brakes Archives - Page 27 of 33 - Tyrepress

Posts

Conti Launches Rear-End Collision Prevention System

On the final day of March an important new product from Continental was given its series production debut – a sensor system designed to prevent rear-end collisions at city driving speeds. Premiering on Volvo’s XC60, Continental calls the new sensor system an “important milestone” for its all-round ContiGuard safety system.

The system monitors the road ahead of the vehicle, and is networked with the braking system. It automatically applies the brakes if there is a risk of a rear-end collision and the driver either fails to react or if his or her reactions are too slow. Continental has developed and supplied both the infrared sensor, which monitors the road ahead and detects objects, and the electronic braking system, both of which are core components of Volvo´s innovative “City Safety” concept.

2nd April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster Doubles Leasedrive Velo Share

Product News, UK News

ATS Euromaster has been awarded preferred supplier status in a new two-year agreement with Leasedrive Velo Vehicle Management, doubling its share of the customer’s 17,800-strong fleet on the back of strong service delivery in 2007. The contract will see ATS Euromaster fast-fit services including: tyres, exhausts, brakes, shock absorbers, batteries and oil. Leasedrive Velo merged last year to become one of the largest privately owned vehicle management providers in the UK.

Ivor Johnson, Fleet Management and Operations Director at Leasedrive Velo, says: “Service delivery ranks very high on our agenda and is an area where ATS Euromaster ticks all of the boxes. There has been a real willingness within the company to partner with ATS Euromaster, and they have been keen to step forward to support our customer base, which is largely comprised of high profile blue-chip clients,” he adds.

25th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Michelin Agilis Offers Van Drivers Performance & Economy

In mid-March Michelin unveiled its latest tyre for medium and heavy commercial vehicles, the new generation Agilis range. With certification to equip the Iveco Daily and Renault Master already secured and certification for Citroën, Mercedes and Peugeot currently underway, the replacement market debut sees the new Agilis initially available in 13 sizes. The line-up will be extended to 20 sizes by 2009, by which stage the new tyre will, reports Michelin, cover 95 per cent of the European cargo van segment.

The introduction of the Agilis comes at a time when the utility vehicle market is experiencing rapid growth throughout Europe, reports Michelin. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association vehicle registrations in the 25 countries of Europe, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, rose by 7.1 per cent in 2007 over the previous year. This represents a total of 2,245,062 registrations last year, versus 2,095,382 in 2006. By comparison, the number of passenger cars increased by 1.1 per cent over the same period. Forecasts show that utility vehicle registrations should continue to rise at least until 2009.

14th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster Opens Treforest Tyre Depot

ATS Euromaster has opened a brand new centre in Treforest, following more than £210,000 of investment. The three-bay depot employs eight technicians and is designed to offer a full range of services for tyres, exhausts, brakes, shock absorbers, batteries and oil.

Speaking at the official opening on 6 March, Vince McGurk, Group Operations Director of ATS Euromaster said: “This new centre marks a significant investment and will ensure we can offer motorists competitively priced fast-fit service work carried out in a modern and well-equipped vehicle workshop.”

11th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Nationwide Autocentres Provides Peace of Mind for ‘Grey’ Fleet

April’s Duty of Care law is looming ever closer and time is short for companies to ensure vehicles used for business purposes provide no grounds for the new regulations to be breached. It is expected that businesses will take a keener interest in the verifiable and regular servicing of cars used for work related journeys come April, and to accommodate this anticipated higher demand, independent vehicle servicing and MOT testing chain Nationwide Autocentres has launched a 19 point ‘Duty of Care’ inspection service.

Alarmingly, reports Nationwide, a study released in January found that 60 per cent of privately owned vehicles used for company business were not safe to be on the road. In addition, 52 per cent of companies do not operate a policy of confirming the insurance details of these vehicles, which have in recent times become known as the “grey” fleet. Such an oversight will become a potentially costly one for companies; those failing to implement a Duty of Care process to ensure grey fleet vehicles are fit for purpose could be liable for prosecution should one be involved in a fatal road traffic accident.

15th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

G-Power Claims World Record on Dunlop Tyres

G-Power has claimed that its souped-up BMW M5, the 360-km/h G-Power Hurricane is the fastest in the world. At the heart of the high-performance saloon is a five-litre V10 engine with a G-Power Evo II supercharging system that delivers 730 hp. Needless to say, the enormous performance places extreme demands on aerodynamics, tyres, suspension and brakes.

At this point the G-Power reports that it hit a roadblock because the OE tyres that came with the care are limited to 340km/h. First they switched to an unnamed Continental product that allowed a speed of more than 350 km/h. Not content with this G-Power reports that the team selected 295/25 ZR 21 Dunlop tyres mounted on Brilliant Graphite Silverstone 21-inch (9.5 J x 21) light-alloy wheels.

6th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sandberg Resigns from Hayes Lemmerz

On January 7, 2008, Daniel M. Sandberg resigned as Hayes Lemmerz’ vice president — Global Materials and Logistics and president, Automotive Components Group. Mr. Sandberg has accepted a position with Brembo North America, Inc., which recently completed the acquisition of the company’s Automotive Brakes business. Mr. Sandberg’s responsibilities will be assumed by other members of management.

11th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

EU Requirements for Tyres Will Reduce Safety, says Conti

By means of various regulations, the EU intends to reduce both CO2 emissions and noise pollution from road traffic in the future. Also under discussion in conjunction is an “environmental label” aimed at informing consumers about tyre rolling resistance, as is a new requirement for reducing tyre/road noise. However Continental has voiced its concerns that the realisation of both targets in the scope envisioned by the EU would entail considerably compromising a tyre’s performance in terms of road safety.

“We, too, are very much endeavoured to effecting a continued and sustained improvement in the environmental compatibility of our products. Nonetheless, we explicitly advise against any one-sided approach at the expense of safety,” said Manfred Wennemer, Executive Board chairman of Continental AG. “A good tyre has to be balanced, that is, alongside other properties it must also offer the lowest possible rolling resistance and, at the same time, good braking properties. Anything else would represent a marked setback in terms of road safety. Not only motorists but also kids out at play, pedestrians and cyclists would also suffer in this case. What is more, a development in this direction would run counter to the European Road Safety Charter, in which the EU has committed itself to halving the number of traffic fatalities to 25,000 by 2010. That should, however, remain the overriding objective.”

13th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Prepare for Winter with ATS Euromaster

Nationwide fast-fit network ATS Euromaster is urging drivers across the UK to ensure their cars and vans are prepared for winter by taking advantage of a free vehicle health check. Designed to guard against unnecessary breakdowns, the no-obligation inspections are available at any of ATS Euromaster’s 490 service centres across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and can be performed without booking beforehand.

According to ATS Euromaster, the vehicle health checks are suitable for any make, model and age of car or van, whether private or company-owned, and each check takes just fifteen minutes. The inspection covers tyre tread depth, tyre condition, tyre pressure and includes a visual inspections of front brakes, battery, exhaust and shock absorbers, with a written report issued to drivers upon completion.

Commenting on the service, Russell Fleetwood, National Car Sales director at ATS Euromaster, said “breakdowns nearly double when the cold weather sets in, but with a little pre-winter preparation drivers can ensure their cars are in tip-top condition. What’s more, spending a few minutes sorting out issues now usually proves cheaper and more convenient than trying to rectify the problem when your car won’t start on a cold winter’s morning.”

7th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Ingrid Celebrates 21 Years at Autofit Ipswich

Ipswich businesswoman, Ingrid Ward, has just celebrated an amazing 21 years as a director of the town’s Autofit garage, which she founded with husband Kevan. During this time, the couple – along with fellow director Dave Chapman – have watched the Britannia Road firm go from strength to strength, winning an army of loyal customers along the way.

“The past 21 years have flown by,” says Ingrid. “There have been some big changes and challenges here over the years, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” Autofit, which is a member of Bridgestone UK’s 200-strong network of independent First Stop tyre dealerships, was opened by Ingrid and Kevan, a former RAF officer, in 1986.

26th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

FIA Reveals Details of McLaren Ferrari Scandal

The FIA has released details of the email conversation between Fernando Alonso and Pedro de la Rosa that led to McLaren being excluded from this year’s Formula One constructor’s championship amid accusations of spying. Interestingly, the emails which were exchanged over the course of three months centred Ferrari’s tyre inflation gas, brakes and weight distribution.

According to the FIA, de la Rosa emailed Alonso on 25 March identifying identified an unspecified gas that Ferrari uses to inflate its tyres to reduce the internal temperature and blistering. The e-mail concludes with a statement (in relation to the gas) that “we’ll have to try it, it’s easy!”

Alonso replied that it is “very important” that McLaren test the gas that Ferrari uses in its tyres as “they have something different from the rest”, and “not only this year. There is something else and this may be the key; let’s hope we can test it during this test, and that we can make it a priority!” de la Rosa replied stating the following: I agree 100% that we must test the [tyre gas] thing very soon.

18th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

National Starts Tyres Refurbishment Programme

National Tyres and Autocare has embarked on a refurbishment programme for a number of branches across the country. The refurbishment will see investment into branch exteriors and signage, and the upgrading of branch interiors. This follows on from National’s recent investment in MOT centres and a brakes programme which was rolled out last year to all branches as part of National’s development strategy for the company. The company remains silent about £100 million auction for ownership of the company that began two month’s ago.

Tony Neill, Managing Director for Retail commented “We are constantly striving to offer customers the best possible service and by investing in our branches we can ensure that anyone visiting National will receive a consistently first-rate and professional service experience from all of our branches.”

10th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Best of British – Dunlop teams up with Triumph

Dunlop says it is proud to be British. The tyre manufacturer’s heritage and reputation span nearly 120 years and Dunlop has played an important role in Britain’s motoring history. The company claims the distinction of being involved at every stage in the evolution of the road transport industries and national infrastructure since Dunlop’s establishment in 1888.

Dunlop recently joined forces with another great and British brand. The manufacturer’s award-winning Sportmax Qualifier D209 street tyre has been approved as the sole OE tyre on the all-new Triumph Street Triple motorcycle for 2008. The Street Triple is essentially a ‘naked’ version of Triumph’s Daytona 675, but incorporates extensive modifications including new forks and brakes. Its restyled rear end is also based on its bigger brother – the Speed Triple. The first prototype of the Street Triple was tested by Triumph’s development riders in Spain in December 2005 and volume production began in July 2007.

16th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New ATL Package from Codi International

Due to increased demand, Codi International is in August launching a complete automatic test lane (ATL) package from the Danish specialists HH Intertech. The VOSA approved ATL package is comprised of a brake tester, brake test control unit, vehicle lift with play detector and headlamp alignment unit. There is a full range of equipment to meet both Class IV and Class VII standards. The brake testers are PC controlled, store individual tests for a minimum of a year and provide print-outs.

The test, operated by an infra red remote, automatically calculates brake efficiency of service and parking brakes, incorporates axle weighing and has a manual facility for testing four wheel drive vehicles. The roller unit of the brake tester is of robust quality construction with hot dip galvanised chassis.

15th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Swedish Study Says Brakes, Tyres Still Pollute

(Akron/Tire Review – UPI/Earth Times) Swedish scientists have determined particles worn from automobile brake linings and tyres continue to be major sources of potentially toxic pollution.

David Hjortenkrans and colleagues at the University of Kalmar compared metal emissions from brake linings and tyres to other metal emission sources in Stockholm during 1995 and between 1998 and 2005. They found copper and zinc emissions from brake linings remained relatively unchanged at high levels, making them a major pollution source.

Brake linings were also found to be a source of another toxic metal, antimony. By contrast, lead and cadmium emissions from brake linings decreased by one-tenth during the period.

20th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors