New European requirements on roadworthiness testing will mean that there will be changes to the content of annual vehicle tests from January next year. From 1st January 2012, revised European legislation will introduce new requirements to annual vehicle tests to reflect advances in technology. The changes include additional checks for some of the vehicle systems already examined such as brakes, steering suspension and lighting.
Nokian’s new WR D3 winter tyre has been awarded victory in German car magazine Sport Auto’s winter tyre test 2011. The Finnish brand scored 99/100 for its snow performance and 68/70 in the dry. “Nokian is clearly ahead of the others with regard to winter properties. In the dry you can rely on it, too,” said Sport Auto. The tyre, priced at 169 euros, was the most economically priced tyre, with the most expensive tyre tested costing 57 euros more. Only premium winter tyres in the dimension 225/45-17 were tested.
While many in the tyre business have been pursuing safety messages linked to the use of winter tyres, a theme of industry organisation TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month this October, the recent autumnal weather has led UK e-Tailer mytyres.co.uk to a more fundamental message about tread depth. The company – part of European online tyre retailer Delticom – says that heavy rain, gusty winds and falling leaves “can quickly turn a normal road or motorway into a hazardous skidpan”. It says that customers should consider minimum tread depths of 3mm for summer tyres and 4mm for winter tyres.
Italian brake manufacturer Tarox has released its new hand-finished brake lines. The company, which has been in the brakes business since 1976, says it has “invested substantially” in new technology to create a bespoke range of “race-quality brake lines for more than 3,000 car fitments. The range is suitable for classic, retro, tuner, prestige and sports machines, providing quicker fluid transfer from pedal to pad. Tarox says the hoses “improve pedal feel and braking efficiency, enhancing the driver’s ‘feel’ and confidence.”
The MotoGP paddock travels from Indianapolis last weekend to Rimini and the Adriatic Coast for the San Marino Grand Prix on 4 September. The Misano World Circuit is twisty and quite stop-start in nature, although there is a very fast section from turns ten to thirteen. Consequently riders spend a lot of time on the brakes meaning that braking stability from the front Bridgestone tyres is crucial. Confidence in rear grip is especially important through turns six, ten and sixteen, which all lead onto sections of straight.
The latest edition of Tyres & Accessories (August 2011) is now available to subscribers online. To read 116 pages of tyre news and information relating to our special features on the forthcoming TAFF Awards, Truck Tyres and Brakes simply click more.
A total of 32 new MAN TGX Efficient-Line demonstration vehicles recent left MAN’s truck forum bound for the company’s German sales offices. Aluminium giant and wheelmaker Alcoa reports that MAN’s green truck and the Dura-Bright wheels are a strong partners thanks to the truck’s “advanced drive technology and excellent fuel efficiency, that today’s long-distance transport has the potential to save up to 3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres.”
Staffordshire County Council has teamed up with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Michelin Tyre Plc as part of the road safety initiative. Between them they have been handing out 10,000 cycle helmets – 7,000 to young people in Staffordshire and 3,000 to children in Stoke-on-Trent.
In addition 80 bikes have also been given away and pupils have been taking part in classroom based sessions and cycling activities to boost their confidence when they are out and about. Michelin is funding after a grant from the European Commission’s Road Safety for Young People in Europe.
Trelleborg has announced its continued investment in the Chinese market with the inauguration of its Shanghai research and development centre, which will offer state-of-the-art technology relating primarily to noise and vibration-damping brake solutions for passenger vehicles, according to a company statement. Trelleborg says that the continued investment in the region is reflective of its long-term strategy to invest in markets with favourable growth potential.
TAROX has told Tyres & Accessories that it plans to unveil its new range of tailored Stainless Steel braided brake lines later in 2011. The Italian company says the lines will “offer an ideal replacement to older rubber hoses, being almost impervious to aging and failure, whilst offering a much greater rate of pedal efficiency.” Coated in hard-wearing 95PVC, they will offer the customer “much greater pedal feel allied to a much longer lifespan, when compared to a traditional rubber hose,” according to the company.
CES (UK) representatives say the parts distributor has seen “a significant increase” in its braking business over the past 5 years, now accounting for over a fifth of its parts related sales. It offers a three tier range, comprising: original equipment, original equipment matching quality and a value range. The company says that brakes’ centrality to motoring safety means that motorists generally seek the reassurance of original equipment matching quality parts, which it says is reflected in its sales. Another factor that has become important to the distributor in driving sales is its emphasis on training, and information evenings.
Brembo Racing and Roush Yates Performance Products announced the start of a partnership in North America, with the latter appointed as an authorised distributor of Brembo Racing high-performance brakes and accessories for the “Oval market”, including series such as Nascar. In additional motorsport news, Brembo has also been made the official supplier of Truck Sport Lutz Bernau (TSB) team at FIA European Truck Championship, marking the brake manufacturer’s entrance in the segment of racing trucks races. On the non-motorsport side Brembo, headquartered in Italy with plants in 15 countries, has also signed an agreement to acquire Perdriel SA, an Argentinian manufacturer of brake discs with plants in the Buenos Aires area, a workforce of about 150 and expected revenues of about €20 million.
Bosch has claimed it has achieved a World first with its new brake control system developed specifically for motorcycles, contradicting the idea that the systems are too big and too heavy to be fitted to two-wheelers. The manufacturer says it has been able to reduce the size and weight of its system to make it suitable for use on motor scooters and small motorcycles, while the flexible design allows Bosch to offer three different levels of system, from the basics to electronically controlled models. The company points out that only 16 per cent of all newly manufactured motorcycles in the EU in 2010 were fitted with ABS; the company says it expects European legislation to impact the market in the next decade, as a proposal has been tabled to make ABS compulsory on new bikes entering the market from 2017.
Fras-le North America has announced that Randy Mordue is to expand his duties as director of sales and marketing, incorporating the commercial vehicle aftermarket segment. He was previously responsible for the light vehicle segment alone. His added commercial responsibilities extend to both medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. He will continue to report to Fras-le's director of operations, Zomar Oliveira.
The Parts Alliance has announced that it has signed a contract woth more than £20 million with Kwik-Fit to supply braking products to the fast fit network. Under the new agreement, which The Parts Alliance calls one of the largest to be awarded for a single product group in the UK aftermarket, the network will supply all replenishment stocks and on demand braking requirements nationwide. Kwik-Fit currently has 676 retail centres in the UK, and is a major installer of braking, though its supplier says it will seek to develop the product group further in its new partnership.
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