Latest Generation Conti Eco Tyre Cuts Rolling Resistance 20%
In designing its latest eco tyre range, Continental AG was influenced to a large extent by the changing requirements of its OEM customers. As Alexander Lührs, head of Continental’s press and public relations for passenger and light truck tyres, explained at the recent ContiTechnikForum held in Portugal, “the requirements for tyre development are in a very dynamic state.” This especially applies to rolling resistance optimised products. “Car manufacturers need to reduce CO2 emissions. This means they ask us and our competition to come up with new solutions in this regard.”
Continue ReadingSurvey: 92% of Motorists Support Annual MOT Tests
An article in The Times dated 29 December under the heading “Pressure Grows Not To Tinker With The MOT”, featured the results of a nationwide survey of 4,200 drivers, commissioned by the MOT Forum and supported by NTDA and other members of the Forum, in which more nine tenths of those questioned said the MOT should stay as it is.
Continue ReadingMichelin Wins Manufacturing in Action Award
Michelin won the ‘Manufacturing in Action’ award at The Manufacturer of the Year Awards 2010, beating the huge Indian owned steel giant TATA. At a ceremony held on 18 November at Chesford Grange, Kenilworth, Michelin Stoke factory manager Peter Marsh and training manager Mick Cole accepted the award from guest speaker Lord Digby Jones. Michelin scooped the top prize in the Manufacturing in Action category ahead of nearest rivals TATA Steel, Howden Compressors and Aesica Pharmaceuticals. This year's event was the ninth annual The Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
Continue ReadingTyresensors.com Reports Much TPMS Interest at Brityrex
The recent Brityrex exhibition saw Tyresensors.com exhibit featured the company’s range of Schrader OE replacement sensors and service kits, not to mention the firm’s ATEQ line of TPMS trigger tools, which it exclusively distributes in the UK. So how did the exhibition go? “A lot of people were interested in TPMS in generally as well as our parts in particular,” managing director Ian Smith told Tyres & Accessories, adding that the company’s ATEQ tool demos had the effect of drawing visitors in. As a result the company representatives report that they made “a lot” of good contacts, with a real emphasis on the quality of the leads gained.
Continue ReadingWestlake Gains ‘Daily’ Exposure
Stoke-based Daily Tyres, a new mainland venture from Eamon Daly of Daly Tyres (Limerick), used the recent Brityrex show to publicise the enhanced availibility of the Westlake in the Midlands and North of England. The Westlake brand was featured on Eamon Daly’s rally racing car which was prominently on display in the main entrance to the tyre show.
Continue ReadingTAFF Awards Best Industry Advertising Campaign – Continental
A field of nominees that featured four of the top six tyre manufacturers and new entrant to the top ten, Maxxis, was always going to be competitive. In the end Continental won out over Bridgetone, Goodyear, Maxxis and Michelin claiming the prize for the second year on the trot. The tyre manufacturer won the honour for its World Cup campaign, ‘Don’t Miss the Big Game.’ The successful campaign promoted Continental’s ongoing sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup with a distinctly South African theme to match the host country of the 2010 tournament. With striking visuals of South Africa’s big game, Continental gave consumers the chance to win a once in a lifetime trip to the World Cup finals including a Safari tour - so that they wouldn’t miss any of the big game.
Continue ReadingStoner Claims Fourth Consecutive Australian GP
Producing a repeat performance of his spectacular pace in qualifying, Casey Stoner dominated the Australian Grand Prix to take his third victory of the season and his fourth consecutively at the Phillip Island circuit. From pole, the Australian never looked back as he romped to a convincing victory using Bridgestone’s softer option slicks front and rear. Every rider used Bridgestone’s softer option front and rear slicks in the cold conditions; the weekend was the first time Bridgestone’s softer option asymmetric rear slicks featured the new extra soft compound in the right shoulders for improved warm-up performance and grip in the cold.
Continue ReadingTRIB’s Harvey Brodsky to Address Italian Retreading General Assembly
Harvey Brodsky, managing director of TRIB, the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, is to appear as a featured speaker at the general assembly of the Italian Tyre Retreaders Association (the Associazione Italiana Ricostruttori Pneumatici, or AIRP) in Rome on October 8 and 9. TRIB says that Brodsky’s presentation will highlight the current situation of the North American retreading industry in comparison with that in Italy and other parts of the world.
Continue ReadingAyce Systems to Show at Brityrex
Ayce Systems has confirmed that the company will have two stand spaces at next month’s Brityrex International Exhibition in Manchester. The Yorkshire-based firm reports that it will be displaying a comprehensive range of wheel refurbishment products including the Wheelrite Pro and the flexible Wheelrite Combi machines on a 33 square metre stand, as well as having their LWB Mercedes Sprinter demonstration van on another stand alongside. Products on-show are set to include the Wheelrite Pro, which reportedly incorporates “everything needed to repair and re polish kerbed scratched and corroded alloy wheels”, whilst the dual purpose Wheelrite Combi brings together, for the first time tyre fitting and alloy wheel refurbishment. Other products on show will be an Hydraulic Wheel Straightening machine, the Wheelrite Pro Spray Booth and a Dust Extractor unit.
Continue ReadingAnalysis: Saying All Budget Tyres are Lethal is an Unfair Generalisation
What Car?’s tyre test team make a good point highlighting the differences between some premium and budget products in their recent tyre test. But it appears they went a step too far when they entitled the feature “why budget tyres could kill” lumping the three cheaper products (Arrowspeed, Ovation and Sunew) together in the their final conclusion. It might sound a touch pedantic, but the addition of the word “some” in the headline may have been fairer as this would have avoided generalising about the overall quality of tyres. It didn’t take long after Tyres & Accessories reported on the tests on our daily e-Newsletter for the manufacturers involved to take up their right to reply. The Korean manufacturer behind Kwik-Fit’s popular Arrowspeed tyre brand arguably has the best case for disputing being tarred with the saw low-budget brush as the Ovation and the Sunew tyres.
Continue ReadingReport: Budget Tyres Could Kill, But at Least They’re Quiet
What Car? has named and shamed budget brands in a test warning that tyres like these “could kill.” In the test published online on 4 August 2010 What Car? measured the performance of the Arrowspeed CP661, Continental Premium Contact 2, Goodyear Optigrip, Michelin Pilot Sport 3, Ovation VI-182 and Sunew YS112 in dry braking, wet braking, lateral grip and noise tests. The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 came out top, with particularly strong results in wet and dry braking. However, there were some shocking outcomes in the budget sector when it came to braking and noise.
Continue ReadingTAFF Awards 2010: Industry Advertising Campaign
It seems logical that the bigger companies have more money to spend on advertising and indeed, four of the finalists are from the top six tyre manufacturers. They are joined this year by a new name – Maxxis International – who have been very active on the marketing front. Without any further ado, here are the nominations:
Continue ReadingDaniel Hemric Wins Legends Million on Federal Tyres
Federal Tires was chosen as an official sponsor of tires for the US Legends Million held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, over the weekend of 15-17 July. In a fierce battle, Kannapolis, N.C., native Daniel Hemric won the inaugural contest, the largest grassroots race in history, taking home $250,000 with the victory. Doug Stevens held on to finish second, followed by Steven Cantrell, David Ragan, and Tyler Green.
Continue ReadingLorenzo Sets Records on Asymmetric Rear at MotoGP US Round
Jorge Lorenzo rode his Fiat Yamaha to a new fastest race time in Round 9 of the 2010 MotoGP Championship on Sunday, tearing around the United States’ Race Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, furthering his lead and seemingly inexorable rise to this season’s title. Tyre supplier Bridgestone was quick to explain the advantage its hard front and softer asymmetric rear slicks had given the field: every rider favoured the softer option asymmetric rear slick tyre which featured the improved medium compound rubber to offer better warm-up performance. “Its increased level of performance at higher temperatures was the reason it was sufficiently durable for race distance even as the track temperature reached 44 degrees,” a Bridgestone statement read.
Continue ReadingPirelli Highlights Zonda Nürburgring Connection
You may have already heard that the Pagani Zonda R recently set the fastest lap time for a production car around Germany’s Nürburgring, but some news sources overlooked the modest hero of the day. As the Zonda R thundered around the Nordschleife circuit in Nürburgring, covering the 20.83 kilometres in 6 minutes 47 seconds – a second quicker than the previous record set last August – the Italian supercar benefitted from its P Zero Slick tyres, fitted in size 265/645-19TL for the front and 325/705-20TL at the rear.
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