The Pirelli P Zero has taken top honours in Evo magazine’s annual tyre test. The Pirelli tyre and its rivals from Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho, Michelin, Nexen and Vredestein were put through their paces on a circuit in the south of France, where wet handling, dry handling, braking and aquaplaning were assessed, followed by a drive on a mixed road route designed to replicate real world conditions.
On the snow-dusted face of it, the UK winter tyre market seems to provide a couple of conundrums for those trying to predict and capitalise on demand for seasonal products. The first issue, and the most obvious in many tyre industry professionals’ minds, must be the Oceanic climate of the country, which, coupled with the warm air of the Gulf stream, provides us with only moderately cold winters. The second, a novelty for 2012 is the start of mandatory tyre labelling, which I will come to later.
Apollo Tyres is one of the brands featured in the CoolBrands book Around the World in 80 Brands, which aims to share stories with opinion formers around the world. Part of an overall concept that includes online seeding and sharing via social media, guest lectures at universities and workshops, the book includes articles about visionary people, smart brands and trendy destinations. “Apollo Tyres is pleased to be part of this global storytelling project,” comments Rob Oudshoorn, CEO of Apollo Vredestein.
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The Dunlop Bridge was a fixture of Donington Park for 30 years before a revamp of the circuit saw it out of commission. A deal signed with the Goodwood Revival will see the bridge auctioned on 15 September, with funds raised to be donated to local Leicestershire and Rutland charity, Hope for Cancer. Established in 1977, like its close counterpart at Le Mans, the bridge became a landmark as part of Donington Park’s rich racing history, which hosted some of the world’s most watched races, including British Tour Car Championship and MotoGP action.
Fast fit franchise network, HiQ has been quick to acknowledge the potential effects of tyre labelling legislation on the retail landscape in the UK, and a new section of the company’s website will continue the steps it has already made in educating its customers about the subject. HiQ has launched its new Tyre Labelling World – described as a “motorists’ guide – on its website, HiQOnline.co.uk. The new section of HiQ’s website aims to provide consumers with a full picture of how the new directive will affect tyre purchasing decisions and impact their vehicle’s performance.
Goodyear has launched an information campaign about winter road safety aimed at commercial vehicle owners and fleets. The manufacturer says it has identified a common misconception, with many commercial vehicle operators assuming that winter tyres are only suitable for snow and ice. Of course, readers of Tyrepress.com will be well aware that winter tyres are developed not only for extreme weather conditions; they also perform better than other tyres at temperatures below 7°C, because of optimised designs and softer, high-silica compounds that don’t harden like regular driving compounds.
Based in East Yorkshire, point-S member, Tyremen is conspicuously active in the seasonal winter market. Not only is there a dedicated winter tyre and wheel section on the company’s website, but banners advertise both specialist seasonal products and all-season rubber in prominent positions. The retailer says it is “well prepared” for what it predicts will be “a busy winter season in 2012/13”.
ATS Euromaster will supply a full range of car, van, 4×4, truck and agricultural tyres, from premium to budget fitments, to every public sector organisation across the UK for the next four years, following the completion of a comprehensive tender process. The multi-brand supply deal will include the nation’s fire engines, ambulances, prison vehicles and local authorities. To enable this, ATS-E was awarded supplier status to public sector organisations across the UK on the Government Procurement Service framework agreement RM955.
The American Le Mans Series’ LMP2 prototype category has become something of a Dunlop specialism in recent seasons, the tyre supplier says. In 2011, Dunlop supplied winning vehicles’ tyres in both International and European Le Mans Series, as well as the Le Mans 24 hour race with Greaves Motorsport. This year, all but one of the teams in the American Le Mans Series, in addition to all the teams in the European series and the new FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMP2 category, have chosen to run on Dunlop tyres. In the latest round of the ALMS, Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker led a one-two finish for Level 5 Motorsports at the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge, the Dunlop-shod team’s second overall win in ALMS with the Honda Performance Development ARX-03b prototype.
Goodyear Dunlop has reportedly sold the commercial tyre component of its Beaurepaires fast fit network in New Zealand. Fairfax News NZ shares that the commercial tyre service centres in the country’s North Island have been acquired by Carters Tyres, and by Tyre General and General Tyres in the South Island. The Beaurepaires retail operation will remain in Goodyear Dunlop’s hands.
Goodyear Dunlop has won four new lots in the Government Procurement Service RM955 supply and fit of tyres framework agreement. The first of these lots is for the sole supply and fitment of Goodyear and Dunlop tyres to UK Police Forces, while the others deal with wider public sector interests. The contracts will cover cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Goodyear Dunlop brand Sava wants to raise its profile with 18 to 34 year old drivers. To help achieve this aim, US comedians Kenny Santucci und Ben Rameaka have been engaged as Sava brand ambassadors. It is hoped the pair will add weight to the newly-launched brand claim that “Sava drivers have more fun.”
Riders competing in the 2013 Australian Superbike Championships will have the choice of racing on Pirelli, Michelin or Dunlop tyres as series organiser, International Entertainment Group (IEG), has decided to end the practice of using a control tyre for all but one competition class. IEG will also place a cap on the number of tyres that can be used and the price of tyres, a measure it says will ensure costs are kept to a minimum for all participants.
Recently Tyres & Accessories reported Michelin’s statement that it’d achieved an ‘A’ wet grip rating with several of its passenger car tyres as far back as 2010. The French company is not the only manufacturer making such a claim; Goodyear reports that it also reached the coveted A level back in 2010, this time for fuel efficiency. The tyre maker says its LHT II trailer tyre, which has been on the market for two years now, carries an ‘A’ label rating for fuel efficiency in sizes 385/55R22.5 and 435/50R19.5.
Apollo Tyres has rolled out its product range in the Nigerian market and the tyre maker has appointed the Stallion Group, a conglomerate that already boasts partnerships with several global vehicle manufacturers, as its representative within the country.
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