Duncan Wilkes confirmed Paul Fox’s Micheldever successor
Duncan Wilkes has been appointed chief executive of Micheldever Group, taking up the position in the New Year. First announced last February as part of the Micheldever Board‘s senior management succession plan, current Micheldever chief executive officer Paul Fox’s retirement has been confirmed for 31 December 2013. Fox will remain both as a shareholder and a non-executive director on the Micheldever Board.
Continue Reading
GT Radial enters combi road market
GT Radial has entered the growing multi-usage sector with the launch of the GSR225 Combi Road steer axle tyre. The tyre is initially available in size 295/80R22.5.
Continue Reading
Hunter Quick Check Lane makes UK debut at Pro-Align
The exclusive UK distributer of American wheel alignment equipment specialist Hunter has made the company’s latest piece of innovative technology available in the UK for the first time. The Hunter Quick Check Lane continues the technological lineage of the company’s rapid preliminary wheel alignment diagnostic system, Quick Check, to widen the scope of its time-saving diagnostic applications beyond the wheel.
Continue Reading
CCTV footage highlights the inconvenience and peril of tyre failure
Compared with the material Facebook considers fit for viewing it is pretty tame stuff, but a video published by TyreSafe and the Highways Agency on the latter’s YouTube channel illustrates very graphically what can happen when tyre maintenance is neglected. The clip is one of a series uploaded in conjunction with October’s Tyre Safety Month and gives a motorway camera view of the moment a tyre fails on the front of an HGV, sending it into the central reservation at speed.
Continue Reading
Le Mans a ‘laboratory’ for EV tyre development – Michelin
When the Automobile Club de lOuest, creator and organiser of the ’24 Heures du Mans’ has invited Nissan to enter its ZEOD RC into next year’s 24 hour race, the Japanese vehicle maker has turned to Michelin to develop the tyres on which the electric race car will compete. The car that will take to the Circuit de la Sarthe in June 2014 was officially unveiled in October 2013 – and the director of Michelin’s 4 Wheels Racing division was on hand to talk about the tyre maker’s participation in the project.
Continue Reading
Bridgestone’s Aoki explains Phillip Island MotoGP race shortening
Shinji Aoki, manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department, explains that the “rear slick tyre allocation we supplied for the Australian Grand Prix experienced extreme temperatures which affected their durability.” The race was reduced from 27 laps to 19, including an enforced pit stop at half way after Bridgestone data from practice showed the hard rear slick should do a maximum stint of 14 laps. The tyre supplier of the supporting Moto2 race Dunlop encountered similar issues, with its race also run over a reduced distance.
Continue Reading
Trelleborg claims widest tread width and footprint
Trelleborg Wheel Systems is preparing to present what it claims will be the largest agricultural tyre on the market in terms of footprint and tread width. The giant IF900/65R46 TM1000 High Power tyre will be available to view on the stand at Agritechnica between 10 and 16 November 2013 in Hannover, Germany.
Continue Reading
Reinventing the (alloy) wheel
The company that gave the world the forged aluminium wheel has released what it calls the “most advanced aluminium wheel alloy in 45 years.” Alcoa says the new lightweight alloy, which it calls MagnaForce, is on average 16.5 per cent stronger than its 6061 alloy in similar applications. The use of MagnaForce will thus allow for lighter, stronger wheels with the same corrosion-resistant characteristics found in the current Alcoa range.
Continue Reading
Nokian WR D3, SUV 3 winter tyres take German plaudits
Nokian’s WR D3 winter tyre has been “especially recommended”, scoring the top “good” rating, in German automobile club ADAC and consumer protection organisation Stiftung Warentest’s 2013 winter tyre test. The tyre was equally recommended by German car magazine Auto Motor Sport. The Finnish manufacturer and winter tyre specialist also received plaudits for its new WR SUV 3 tyre in two German SUV specialist titles.
Continue Reading
Bridgestone campaign supports Dreamworks animation
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has announced a promotional alliance with film production company DreamWorks Animation, supporting its latest 3D comedy, ‘Turbo’. The promotions will give Firestone customers an early opportunity to engage with the film, which features an ordinary garden snail who dreams of competing in the Indy 500. In Europe, where the movie has been screened in cinemas as of this month, Firestone has linked events with trade sell-in promotions and consumer sell-out incentives in several countries, including Spain, Denmark and eastern European markets.
Continue Reading
Pirelli develops record-breaking custom P Zero for Alfa Romeo 4C
Pirelli has launched two fitments for the recently launched Alfa Romeo 4C. The new 4C lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 8:04 on the P Zero Trofeo tyres – a new Alfa Romeo record – which were developed in less than a year of intense work between Pirelli and Alfa Romeo engineers. The car has the option of fitting 17” on the front and 18” on the back, or 18” on the front and 19” on the back.
Continue Reading
Surprises and new winners at 2013 TAFF Awards
The NTDA’s 84th annual dinner was once again a sell-out. And this year the TAFF awards provided a number of new winners. In addition the crowds were entertained by Hal Cruttendon and association chairman Stephen Callow was joined by Lanxess UK MD Kim O’Connor in addressing the 400+ industry decision makers in attendance.
Continue Reading
93% consumers don’t require tyre labelling info
Just a day after Goodyear Dunlop released its review of the impact of tyre labelling legislation on consumers across Europe, a Lanxess/NTDA report is painting a somewhat less rosy view of progress in this area. Details of the research are expected to be shared at tonights Tyre and Fast Fit Awards in Birmingham, with the full report scheduled for publication on the morning of 17 October. While it has to pointed out that the Lanxess/NTDA research centred on the UK only as opposed to Europe, it must als be said the conclusions appear to be somewhat different.
Continue Reading
Cold weather tyre growth continues – ATS Euromaster
ATS Euromaster says the cold weather tyre sales have continued to grow in the UK nearly four years after becoming the first national tyre retailer to launch a dedicated winter tyre service for UK fleets. Demand for car, SUV and van winter products increased by 14 per cent in 2012 according to the tyre service provider, and this figure is on track for further double-digit growth in 2013. With a particularly cold late autumn forecast, ATS-E says demand could climb even more sharply. Were this to happen, the UK could see its stock of winter tyres depleted quicker, even ahead of the winter months.
Continue Reading
Apollo responds to Cooper claims
Both Cooper Tire & Rubber and Apollo Tyres state they want the merger/acquisition deal to close, yet each blames the other for delaying this. First Cooper alleged its suitor wasn’t settling certain issues; now Apollo says Cooper has failed to address everything required for the agreement to be finalised.
Continue Reading