(Akron/Tire Review) The “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act”, introduced by Rep. Joe Knollenberg (Republican) with the support of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), has passed the US House of Representatives.
In recent months the motorbike consumer press has heaped praise on Avon’s Viper Sport (see T&A February 2005) and Supersport tyres. Journalists from MCN, Superbike, Bike and TWO all attended the European launch of the Viper at the Catalunya GP circuit near Barcelona, Spain in February. The tyres were tested on a variety of bikes, which together clocked up around 3,000 miles on one of the world’s fastest and demanding circuits.
When the new Airbus A380 finally took off yesterday it caused quite stir, with media reports beaming the event all over the world. But what you might not have noticed when the world’s largest passenger aircraft made its maiden voyage yesterday it did so on Michelin tyres. The new aeroplane uses 22 wheels and, of course, all of those will require tyres from either Michelin or alternative tyre supplier, Bridgestone. The wheels and brakes were developed by Honeywell and Dunlop Aerospace in a cooperation that saw Honeywell take the lead.
According to Michelin, each the tyres is designed to operate at a lift-off speed of 378 km/h carrying 33 tonnes. The new tyre’s special lightweight construction reduces the A380’s total weight by 360 kilograms, compared with conventional tyres.
“The atrocious road conditions of recent weeks has spawned some debate on the safety benefits of certain vehicles, centring on ultra strong safety shells, anti lock brakes and safety bags protecting every part of the drivers anatomy! However there does not seem to be any reference to the one component which largely dictates exactly where the vehicle is going – the tyres.” This was the recent comment of NTDA director, Richard Edy, in a statement concerning the UK’s current campaign for the introduction of ‘cold’ weather tyres.
Tenneco Automotive is embarking on a new safety campaign called ‘Testing Days on Tour.’ The manufacturer is putting a fleet of testing vans on the road to travel across Europe, testing motorists shock absorbers, springs, exhaust systems and catalytic converters checked, free of charge at participating garages.
Roll containers are proving the most efficient method of distributing goods in the supply chain, according to Bekaert Handling. In recent months the company reports that it has seen the use of roll containers rise sharply throughout a variety of different industries. The company claims that it is unique in offering a complete bespoke design capability, developing innovative solutions to storage and handling problems.
Continental AG is expanding its automobile manufacturer and supplier engineering services. “For 2005 we are aiming to achieve corporate sales volumes in the double-digit million range,” said Continental executive board member, Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann. “In the area of vehicle dynamics and suspension control in particular we are filling a niche that to date has hardly been tackled by engineering service providers, as only very few companies have the required broad technical knowledge of automotive brakes, chassis, electronics and tyres,” explained Dr Neumann.
Major French car manufacturers, Renault and Peugeot have selected Bridgestone for original equipment, the company has announced. Both manufacturers will fit 15 inch tyres to their new high-volume small cars.
Advanced braking systems are commonplace in today’s passenger cars, with the majority of new cars featuring ABS as standard. A lesser-known fact is that it has also been available to motorcyclists for more than a decade. Even so, usage of ABS technology amongst motorcyclists lags far behind their four-wheeled counterparts. Continental Teves recently launched its first advanced braking system designed specifically for two wheels. Tyres & Accessories took a look at the technology when it was launched at Intermot 2004 in Munich.
Intelligent braking
The technology behind Continental Teves’ system is designed to continuously evaluate the signals from the wheel speed sensors, allowing it to identify a dangerous situation before the wheel locks. In a hazardous situation the unit reduces the brake pressure on the affected wheel and quickly boosts it again in order to ensure maximum braking power when the risk of locking has passed. The whole process is completed in a fraction of a second. The company claims that its analog-controlled digital valves make this pressure modulation process both smooth and effective.
The system also allows for variables such as the actual load (solo or with a passenger) and the grip offered by the road surface, so when the ABS system is triggered, each wheel is kept within an “ideal” range. According to the manufacturer, the outcome is the optimum deceleration values with the minimum amount of effort on the part of the rider.
Continental Teves’ integral brake system allows riders to depress the lever or pedal and build up pressure respectively in either the front or the rear brake. At the same time a pump automatically builds up pressure in the brake circuit not operated directly by the rider, taking account of the specific parameters for the motorcycle concerned and the necessary brake force distribution between the front and rear wheels.
The products designers also claim that it will be prepared for the high levels of brake-force demanded by emergency situations. Continental Teves claims that its system can manage the dynamic disparity that occurs between the front and rear brakes in emergency situation. This means that is would be possible for the rider to perform an emergency braking manoeuvre with just one pedal or lever.
One of the additional benefits that the company highlight is its rear wheel lift-off protection function, called RLP. RLP is designed to briefly reduce the pressure in the front brake circuit whenever the sensor signals indicate that rear wheel lift-off is imminent. This maintains the minimum load on the rear wheel necessary for lateral guidance, and prevents against the dangerous affects of a rollover.
Continental AG, has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
Goodyear is to supply tyres for the new International pickup truck. At nine feet tall, the new vehicle will be two feet taller than the Ford F-350 or Humvee.
The International CXT, Commercial Extreme Truck, will be the world’s largest production pickup truck, according to the company. Every large vehicle needs large tyres in this case 22.5 inch tyres. Chuck Yurkovich, general manager of Goodyear original equipment commercial, said the tyres will provide some “serious traction.” The 14 ply tyres will have to support the seven-ton pickup as well as the six tons of payload it can carry. In the front the truck will use Unisteel G159A radial tyres and G167A high-mileage drive axle tyres in the rear.
Honeywell International is to provide wheel and brake repair and overhaul services for American airline Evergreen International’s entire fleet of aircraft.
“This agreement is a great example of Honeywell’s capabilities to provide the right value for our customers through superior support and low-cost solutions,” says Peg Billson, Honeywell aircraft landing systems VP and general manager. “We are pleased to provide Evergreen with a comprehensive repair and overhaul service package to support their complete wheel and brake requirements.”
The service agreement will provide the airline with significant maintenance cost savings for its current fleet of 10 747s and five DC-9s. The contract will also include all labour and materials for wheels and brakes, as well as tyre management, and logistic services. In addition, Honeywell will provide distribution to and from more than 10 domestic and international operations.
Maha has developed a new Profi test lane for workshops and MOT stations. The test lane will check brakes, suspension and tracking, and offers a print out of results within five minutes.
The test lane also features a large analogue and digital display with automatic or manual test programmes and is fully MOT approved for both class four and seven.
Profi can be linked to Maha’s range of lifts to complete the MOT bay. The Maha lifts, 4 poster, scissor and below floor, are all to the MOT specification and can befitted with play detectors, jacking beam, turn plates and recessed if required.
Aston Martin has chosen the Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyre as OE for its prestigious, limited edition DB7 Zagato. Based on the DB7 Vantage, but with more power, the hand-built Zagato has uprated brakes, sports suspension and an all-new two-seater aluminium coupe body.
Does your depot offer a brakes and clutch service, or do you regard yourself as a tyre supplier pure and simple? If you don’t offer such a service, you could be missing out on profits.
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