Florida-based Modular Wheels has launched its new 2006 line of three-piece forged style wheels for Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes & BMW vehicles. According to the company, the new line cuts customer’s costs for high-end vehicle wheels by up to 75 per cent without sacrificing quality, performance or style.
The Trackdays.com Show – the first-ever trackday-focussed event of its kind in the UK – gets the green flag on Sunday 30 April 2006 at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants. Organiser Ian Raybould, of Trackdays.com, said: “There are car shows and there are motorsport shows, but this one is totally focussed on trackdays, trackday and performance products and driving experiences.
Discussion on the subject of run-flat tyres has once again heated up. Although this time, rather than questioning their price or the way they are being introduced, various parties have disagreed over whether or not dealers should repair them. The recent BRMA and TIC run-flat advice statements appear to agree on the subject. “The BRMA does not recommend repairs to a run-flat tyre,” the TIC statement read. Other voices, however, have questioned the motives behind advising against repairing run-flats.
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Autodata has updated its Wheel Alignment Data manual to include information on over 60 new models and important revisions to many other models. The 2006 edition marks 30 years of accurate up-to-date information on Wheel Alignment from Autodata.
OZ Racing have released a new wheel aimed at powerful premium vehicles like the Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Lexus. The Michelangelo II PL is available in 18, 19 and 20 inch sizes and is priced between 440 and 650 euros.
(Akron/Tire Review) Continuing its emphasis on its sub-brand products, Yokohama Tire Corp. launched two new tyres during last week’s SEMA Show – the Advan S.4 all-season UHP, and the Parada Spec-X for the custom/tuner market segment.
Mike Newman has broken his own Land Speed World Record on Continental tyres. Driving alone in a tailor made BMW M5 fitted with ContiSportContact 2 tyres the visually impaired record breaker clock up a top speed of almost 180 mph. On 11 October at Evington Aerodrome near York, Newman smashed his previous record of 144.7mph by averaging a speed of 167.32mph. His top speed was 178.5mph.
BMW Car Magazine has praised Goodyear for cracking the ride comfort issue of run-flat tyres. It complimented the manufacturer’s RunOnFlat tyre for not “jiggling about your internal organs as a pay-off for the extra security that run-flat technology brings.”
The publication commended Goodyear’s technology for overcoming many of the shortcomings of other run-flat tyres. According to the article, “there is no doubt that the RunOnFlats are a significant leap forward over previous run-flats… This car rode noticeably smoother than a previous Three (series) we have tested on the older Goodyear EMT run-flat tyres. Ruts and bumps were simply soaked up, the Three never losing its taut sports saloon composure or feeling anything other than planted.”
Bridgestone continued its programme of preparing First Stop dealers for a rise in run-flat replacement fitments by inviting them to test the technology at a specially designed event in Bedford.
Dealers were given the chance to drive BMW 3-Series cars fitted with original-equipment Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT run-flat tyres around a track designed to simulate a variety of different road conditions, in order to test the tyres for themselves.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has expanded its Zeon 2XS and Zeon XST ultra-high performance lines with new sizes for performance cars and SUVs. And it added two new sizes to its Cooper Lifeliner SLE touring line. Cooper added five new 18 and 19-inch sizes to, its Zeon 2XS line targeting BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Cadillac, Lexus, Mustang, Audi and Chrysler models.
In addition, it added sizes 305/35R23, 305/40R23 and 285/45R22 to the Zeon XST line to target sport tuned trucks and SUVs. Sizes 235/65R16 and 225/60R17 were added to the Lifeliner SLE family, Cooper said, to target the Saturn Vue, Chevy Equinox and Lincoln Town Car.
Continental is to supply the new BMW M5 Limousine and the M6 Coupé. The German automotive supplier will provide both its MK60 E5 brake system and ContiSportContact 2 tyres. “Once again, BMW is placing its trust in our know-how and expertise for its top sporty models, following the current M3 and M3 CSL models. We’re very pleased about this,” said Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann, president of Continental Automotive Systems and member of the Continental AG Executive Board.
(Akron/Tire Review) Not only is it a top seller, but Goodyear’s Assurance TripleTred is also an award-winner, taking a Silver IDEA in the 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Awards.
Co-sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and BusinessWeek magazine, the Industrial Design Excellence Awards evaluates designs for innovation, aesthetics, user benefits, business impact and ecological responsibility. Products from Apple, Nike, BMW and Microsoft were awarded IDEAs in the competition, but the Goodyear Assurance was the only tyre honored.
FIA president Max Mosely has given his opinions about what happened at the recent US grand prix. Amongst other things, Mr Mosely called on Michelin to “compensate fans on a fair basis,” and give away free tickets to next year’s event. The news is set against a back drop of other F1 dealings including, BMW’s shock purchase of the Sauber team, which will become effective from 1 January 2006.
Bridgestone run-flat tyres are to become standard fitment to BMW’s new 3-Series. The model will join a list of BMW OE fitments for the manufacturer including the new 6-Series, 5-Series, and 1-Series.
“We are delighted BMW has chosen to fit Bridgestone run-flat tyres as original equipment on the new 3-Series,” said Andy Lane, marketing manager at Bridgestone UK.
Both the high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT tyre and the comfort-orientated Bridgestone Turanza ER300 RFT tyre will be used on 3-Series models.
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