Pirelli unveiled its new Cinturato P7 Blue passenger car tyre on the first day of Reifen 2012 – an event that is significant as it is the first product to reach European markets with A ratings for both wet grip and rolling resistance. The tyre achieved the AA rating in size 235/45 R17, and is an evolution of the company’s Cinturato P7 product.
Pirelli has more than 125 years of technical excellence and innovation under its belt and for many years its focus has been on the premium and performance end of the market. The furthest evolution in its current high performance P Zero range is the P Zero Corsa System. With a directional tread pattern for front axle fitment and an asymmetric pattern for the rear axle, this tyre is designed for both road and track. Paired with a racing tread compound, P Zero Corsa System is viewed as ideal for the most powerful cars in the ultra high performance sector.
On the opening day of the Reifen 2012 show in Germany, Goodyear Dunlop unveiled two concept passenger car tyres that achieve an A-grading in both rolling resistance and wet grip on the EU tyre label. The company says its long-term goal is to apply the technologies and compounds utilised in these concept tyres, the Goodyear EfficientGrip AA edition and the Dunlop Sport BluResponse AA, to the company’s top green product lines – the Goodyear EfficientGrip and the Dunlop Sport BluResponse. The concept tyres will not be available for sale, Goodyear Dunlop notes.
According to Michelin commercial director Malcolm Scovell, 17-inch and larger passenger car tyre fitments – the sizes considered high performance – now account for approximately 25 per cent of the UK market. And despite a nine per cent decline in the overall passenger tyre market in 2011, this particular segment grew some 17 per cent. New high performance sizes are regularly added to what is becoming a market rich in individual fitments.
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The flagship ultra-high performance tyre of the Marshal range, the Matrac FX MU11, is now firmly established in a wide range of sizes on the UK market. The Matrac FX has been designed to offer especially high levels of wet weather performance and resistance to aquaplaning, outstanding characteristics are high resistance to uneven wear and low noise generation are two further stated characteristics of note.
Bridgestone recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Bari plant in Italy. The tyre maker held an open day for employees and more than 700 attendees, and festivities were attended by local management and Ryutaro Ishii, senior vice-president Manufacturing Bridgestone Europe. During the event, Bridgestone presented awards to long-serving employees and also celebrated 2.5 million work hours with “zero accidents” at the plant.
Goodyear has followed its announcement that it will exhibit AA-labelled concept passenger car tyres at Reifen 2012 with the news that its Marathon LHT II long haul trailer tyre has achieved an A grade in fuel economy. The manufacturer says that fitting a combination of its Marathon LHS II + steer tyres, LHD II + drive tyres and LHT II trailer tyres to a typical five-axle 40 tonne truck could equip the vehicle with a fuel-saving combination of six A-grade, two B-grade and four C-grade tyres, depending on tyre size. The tyres also score well in the wet grip and noise emissions categories.
Goodyear Dunlop has announced plans to present its first concept passenger car tyres to achieve A-grades in both rolling resistance and wet grip on the new EU tyre label. The two concept tyres, the Goodyear EfficientGrip AA edition and the Dunlop Sport BluResponse AA will be on display at Reifen 2012 on the Goodyear Dunlop stand (3-117) at next week’s Essen show. The concept tyres will not be available for sale.
Toyo quips that it already has many car-control world records under its ‘steel belt’, and thus the high performance Proxes range needs little introduction to the discerning enthusiast. The name is solely linked to the high performance segment, and Toyo says the Proxes is widely considered to be one of the finest wet-weather and most consistent dry handling tyres available, a tyre chosen by many car manufacturers as an original equipment fitment. German manufacturer Audi, for example, has chosen Toyo Tires to be fitted to several vehicles; the S6, the RS5, the TT, TT-S and TT-RS. Mazda, Toyota and Westfield, to name a few more, are also rolling out of their factories on Proxes OE fitments.
Noting the changeable British climate in the month of May alone, Bridgestone UK has once again suggested the benefit of fitting its A001 Weather Control all season tyre. In recent months the unpredictable weather has left motorists battling vastly contrasting conditions in short periods of time. In extreme cases drivers have had to deal with weather ranging from heavy rain, sun, even hail and snow during the same journey. The last week’s hot weather replaced an unusually cold early May, with hail stones battering the Tyrepress.com office window in Stoke-on-Trent earlier in the month.
Famed for its ascent to World Rally Championship tyre supplier status alongside tyre Goliath, Michelin since the 2011 season, Chinese-manufactured brand Dmack, based in Cumbria in the north west of the UK, will begin to supply a full range of road-going passenger car tyre and a super single 385/65R22.5 truck tyre globally through appointed regional distribution partners in June. The company’s managing director Dick Cormack and sales and marketing director Shane Harding told Tyrepress.com that Dmack is seeking to capitalise on its status as “one of the fastest growing motorsport brands” to position itself as a “quality mid-range” product range, which includes an eco-friendly, a high performance product and a cold weather tyre.
If you were to look back on the rising presence of Chinese tyres in recent times, you’d be mistaken for thinking manufacturers in the People’s Republic view the world as their oyster and the future as all good. Yet tyre makers in China are not insulated from the economic troubles we’ve experienced since 2008. Last year, China’s economic growth slowed and imports are currently increasing at a greater rate than exports. On top of all this, China is now home to more than 500 tyre manufacturers. And while the top ten Chinese tyre makers together hold 30 per cent of the domestic market, most companies are small and many have product mix and quality issues. In light of these economic conditions and a crowded playing field, a number of larger Chinese firms realise they need to adapt in order to continue prospering. Specifically, they recognise the necessity of investing in quality.
Falken is preparing for the UK launch of what it calls its strongest and quietest ultra high performance tyre, the Azenis FK453. The new tyre succeeds, both numerically and in Falken’s line-up, the FK452, a tyre Falken says has been revered by many car enthusiasts for its blend of performance and affordability. With the launch of this latest product, for the first time the Japanese tyre maker is offering Y speed rated fitments suitable for use at up to 186mph or 300km/h. The new range will be available in a total of 62 sizes, including a 20-inch version, to fit sports and performance cars such as the VW Golf GTI, BMW 1 Series M Coupe, Porsche 911 and Audi RS5.
As the tyre brand of choice for numerous race teams and track enthusiasts around the world, Avon tyres has taken its expertise and understanding of race tyres and applied the same principles and technology to its ultra high performance road tyre range. Catering for luxury saloons through to high-performance sports cars, Avon’s ZZ5 and ZZ3 tyres are intended to provide the highest levels of grip and handling on the road and track.
Continental has introduced a road legal track day tyre into the UK, and the company says this latest product sets a new benchmark for high performance cars. The tyre is the ContiForceContact, which visitors to February’s Geneva Motor Show may have seen fitted to the Conti-liveried Artega GT sports car that competed in last year’s Nürburgring 24-hour race. The ContiForceContact is the German manufacturer’s first road legal track day tyre.
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