Towards the end of 2015, tyrepress.com reported that Continental may be warming to the idea of selling all-season tyres in Europe, and earlier this year we were given further reason to believe these products were on their way. The wait, it seems, is nigh on over. Several of Continental’s European market websites now include details about a new tyre, the AllSeasonContact.
Michelin’s popular – some would even say trend-setting – CrossClimate tyre is now available to a wide range of SUVs and 4x4s.
The Michelin CrossClimate was the world’s first summer tyre to achieve the 3PMSF winter accreditation, and it has won a string of awards since its launch.
What differentiates those who work in marketing within the tyre industry from those employed in a technical capacity? The latter tend not to mince words, and are more likely to say what they think rather than slip into jargon and PR-speak. We can learn a lot from this direct approach.
Austrian car workshop and automotive product fair AutoZum is the venue for the world premiere of the latest Vredestein tyre for the van and light truck market. Visitors to the show, which began yesterday and runs until Saturday 21 January, can view the Vredestein Comtrac 2 All Season tyre at the Apollo Vredestein stand (0702) in Hall 10.
Next year it will be four decades since Goodyear introduced the first all-season tyre, the Tiempo, and to celebrate the anniversary – and raise awareness of its investments in innovation for this product segment – the tyre maker has partnered with artist and inventor Dominic Wilcox to reinvent typically one season items and make them fit-for-purpose all year round. The outcome of this partnership, including solutions for skateboards, barbecues and convertible cars, can be viewed at the www.hugtheroads.com/allseasons website.
Back in the middle of November, Sentury Tire launched its first run-flat tyre under the Landsail brand name. Now the Landsail 255/55 R18 109V all-season run flat tyre ha been developed and tested, Sentury has taken it to the market and says: “This new product is the evidence of Sentury’s strength of innovation” and is a justification of the firm’s ‘“Top Ranked Product is Made in China” advocacy’.
No fewer than nine car magazines and motoring associations in Germany published tyre tests for the 2016/17 season, and always there have been winners and losers. Continental belongs firmly in the former category, with its tyres finding themselves, without exception, top-rated. The company’s various WinterContact products landed ‘highly recommended’ and ‘exemplary’ ratings. Other well-known names, including Goodyear Dunlop, Hankook, Michelin, Nokian and Pirelli, all came away with top ratings in some tests. Open the table below for an overview of this winter season’s tyre test winners and losers.
Recognising the attractiveness of all-season tyres to the majority of the UK market, leading weekly magazine Auto Express has conducted its second comparative test of six products in the segment. Testing on the bestselling 17” size, 225/45R17, the magazine used the independent Test World facility, with support from Hankook, to test in snow, and Continental’s Contidrom to test in cold and wet conditions to represent winter, and dry conditions to represent summer. The full test also included two leading seasonal tyres, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 winter tyre and the Continental ContiSportContact 5 summer tyre, which showed that all-season products continue to represent a compromise; however the performance gaps in the tests most relevant to UK drivers may surprise critics of year-round tyres.
According to GfK sell-out data for the UK and five other key European markets, demand for all-season tyres in our region grew 37.7 per cent year-on-year in 2015. Last year’s increase followed similar and even greater growth in the preceding few years, and this marked rise in demand means all-season tyres are a very appealing product for tyre makers. The company credited with creating the all-season segment now shares the market with a host of premium, mid-range and budget products, yet continued innovation over tyre generations has helped Goodyear retain a competitive edge.
Matt Smith, UK director of Falken Tyres, believes tyre makers can no longer avoid the topic of all-season tyres, and following Michelin’s entry into the segment he expects to see more and more players throwing their hats into the ring. The Falken brand has been represented in the all-season market for a number of years now; the Euroall Season AS200 was launched in 2013 and remains Falken’sole all-season product in our market.
To meet increasing demand for all-season product in the UK and throughout Europe, Landsail recently introduced its 4Seasons range. The line-up launched in the UK as a Grouptyre private brand some six months ago, which a choice of 25 size options available for PCR and van applications.
When it comes to choosing the most suitable tyre for the winter months ahead, Firestone declares that its Multiseason represents the most compelling proposition for motorists. It is, in the words of Firestone brand manager Stuart Attfield, the ideal “halfway house” to combat the unpredictable conditions so often encountered in the UK.
Solus HA31 is Kumho Tire’s latest all-season tyre, and it has now all but replaced the Solus Vier KH21 in the UK market; though the older pattern is currently still available in some sizes. According to the tyre maker, the HA31 is “the ideal choice for drivers of all sizes of passenger car seeking optimum performance and reliability in all weathers.”
Kumho’s latest all-season tyre, the Solus HA31, has been accorded a Japanese Good Design Award. So too has the Kumho Eco Sense SE11 – a pattern specifically designed for environmentally friendly and electric vehicles but which, unlike the HA31, isn’t currently available in the UK market.
TÜV SÜD has shared its thoughts on winter and all-season tyres. While the testing and certification specialist doesn’t wish to cast doubt over the safety advantage winter tyres offer when driving on snow and ice, it also considers all-season tyres a suitable choice for motorists who only drive in flat or lowland regions and spend a lot of time on the motorway.
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