Porsche has treated the Panamera to a facelift, and the new model will be launched in July. Michelin continues in its role as tyre supplier – every Panamera will be fitted with Michelin tyres in all regions where the four-door Porsche is sold. In all, the French manufacturer is supplying the latest model with 12 sizes of summer, winter and all-season tyres.
Online tyre retailer Delticom shares that it has now rolled out its Delticom Efficiency Class Index, or DEX label, in all its European portals. The company describes DEX as a “further development” of the classification set out in the EU tyre label and says that its provides a “convenient guide” for choosing summer and all-season tyres.
Wholesaler Van den Ban says that its selection of winter products is “wider than wide” this winter, and the company is expecting to cope well with “normal demand”. In recent winters VDB has experienced “very early” seasonal demand for winter tyres, but with a somewhat milder winter last year, the company is confident that this early rush will be evened out into “normal demand” this year, “commencing later than previous years”.
Goodyear has given word that its Eagle F1 Supercar has been selected as original equipment on the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, which will begin arriving at dealers in the US early next year. In announcing the tyre’s supply, Goodyear commented that the “ultra-performance tread compound on Goodyear's Eagle F1 Supercar tyre helps provide exceptional dry traction and cornering grip to the 470-horsepower automobile.” Goodyear has not given specifics on tyre dimensions.
The Campaign for Better Tyres has published tyre comparison data originally commissioned by the Dutch Government. The information supplied covers rolling resistance, road noise and wet grip measures for a number of summer and winter/all-season tyres currently sold in Europe. The Dutch data categorises tyres into those that are ‘safe, fuel efficient and silent’, those recommended as a ‘secondary choice’ and tyres that fail to measure up. The tyre information can be downloaded in pdf form at http://www.bettertyres.org.uk/why-better-tyres/buying-better-tyres.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has announced another original equipment deal for its Firestone brand. The manufacturer will supply Firehawk GT all-season tyres in size 185/55R15 82H to certain Fiat 500 models. In announcing the tyre’s OE supply, Bridgestone comments that the Firestone Firehawk GT is sport-performance tyre engineered to provide a blend of sporty handling while also offering practical all-season traction capability in many different driving conditions.
The two products in the Toyo range aimed at van users are the H08 and H09. The first of these is a tyre designed to meet the requirements of vehicles operating at motorway speeds as well on urban roads. Toyo reports the H08 gives first rate performance in the wet or dry combined with a long working life, and was designed to be a low maintenance tyre. Thus, the tyre maker adds, it is “very robust and durable to satisfy the most demanding users including the modern multi drop van fleets.” The H08 is also relied upon by the emergency services, Toyo notes.
Even though 87 per cent of German motorists fitted winter tyres last year (according to figures from the motorists’ organisation ADAC), the absence of laws detailing the finer points of their usage has baffled some drivers. This ambiguity has now been addressed. “We are now introducing a concrete version (of winter tyre requirements) into legislative procedure and, with this, certainty of law for our roads,” commented Germany’s transport minister, Peter Ramsauer. “We are defining what will be deemed a winter tyre in the future.”
Germany’s provincial transport ministers have decided upon the introduction of legislation making the use of winter tyres compulsory. The national transport minister, Peter Ramsauer, reports that appropriate changes to Germany’s Highway Code are expected to be implemented by in parliament “as soon as possible.”
North American motorists on the hunt for all-season tyres now have a greater selection to choose from following the release of the eNTYRE from Nokian Tyres. The Finnish company describes its new tyre as a premium product designed specifically for the North American market following input from its dealers. When setting out to design the eNTYRE, Nokian reports adhering to the concept of providing drivers with a ‘green tyre’ that provided ultimate in safety, driving comfort and performance.
Continental Tire North America’s General Grabber HTS has earned the top rating among light truck/SUV all-season tyres in a recent Tire Rack track test. According to CTNA, the Tire Rack testers ran the tyres – size 255/55R18 – against competing lines on a 2006 Porsche Cayenne, reporting that “ride quality, road handling and driver feel were first rate on the HTS stating,” CTNA said.
“We are very pleased that a General brand tire performed so well in Tire Rack’s testing,” said Travis Roffler, CTNA’s director of marketing. “The Grabber HTS test results are just one more example of how well this stellar product line performs, and the level of quality that has been placed into all General tyres.” (Tire Review/Akron)
Contrary to the infamous South Park song, it seems that everything’s gone right since Canada came along; at least for winter tyres. The province of Quebec makes it compulsory for drivers to fit the seasonal rubber to vehicles by 15 December, a deadline decided upon last winter. The law was introduced when data gathered by a provincial road safety task force suggested that 38 per cent of winter accidents involved vehicles relying on all-season rubber. Only ten per cent of (or around 500,000) vehicles in Quebec at the time were found to be running on all-season tyres, rather than specialised winter products.
Meanwhile, winter radials have proved to be “hot commodities” in 2008, according to Canada East and other North American news sources. However, there has been at least one negative reaction to the new law: fifty winter tyres were stolen from a Trois-Rivieres dealership, halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Increased demand and shortages are being reported across Canada, as head of the Automobile Protection Agency, George Iny, told national journalists: “There are already shortages, spot shortages of certain sizes for SUVs. We’re convinced by the time the Dec. 15 deadline rolls around there will be certain tires out of stock. This used to happen before. It’ll just be exacerbated by the additional demand this year.”
Pirelli’s P4 Four Season tyre received the top rating in Tire Rack’s online consumer survey of standard touring all-season tyres.
Tire Rack customers were asked their opinions of tyres across 12 categories, including hydroplaning resistance, wet traction, cornering stability, dry traction, noise/comfort, steering response and other parameters such as light or heavy snow traction, ice traction and whether or not the customer would consider purchasing the tyres again.
Pirelli said its P4 Four Season rated highest in 10 of the 12 categories. Some 28 tyre models were considered in the opinion survey. (Tire Review/Akron)
Those motorists who have winter tyres fitted to their vehicles need no convincing about how much they improve performance and safety in winter conditions. In a country such as Canada, you might be forgiven for thinking that this would include practically everybody, but it seems not, as the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC), Transport Canada and the Automobile Protection Agency (APA) have got together to produce a set of videos to show just how much better winter tyres are.
(Akron/Tire Review) Consumer Reports magazine has added its voice to the growing international call for a 4/32nds (3.175mm) minimum tread depth level. Tire Review magazine in North America, Tyresafe in the UK and some tyremakers in Europe have pushed for the tyre industry and national and local governments to adopt new minimum tread depth standards to improve driver safety and reduce lost traction accidents and accident-related deaths.
In its November issue, Consumer Reports stated that the well-accepted “penny test” consumers have been taught to use to check tread depth is inadequate.
“It has long been the standard that tyres are worn out when their tread depth reaches 1/16-inch (or 2/32-inch as found on standardised tread-depth gauges),” CR wrote. “The easiest way to measure this, if you didn’t have a gauge, was to hold a penny upside down in the tread. If the top of Lincoln’s head was visible, you needed new tyres.
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