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Voluntary Recalls At Continental Tire North America

Continental Tire North America today announced a voluntary safety recall of 595,000 of its Continental P275/60R17 ContiTrac AW and General Grabber AW P275/60R17 tyres. Consumers will receive free replacements. The tyres involved have DOT codes from 109 to 4400 and were produced between March 1999 and October 2000 and fitted as original equipment on 106,701 2000-model year and certain 2001-model year two-wheel-drive Ford Expedition and two-wheel-drive Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicles. Approximately 60,000 of the tires are in the replacement market.”The voluntary recall we are announcing today shows how Ford and Continental early warning/quality systems work together and why we are at the forefront of testing, data analysis and responsiveness,” said Mark Sowka, vice-president Original Equipment, Continental Tire North America.

20th August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Tire Pressure Control At CeBIT

IMST GmbH (Kamp-Lintfort/Germany) and Automotive Technology NOLEX AG (St. Motitz/Switzerland) claim its jointly developed Tire Pressure Control (TPC) system to be a highlight of its own booth at the CeBIT computer show in Hanover. According to IMST the system is the first equipment of this kind for passenger car and truck tyres with bi-directional communication. In contrast to the current systems this allows to read out directly the sensors inside the tyres, giving the opportunity to receive the actual pressure situation at a touch of a button – independently of automatic intervals. This new system is a one-antenna-only design, which can reduce the time needed for installation. Due to the special housing design with a variable docking to the valve the tyre module can – as IMST and NOLEX say – be used for every wheel form without mechanical adjustments. It is ready to operate world-wide by only small amendments. TPC also opens up the possibility to combine tyre pressure control with keyless entry with the pressure data transmitted to the remote control key when opening the car.

18th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

NHTSA Refuses Firestone Request

The NHTSA has turned down a request by Firestone to open an inquiry into a possible vehicle fault on the Ford Explorer. Firestone alleges that the Explorer has a greater propensity to roll over than other SUVs. The NHTSA admits that SUVs have a higher tendency to roll than other vehicles, but is adamant that the data held by the organisation does not substantiate Firestone’s claim regarding the Explorer.

15th February 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

White House Requests Rethink On Pressure Monitoring

The White House Office of Management and Budget has asked the NHTSA to review the requirement for new vehicles to be fitted with tyre pressure monitoring equipment fitted to the wheel and tyre assembly. The OMB states that most TPMS work on data sent by the ABS system, and that the added cost of the new system, may lead manufacturers to stop fitting ABS to vehicles on a cost based argument. The NHTSA proposes that vehicle manufacturers phase in a direct pressure monitoring system, replacing existing indirect systems, over the next four years.

14th February 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Integrated Vehicle Tyre Monitoring Launched

A co-operation between Michelin and Wabco sees the launch of a tyre pressure monitoring system specifically designed for commercial vehicles. The system consists of wheel modules which measure tyre inflation pressure and transmit the data to a vehicle mounted receiver. In the event of pressure loss the data is sent several times every minute. The module is attached to the outside of the wheel, alleviating many of the problems associated with internal sensors. An Electronic Control Unit (ECU) capable of handling up to 12 wheels is mounted on the vehicle chassis. In the case of trailer units, each trailer has its own ECU. The ECU transmits the signals to a cab mounted display unit which alerts the driver visually and acoustically whenever a problem arises. The position of the faulty tyre can be ascertained by pressing a button on the display. The system has the advantage of an evaluation algorithm developed by Michelin which detects pressure deviations and leakages immediately. It even functions whilst the vehicle is stationary. The system can be retrofitted and will be commercially available in Europe by the middle of 2002.

10th January 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Winter-Workshop 2000 With Michelin

At the end of November Michelin invited motor journalists to a so-called “Winter Workshop” at the “Arctic Driving Centre” near Rovaniemi (Finland). The main topic of the event was of course the capabilities of winter tyres. Despite the very mild climate at the end of last year the tyre industry expects that with 18.4 million winter tyres, sales will reach a new record this season in Germany: Based on this Michelin says that customers will spend some three million DM for new tyres and service. As well as such basic market data, the Winter Workshop gave those present the chance to check out the advantages of modern winter tyres. To illustrate this the tyre manufacturer had prepared four different sections, focusing on influences on winter performance such as the tread depth, the age of the tyre and the tyre speed index and dimension. All in all, 24 combinations were tested and more than 50 journalists driving the test cars led to a great number of – sometimes astonishing – results, and the data allowed the establishment of average values for each section. Michelin says that the results of the workshop will have a bearing on future developments and the criteria for choosing the right tyre. Learn more about this in the January edition of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Internet Motorcycle Tyre Guide Launched By Dunlop

Dunlop Online has launched what it says is “the most sophisticated guide to motorcycle tyres on the net”. It gives surfers tyre fitment and pressure data for their motorcycles, along with the recommended Dunlop tyre for their machine. Details are on ww.dunloptyres.co.uk/motorcycle

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Universal Tyre Pressure Monitoring

Siemens Automotive has developed a universal tyre pressure monitoring system suitable for use with all OEM tyre makes and models. The system tracks pressure, temperature and acceleration and can identify tyre location on the vehicle on a near real time basis.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Tauzin Data Forwarded To Ford

Republican Senator Tauzin’s data on 11 replacement tyre models has been forwarded to Ford. Tauzin, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has asked Ford for a comprehensive explanation of how it decided which brands of tyres to use as replacements. He has also asked Ford to run “rig tests” on all replacement tyre brands before installing them. This follows Committee investigators’ claims that 11 of the replacement tyre models had higher damage and injury rates than the Firestone Wilderness ATs being replaced.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Hearing Claims Disputed By Goodyear

Goodyear has disputed data cited at the congressional hearing into the Ford/Firestone dispute. The company claims to have submitted its own safety data and is questioning the committee’s interpretation of the data they have already received. According to Goodyear the Ford data of damage claims of five parts per million is based on a Ford standard and that a damage claim does not reflect a defect. Goodyear added that “the use of relevant data and comparisons by the committee will remedy any consumer confusion of fears”.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Tough Time For Ford And Firestone At Congressional Hearing

Ford chief Jacques Nasser faced some tough questioning at yesterday’s Congressional hearing into the Firestone tyre/Ford Explorer situation. ‘Billy’ Tauzin, from Louisiana, revealed that one of the brands of tyre being used to replace the Firestones had a failure record nearly 25 times worse than the Wilderness. Nasser said that, if this was correct “then we’ll act on it”. Tauzin also criticised BF Inc’s John Lampe of attempting to shift the blame on to Ford.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

“Intelligent Tyre System” From Goodyear

Goodyear has unveiled an “intelligent tyre system” at a mining exhibition in the USA. The six tyres on a 240-ton truck are fitted with a transponder which measures temperature and pressure and transmits the information every three minutes. The data can be viewed in the cab or at a remote location and, should a tyre become hot, operators can adjust routes accordingly. Goodyear expects to have 250 transponders in service this year and full commercialisation early next.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

New CEO For Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.

John T. Lampe, Executive Vice President of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., has been made Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the American company. He joined Bridgestone/Firestone in 1973 and has a wealth of international experience with the company. Lampe succeeds Masatoshi Ono (63), who has been with Bridgestone for 41 years, having spent the last ten years in the US and the last seven as CEO. He immediately announced a three-point action plan with the aim of accelerating the tyre recall, assembling a new management team and creating new methods of collecting and examining performance data. His appointment follows personal intervention in the crisis by Yoichiro Kaizaki, Chief Executive Officer of the parent company Bridgestone Corporation. Fuller details in the November issue of TYRES & ACCESSORIES.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

New Developments At Nokian

Nokian Tyres introduced its new intelligent tyre technology system to the press in Essen. It will communicate directly with the driver’s mobile phone, sending real time data on tyre pressures without the need to install any extra equipment in the vehicle. Furthermore two new tyres that will be available next spring were presented: The “NRZi” with speed index “W” and an asymmetric and directional tread pattern is designed to meet the demands of high-performance cars. The van tyre family will get a new member with the “NRC2”, the tread profile of which will be 10 per cent wider than that of its predecessor.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

Firestone Defence Becomes More Aggressive

During a highly emotional press conference in Tokyo, Bridgestone’s boss Kaizaki again asked Ford to shoulder more of the blame. Kaizaki again pointed out that the recall in the USA is precautionary and, to date, no technical failure has been found. In Saudi Arabia, for example, the tyres have not caused – according to a joint investigation by Firestone and Ford – the problems. Firestone has never tried to cover up the facts, said Kaizaki (67). He refused to resign and said that he would take the responsibility for re-establishing the Firestone brand. A management shake up in Nashville seems likely, as soon as the recall is over. John Lampe, Executive Vice President for Bridgestone/Firestone USA, said during the hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee that Ford should share the blame. Official data on 16,000 Explorer rollovers, related to 600 deaths, show that in only a very few cases were there problems related to tyres. Bridgestone management is annoyed that, during Nasser’s call to Sam Gibara at the end of August, the Goodyear chief said that he had no knowledge of Goodyear problems in connection with the Explorer. Goodyear supplied two million tyres for the Explorer and there have been numerous proofs and photographs showing that Explorer accidents and rollovers had occurred with Goodyear tyres.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors