise or take part in a race or trial of speed on the public highway, but the MSA has been pushing successive governments to devolve power to local authorities to enable them to suspend the Road Traffic Act without having to resort to an Act of Parliament.
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Stirred up for growth – Apollo Vredestein prepares for a greater European presence with new tandem mixer
Yesterday, Apollo Vredestein introduced an addition to its Enschede factory that will save energy and costs and at the same time enable the company to manufacture the products it plans to introduce in coming years. The new ‘Mixer 8’ tandem mixer was officially brought into operation by Apollo Tyres’ chairman Onkar Kanwar together with Drs Theo W. Rietkerk, who is responsible for economy, energy and innovation within the government of Overijssel Province in The Netherlands.
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Pirelli presents F1 tyre range as final pre-season test gets underway in Bahrain
Pirelli has detailed the characteristics of its Formula One tyre 2014 specification as teams begin their final four day preseason test in Bahrain. The compounds and construction have generally been made stiffer across the range, while the Cinturato Blue wet tyre has increased its water dispersal by five litres per second.
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Leading German retreader Ihle Group files for insolvency
The Ihle Group, headquartered in Günzburg (Bavaria) yesterday filed for bankruptcy at the local court in Neu-Ulm. Managing director Jürgen Eigenbrodt has since confirmed this with Tyres & Accessories’ German sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung (www.reifenpresse.de), adding that applications for all four companies in the group have been submitted to the court in Neu-Ulm, which has in turn placed the business in provisional insolvency administration.
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4×4 tyre sell-in growth following growing vehicle sales
During 2013 the UK was the only major market in Europe to record growth in new car registrations. But it wasn’t just an increase, with a near 10 per cent improvement in the number of new car registrations in 2013 compared with 2012, last year is being touted as a milestone in the market’s overall recovery. And what’s more a large and growing part of it was made up of the kind of 4x4, SUV and CUV vehicles that require the large and greater load bearing tyres that make-up the broader 4x4 tyre segment.
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Giti Tire appoints European PCR, light truck senior product marketing manager
Giti Tire has announced the appointment of former Bridgestone employee Fabio Pecci-Boriani to the newly created position of senior product marketing manager across its European operation. Pecci-Boriani has a brief to develop the manufacturer’s Passenger Car and Light Truck tyre portfolios throughout Europe. Formerly pricing manager at Volvo, Pecci-Boriani will report directly to Richard Lyons, […]
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GT Radial extends REE Tread range with drive tyre fitments
Two years after bringing its first hot cure retread tyre to the UK market with the GTR990 regional trailer pattern in size 385/65R22.5, GT Radial will launch a further two products as part of its REE Tread programme. The GDR690 regional commercial vehicle drive pattern will be available in 295/80 and 315/80 sizes, and will be produced, like the super single product, by a major retread producer in the south east of England. As with the previous tyre, it will be manufactured using only GT Radial casings. Tyrepress discussed the extension to the retread range with sales and marketing director Truck and Bus Tony McHugh and marketing director – Europe Commercial Tires, Peter Foulkes at Giti Tire (UK)’s new headquarters in Cheshire, near Manchester.
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Falken engineers employ Japan’s Earth Simulator in making of new Ecorun PCR tyre
A new energy efficient passenger car tyre has been developed using the world’s highest energy synchrotron radiation facility and ‘Earth Simulator’ supercomputer. Sumitomo Rubber Industries has employed techniques not traditionally used in the tyre industry to develop what it calls a new “4D Nano Design process” to create the Falken Sincera SN832 Ecorun. The manufacturer claims that the technology has allowed it to perform more detailed simulations and analyses, which have in turn allowed it to reduce rolling resistance and braking distances over its predecessor. The tyre is Falken’s first to receive an A-grade for wet grip on the EU tyre label.
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Bridgestone launches Blizzak LM001 compact to mid-sized car winter tyre
Bridgestone has launched its new Blizzack LM001 winter tyre for small to mid-sized cars in an event at its Swedish Proving Ground in Vidsel, less than 100km from the Arctic Circle. Following on from the introduction of its Blizzack LM-32 winter tyre for higher performance cars in August 2013, the tyre is designed to improve snow and wet performance, as well as in longevity.
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Nankang UK to supply tyres to Fun Cup series
Nankang Tyre UK has announced that it has agreed to partner the Fun Cup series, supplying its NS-2R as the control tyre for the series. Previously supported by Uniroyal, which supplied the series’ control tyres since its inception in 2002, Fun Cup cars in the 2014 season will fit the NS-2R at each championship, following […]
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Yokohama opens Swedish winter tyre test centre
On 17 February, Yokohamas European subsidiary officially opened a dedicated winter tyre development and testing centre in Nattberg, Sweden, roughly 80 kilometres from the Arctic Circle. The latest news represents the most recent development in the expanding cooperation between Yokohama and Nordic tyre specialists Arctic Falls, which began roughly a decade ago. In practice this means Yokohama has signed a long-term contract with Arctic Falls for exclusive use of the facility during the long winter season and that it is branded as Yokohama Test Center of Sweden.
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“Better weather and more running” for Pirelli F1 tyres in Bahrain
Pirelli is providing a total of 30 sets of tyres for each Formula One team this week, as the second of three pre-season tests gets underway in Bahrain on Wednesday. Warm ambient conditions of around 20 degrees centigrade will provide a marked contrast to the first test of the year in Jerez, which featured low temperatures and rain. Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport director said that he expected the test to “allow ourselves and the teams to assimilate more data and knowledge of the tyres.”
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Dunlop launches StreetResponse2 passenger car tyre
Dunlop has launched its latest passenger car tyre for smaller European car models, the StreetResponse2. Available in 13”, 14” and 15” sizes, the tyre fits four of the UK’s top five selling vehicles in 2013, including the Ford Fiesta, which Dunlop notes sold more than 72,000 units. The tyre improves several characteristics of its predecessor, […]
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