4×4 Tyres
Michelin’s fleet division has extended its relationship with the UK Armed Forces Rally Team (AFRT) – the Ministry of Defence’s only tri-service motorsport squad. The deal will see Michelin continue to supply Latitude Cross and XZL tyres for the team’s seven Land Rover Wolf rally vehicles until at least the end of the 2018 season.
Global tyre brand and Cheng Shin Rubber wholly owned subsidiary, Maxxis has created a portfolio that is particularly strong in the 4×4 tyre market, with an emphasis on the more extreme off-road conditions an important part of its marketing strategy. The accessibility of the 4×4 and SUV car market to more budget conscious motorists has increased with lower priced vehicles entering the booming market. As such, Maxxis is positioned as a lower cost alternative to the traditional premium brands, though also offering global brand recognition through its activities in extreme sports.
Goodyear’s Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure 265/65 R17 claimed first place in an all-terrain tyre test conducted by DriveOut Magazine. Of the seven tested tyres, including such names as General and BFGoodrich, Goodyear’s new on/off road tyre ranked highest with an overall result of 97,46 per cent. The manufacturer stated that the test win was “testimony to Goodyear’s continuous innovation and long heritage in the 4×4 category.”
Few names are as synonymous with professional off-road tyres as Cooper, and the American manufacturer has extended its reach in the segment in recent years via its relationship with the Dakar veteran Xavi Foj, made a brand ambassador. The latest tyre to be released by the manufacturer, the Discoverer S/TMAXX POR (Professional Off Road), as a tyre designed for 4×4 driving in extreme conditions, is one that is particularly relevant to Foj. Indeed, the driver commented on its introduction: “the Discoverer S/TMAXX POR is my tyre of choice, the most complete tyre for all uses – from daily tarmac to victory in the toughest terrain in the Dakar Rally.”
Michelin’s latest tyres for the 4×4 segment exemplify the ongoing trend for the increasing focus on road handling characteristics, following the sustained strong growth of SUVs across Europe. While the manufacturer has extended its successful CrossClimate “summer tyre with winter capabilities” to the larger fitments required to supply the segment, the latest tyre from its off-road specialist brand BFGoodrich is the most indicative of this developmental direction. It states that the BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A is made for “taming the urban jungle,” offering increased toughness to SUV and urban crossover drivers.
Kumho has recently enhanced its 4×4 tyre range with the addition of the Crugen HP91 and Crugen KL33 SUV tyres, fitments which seek to attract interest from road-going owners of vehicles in the segment, as well as 14 SUV sizes in its Solus 4S HA31 range. The newest tyres in the range join the cross-functional new Road Venture MT51 and established KL71 to cover most fitments for popular 4×4 and SUV vehicles. Between them, Kumho states that they cover everything from such top end SUVs as the Range Rover and the BMW X5 to the evergreen Land Rover Defender.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has begun supplying its Geolandar G055 as original equipment for the all-new Jeep Compass, which went on sale in North America in June 2017. The new Compass will come factory-equipped with 225/55R18 98H size tyres. In addition, Yokohama’s Geolandar SUV is original equipment on the Jeep Compass launched in China in late 2016.
Pirelli has named Tractamotors in Cavan, Ireland as 4×4 Key Dealer of the Year award, for its focus on excellence in customer service. This is the second year Pirelli has provided this award to one of its exclusive 4×4 Key Dealer Club member tyre dealers. Each dealer nominated a depot and was then subjected to three independently run mystery shop audits by phone. Judging took into account everything from the way a call was answered and time taken to answer, to general attitude over the phone and product knowledge.
For Goodyear, 13 is by no means an unlucky number – with the addition of the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure (See T&A May 2017), this is the number of products in the brand’s SUV/4×4 tyre portfolio. Towards the end of June, we were given the opportunity to experience the new tyre’s performance off-road, and in addition to providing us with access to all the mud we could ever wish for, this also gave us the chance to gain an overview of the market for these products.
Although a new arrival in the market, Goodyear’s latest off-road tyre has gained a first tyre test victory with its coronation as king of Drive Out magazine’s all-terrain tyre test. The South African publication’s June edition compared seven products, and concluded that the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure was “considerably better” than its predecessor (the Goodyear AT/SA) and a “worthy winner” thanks to its impressive performance both off and on the road.
The latest mud-terrain 4×4 tyre from Kumho Tire is the Road Venture MT51. It slots into the Kumho portfolio below the company’s most extreme off-road pattern, the Road Venture MT KL71, and is said to combine good on- and off-road capabilities. The manufacturer mentions braking on both gravel and tarmac as a particular strength.
Bridgestone has won a patent case against Guangzhou-based Wanli Tire. Bridgestone’s success follows another victory last September’s this time against Triangle Tyre.
According to Nikkier, Bridgestone said the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court in April reached a favourable ruling regarding a patent infringement lawsuit Bridgestone filed in October 2015. The suit alleged Wanli of manufacturing and selling tyres with tread patterns used in Bridgestone’s Dueler A/T Revo 2 tyres for sports utility vehicles.
Cooper Tire Europe is partnering with tyre distributor and retailer Arabian Tires to expand the brand’s presence in the Middle East. Cooper currently offers a broad range of 4×4 tyres in Saudi Arabia.
Transport Canada has recalled certain Hercules All Trac A/T light truck and SUV tyres. The recall covers six sizes of the tyres, manufactured between 2007 and 2011. The recall is a repeat of a 2015 notice affecting 10,000 tyres. However, because the rate of recovery for the recall is low, Transport Canada has opted to repeat the communication.
To market the launch of the new Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure, Goodyear is supporting Rainer Zietlow in his attempt to drive 5,000 miles from Dakar to Moscow in a world record time of less than four days. The German adventurer and his co-drivers began the world record attempt on Saturday, setting out from the Senegalese capital in a Wrangler-shod Volkswagen Amarok.
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