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The new “green” concept vehicle from Bright Automotive will come equipped with Bridgestone brand tyres. The Bright Idea, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that the producer claims will reach 100 mpg, will feature Bridgestone Turanza tyres. Once in production in 2013, Bright Automotive plans to produce 50,000 of the cars, which will roll on Bridgestone Ecopia radials. (Tire Review/Akron)
With worldwide automotive manufacturers feeling simultaneous and significant economic and ecological pressures, remaining at the cutting edge in terms of research and development is vital for the premium brands to create the sense of worth necessary to continue selling tyres at the upper end of the pricing sheet. As a significant factor in achieving this goal, the Michelin Group earmarks 600 million Euros for research and development annually.
For part of its testing this year, the French manufacturer is outsourcing to the DEKRA Test Centre, based in Narbonne, France. The 2009 tests will compare Michelin’s Energy Saver in size 195/65R15 91H, the Primacy HP (225/55R16 95W) and the Primacy Alpin PA3 (205/55R16 91H) with examples from the ranges of the premium brand manufacturers Bridgestone (B250, Turanza ER300, LM25), Continental (PremiumContact 2, WinterContact TS830), Dunlop (SP Sport Fast Response, SP Winter Sport 3D), Goodyear (Excellence, Ultra Grip 7+) and Pirelli (P6 Cinturato, P7). Results from the tests will be provided by DEKRA in May for the performance and high performance sizes and in September for the cold weather head-to-head, so readers are advised to check forthcoming issues and on Tyrepress.com for the results.
Toyo Tire Europe GmbH has launched a new low rolling resistance tyre into the market. According to the company, the Proxes Ne features an extremely low rolling resistance to reduce fuel consumption and therefore carbon emissions associated with driving. However, Toyo have taken their efforts to reduce carbon emissions a step further by incorporating a recycled polyester carcass ply as a way of reducing the energy and carbon used in the manufacturing process. The use of “Ecocircle” recycled polyester ply, which was developed by Teijin Fibers Limited, is said to be a world first. This recycled material, along with a 15 per cent reduction in rolling resistance compared to the Proxes CF1, make the Proxes Ne one of the most environmentally friendly products on the road, according to Toyo.
The new tyre is available now in four sizes ultra-mini orientated sizes designed to fit the Smart car and others: 145/65R15 72T, 155/60R15 74T, 175/55R15 72T, 195/50R15 82T.
A further six 15 to 18 inch variations will be made available from October 2009: 185/65R15 88H, 195/65R15 91H, 195/55R16 87V, 205/55R16 94V XL, 215/45R17 87W, 225/45R18 91W.
Tyrexpo Asia
Reports from this year’s Tyrexpo Asia exhibition in Singapore have been positive, with show attendees commenting on a good turnout and definite signs of flourishing business despite current global conditions. Following a full schedule of meetings with industry representatives at the show, Tyres & Accessories is proud to bring you its 2009 Tyrexpo Asia review. A comprehensive report on the Singapore show can be found in our next edition.
Born to Perform
If any aspect of the tyre business can at all lay claim to coolness, it is the high performance tyre segment. Manufacturers naturally make the most of this when promoting their wider product ranges, yet the performance tyre sector is a very important business in its own right. Healthy profit margins mean companies are keen to see continued market growth, and the production of high performance tyres is increasingly becoming a means of continued existence for plants located in higher cost countries following the flight of mass-market manufacturing to other parts of the world. Don’t miss the May edition of Tyres & Accessories, when we feature the latest news from the high performance tyre world.
Enjoying an Active Retirement
As we get older we are admonished to regularly exercise our bodies, to – ‘use it or lose it’. Vintage and classic cars are no different. A full appreciation of yesteryear’s vehicles can only be gained by keeping them on the road instead of gathering dust in a static museum display, but for a full and active retired life, these cars require a little more TLC than average – including the correct tyres. Thankfully, number of firms have dedicated themselves to ensuring these tyres remain available long after wider volume production ended. In May, Tyres & Accessories returns to the world of cross-ply and beaded edges to bring you its vintage tyre feature.
Avon Tyres Motorsport is supporting Formula Student competitions around the world by offering a preferential rate on its Formula Student-specific tyres to any colleges and universities who take part in the events. Run in the UK by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and known internationally as Formula SAE, the Formula Student concept pits educational institutions from around the world against each other in order to promote excellence in engineering.
Teams from as far afield as India, Russia and Canada will join establishments from across Europe at Silverstone in July, with over 100 universities hoping to take part in Formula Student 2009. All will have to design and build a small single-seater racing car to perform well in several areas including sprinting, acceleration, skid pan, endurance and economy tests, as well as being judged on the car’s design, cost and presentation.
Up to 3.5 million motorists in the UK are driving on illegal tyres, according to new research released this week. The study of 4,000 road users for Continental Tyres revealed a worrying ignorance of British drivers when it comes to tyre safety with one in 10 drivers running on tyres below the legal minimum tread depth. More than four in 10 (41 per cent) claim to have never checked their car tyres and a third admitted to not knowing how to check tread depth and tyre pressure. The survey was commissioned to coincide with the launch of a new website offering simple guidance to drivers on how to check tyres and other basic safety information.
In addition to all the latest news and analysis, April's issue of Tyres & Accesories contains features on Private Brands and Wheel Alignment, as well as our annual in-depth Wheel Report.
According to Marangoni, its Marix Ecology range has proven a popular choice for off-road drivers thanks to a series of products designed for extreme use, such as Lion and Puma. Both of these tyres feature substantial tread blocks, and for this reason are sought by those who use their 4×4 for work or in sporting competitions, and want a tyre with good grip and drainage capacity. The latest additions to the Marix 2008 range are the Cruise and Ghepard, the latter a high performance tyre for SUVs that is approved for high performance and available in 17 and 18-inch sizes. Marangoni says the Ghepard ensures comfort and maximum grip in all conditions thanks to the use of high performance compounds.
Vredestein UK managing director, Stuart Jackson has become chairman of TyreSafe. According to the tyre safety organisation, he replaced former chairman Rob Beddis as the public face of TyreSafe during February and will continue Beddis’s work in raising awareness among motorists of the importance of well maintained tyres in road safety.
According to a survey conducted by Continental, more than 3.5 million UK motorists are driving on illegal tyres. The survey of 4,000 drivers showed one in ten to have tyres below the legal 1.6mm minimum tread depth – and 70 per cent of drivers are unaware that 1.6mm is indeed the minimum depth permitted.
Two thirds of women, the Conti survey noted, rely upon their partner to check the safety of their vehicle’s tyres. This probably isn’t a sterling idea, given that four out of ten motorists never actually check their tyre pressure and a third can’t actually change a wheel.
Leading tyre retail websites tyre-shopper.co.uk and kwik-fit.com have been rated as amongst the top 10 automotive shopping and classified websites in the UK. In the research kwik-fit.com came fifth, while tyre-shopper was ranked in ninth place. However it is also interesting to note that the success of first placed ebaymotors.co.uk and sixth-placed 247spares.co.uk, which both sell tyres, means 40 per cent of the UK’s leading websites in this category are also online tyre distribution channels.
The survey was carried out by Experian research company Hitwise, which monitored 8.43 million UK Internet users and how they interact with more than 1 million websites, across more than 165 different industries. The ranking didn’t include details of the relative performance of alternative leading tyre retail websites such as blackcircles.com, mytyres.co.uk or bestbuytyres.co.uk.
Wheels India, part of the TVS group companies, and leading Indian tyre maker, MRF, are supplying the original equipment wheels and tyres for Tata Motors’ pint-sized ultra-mini the Nano. Wheels India managing director, Srivats Ram, told Hindu Business Line: “The wheel that was developed is lighter than any other passenger car wheel in the country and the first wheel to my knowledge in passenger car wheels to have three bolt-holes instead of the conventional four.”
Pall-Ex has switched its forklift truck fleet to Continental CSEasy tyres. Pall-Ex’s headquarters in Ellistown in Leicestershire operates 36 fork lift trucks running on a 24 hour shift operation. Barloworld in partnership with Continental Tyres introduced the new, award winning CSEasy to the site and the results have reportedly shown a number of key benefits for Pall-Ex.
Tony Mellor, commercial director, said: ”Both tyre punctures and truck downtime were a real concern for us at Pall-Ex. The CSEasy tyre can be mounted and demounted without the use of a press, safely in the on-site Barloworld workshop. This saves us costly downtime and the need for expensive equipment. It also means that we are able to change tyres 24/7 keeping our operation moving round the clock.
Stamford Tyres Corporation has reported double digit falls in both third quarter revenues (S$62.9 million, £29.2 million – down 21 per cent) and period gross profits (S$15.8 million, £7.34 million – down 16.6 per cent). The biggest quarterly fall was in the company’s net profits after tax, which fell to just S$100,000 (£46,426), down 94.9 per cent compared with the same period in the company’s 2008 financial year. Stamford puts the marked drops it experienced down to the “deteriorating business environment resulting from the global economic crisis.” Nevertheless the company evidently did turn a profit and continues to record healthy gross profit margins in excess of 20 per cent (2009:25.1 – 2008:23.8).
For the nine months ended 31 January 2009 revenue was S$227.6 million (£105.6 million), down 6.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2008. Gross profit for the first three quarters of the 2009 fiscal year was S$54.6 million (£25.3 million), comparable to what was achieved at the same point in 2008 (down 1.8 per cent to be precise). However, according to the company “most key territories in Stamford Tyres’ marketing network continued to perform satisfactorily.”
Bridgestone has released its premium Turanza ER300 Ecopia grand touring tyre in Europe, and according to the company versions of the Mercedes S-Class and Opel Insignia fitted with the tyres have already been introduced onto the market. Outside of these two OE fitments, the new Ecopia tyres will be progressively available in the replacement market from April 2009, initially in 15 different sizes from 14 to 17 inch and H to Y speed ratings. More sizes will follow in the near future, states Bridgestone.
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