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Euro-Spec Nissan GT-R Rolls Into UK on Dunlop SP Sport

The first batch of European spec Nissan GT-Rs have arrived in the UK, and the specification list for the Japanese sport coupe is very impressive indeed. In its European guise the GT-R has had its 588 Nm-rated 3.8 litre V6 twin-turbo engine tweaked to deliver 485 horsepower, and this is complemented by a paddle shift six-speed dual clutch transmission and all wheel drive. Despite a top speed of 193 mph, however, the Nissan is not just about performance – every GT-R is delivered with Bluetooth connectivity, touch screen satellite navigation, climate control, leather trim and Bose sound system.

20th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

DEKRA Test Centre to Compare Premium Brand Tyres

With worldwide automotive manufacturers feeling simultaneous and significant economic and ecological pressures, remaining at the cutting edge in terms of research and development is vital for the premium brands to create the sense of worth necessary to continue selling tyres at the upper end of the pricing sheet. As a significant factor in achieving this goal, the Michelin Group earmarks 600 million Euros for research and development annually.

For part of its testing this year, the French manufacturer is outsourcing to the DEKRA Test Centre, based in Narbonne, France. The 2009 tests will compare Michelin’s Energy Saver in size 195/65R15 91H, the Primacy HP (225/55R16 95W) and the Primacy Alpin PA3 (205/55R16 91H) with examples from the ranges of the premium brand manufacturers Bridgestone (B250, Turanza ER300, LM25), Continental (PremiumContact 2, WinterContact TS830), Dunlop (SP Sport Fast Response, SP Winter Sport 3D), Goodyear (Excellence, Ultra Grip 7+) and Pirelli (P6 Cinturato, P7). Results from the tests will be provided by DEKRA in May for the performance and high performance sizes and in September for the cold weather head-to-head, so readers are advised to check forthcoming issues and on Tyrepress.com for the results.

17th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Jaguar Keeps it British with Latest OE Deal

Dunlop UK has confirmed that Jaguar has indeed decided to keep things British in the choice of tyres for its new XFR and XKR models. Continuing a decades-old tradition of fitment to both on-road and race vehicles, including the winners of seven Le Mans titles, the two new Jaguars will be fitted with Dunlop’s SP Sport Maxx tyres, a product the Birmingham based manufacturer says will provide outstanding performance and give the driver the ultimate driving experience.

The XFR and XKR are the latest addition to the Jaguar line-up and feature a 375kW/510 hp supercharged engine and acceleration of 4.8 seconds from 0-60 mph. This latest OE agreement will see every new XFR and XKR fitted with Dunlop tyres.

17th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Wins OE Fitment Contract on Jaguar XFR and XKR

Dunlop has announced that it has been chosen by car maker Jaguar to provide as original equipment the ultra high performance summer tyre Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for both the XFR and the XKR. The new models are the latest additions to the Jaguar line-up, featuring a 375 kW/510 hp supercharged engine and acceleration of 4.8 seconds from 0-100 km/h.

Dunlop states that its tyre’s handling and grip qualities make the SP Sport Maxx an important addition, considering the overall car’s performance. It is noted for its dry handling and its luxury sport vehicle applicability, and is also available in sizes for tuned cars.

8th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Double Win for Dunlop Direzza

The winner of the Street Touring Ultra class at this year’s Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition, held in California, may have appeared familiar. The man taking the honours at the event was none other than last year’s winner, Richard Jung. At both the 2008 and 2009 competitions Jung attained victory on Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tyres.

“There has been a lot of hype about new street tyres from some of Dunlop’s competitors for this type of competition, so it was satisfying to get a repeat victory as evidence that the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec is still the tyre to beat,” said Jung. “Enthusiasts are getting the message that this Dunlop tyre is proven to be the fastest in competition. You can feel the difference when you push the Star Specs, which is an advantage, because it allows a more consistent feel and reduced the need for suspension adjustments between runs.”

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorcycle News Accolades for Dunlop Tyre

Motorcycle News (MCN) has published an article this week that ranks the new Dunlop Qualifier II tyre above its nearest competitors, following a testing session at the manufacturer’s test track in the south of France during the official launch in mid March. Senior road tester at MCN, Michael Neeves, tested the tyre in the wet and dry. His report claims that the new Dunlop tyre is “2009’s most important sports tyre.”

The Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier II is the latest in Dunlop’s motorcycle offering, entering the sports tyre market. It features a Multi-Tread compound with a directional tread design. The manufacturer says that it provides improved performance whilst reducing step wear. The tyre also benefits from a new compound mix, enabling a broader range of operating temperatures, and therefore – claims Dunlop – faster-warm up times, even at low external temperatures, alongside greater wet and dry road grip and high speed stability.

2nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BITS Presents Regal and Roadstone Private Brands

Tyre wholesaler BITS ships its private brands Regal – manufactured in South Africa by Dunlop Tyres at its plants in Durban and Ladysmith – and Roadstone – made in Korea by the Nexen Tyre Corporation – from the company’s seven depots across the UK. Each brand contains a wide range of patterns for a number of applications: Regal has a UHP product, a TR-rated passenger tyre and a van tyre, while the Roadstone range features many off-road options, in addition to its road-going tyres.

Dunlop Tyres in South Africa, manufacturer of the Regal brand, is part of the Apollo Group, the Indian Manufacturer. BITS says that the whole range meets the E-Marking, DOT and INMETRO ratings. The flagship of the range is the Premium Comfort, which aims for quiet performance alongside superior handling. The Regal stable also includes a van tyre manufactured with a “Shield” breaker, which provides improved puncture resistance and offers long tread life. The range is completed by the RST 220 manufactured in TR rating and offering excellent wet and dry handling and long mileage. Regal can be ordered exclusively from the sole UK distributor, BITS.

1st April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Announces New Brand Manager Michelle Fisher

On 1 April Goodyear Dunlop UK introduced its new Goodyear brand manager, Michelle Fisher. She will take over from Ben Crawley, who will now move into the position of business account manager, working on key strategic accounts, including KwikFit, for the company. Crawley has been with the company for seven years, three of which he spent in the brand manager slot. Fisher, formerly Goodyear Dunlop’s market research intelligence manager, moves into the role following her first year with the company.

Before joining the Goodyear Dunlop organisation Fisher, who has a BA Joint Honours degree in French and Business Studies, worked for Schneider Electric followed by the roles of market research executive and prospect relationship marketing executive at Aga Consumer Products.

1st April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Gets a Grip on Supersport Tyre Market With Qualifier II

The supersport market has become an increasingly demanding place, comments Dunlop. And increasingly powerful motorcycles with superior performance abilities require tyres than can meet the growing demands placed upon them while remaining practical for every day rider. The company’s replacement to its Qualifier range – logically named the Qualifier II – is claimed to do just this.

31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Performs Well in ADAC Tests

Goodyear Dunlop has reported that its portfolio has performed well in the ADAC 2009 summer tyre test, following the publishing of the results by the German Automobile Association. The report praises the Goodyear, Dunlop and Fulda brands from the Goodyear Dunlop portfolio. Representing Europe’s biggest market, Germany’s ADAC is particularly influential in helping customers decide which brand to purchase.

Mark Davison, sales and marketing director at Goodyear Dunlop, said, “The huge efforts made in the field of development have once again been richly rewarded with these results. We will be circulating these results to our customers in the months to come, by way of our planned communication strategies.” The company was keen to highlight in particular the performance of the new Goodyear OptiGrip tyre, the Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response and the Fulda Carat Progresso.

26th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

NZ Wholesaler/Retailer Changes Name

One of New Zealand’s leading tyre marketers, wholesalers and retailers has announced a new name and corporate identity designed to represent the current and future direction of the business. From today, Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres (NZ) is the new trading name of South Pacific Tyres (NZ), the company that is custodian of the Goodyear and Dunlop brands, as well as the Goodyear Auto Service Centre, Beaurepaires and Frank Allen Tyres branded retail stores.

Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres managing director and CEO Judith Swales stated, “Goodyear and Dunlop are the two of the world’s leading tyre brands, so we are very pleased and proud that they form the basis of our new trading name and corporate identity. The Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres name better reflects Goodyear’s ownership of our business whilst acknowledging the heritage and legacy that is synonymous with the Dunlop brand in New Zealand and Australia.”

23rd March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ Tyre Retail Chain to Create Up To 500 Jobs

HiQ has announced plans to create up to 500 new jobs as part of its ambitious national franchise programme. The fast fit franchise chain, which currently has 137 HiQ centres across England and Wales, is creating the positions over the next three years as the number of outlets on UK high streets rises to a targetted 275 by 2012. The company has already accelerated the growth of the nationwide tyre and vehicle servicing network by signing long-term franchise agreements in 2008 when 106 Goodyear Dunlop owned HiQ centres were franchised. HiQ is now extending the model to many more towns and cities.

Currently 41 HiQ franchisees operate 137 HiQ centres, compared to just 15 franchisees operating 33 centres in 2007. New jobs are now being created weekly, with for example, 10 new positions announced for HiQ’s Kettering store this month. HiQ Retail Director Juergen Titz said: “The objective is to grow the business with new open points in towns and cities. The plan is to get 170 centres by the end of 2009 and 275 by 2012. The franchisee network is investing more than £2 million into improved customer environments in 2009, and this award winning franchise concept will increase transparency and certainty for our customers.”

18th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Dons Red for Comic Relief

Friday 13 March saw Goodyear employees and visitors to the company’s West Midlands sites show support for Comic Relief and Red Nose Day by donning red clothes and participating in a range of money-raising activities. The tyre maker not only hosted a dress down day, cake sales, competitions and raffles; a visit from business forum Vistage.

Consisting of a group of specially selected chief executives who share experience and knowledge in order to develop their own and members businesses, Vistage members were showcasing best practice information, including a focus on the Goodyear Dunlop’s successful Dunlop Motorsport operations. Delegates took an exclusive tour of Dunlop Motorsport’s Birmingham factory, seeing at first hand the manufacturing process and business methods used to produce the segment’s championship winning car and motorbike tyres for series such as the British Touring Car Championship, Le Mans and Motor GP.

17th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Disused Tyre Factory Remoulded into Community Theatre

A disused tyre factory, which previously produced Dunlop-branded products, has been transformed into community theatre. The National Theatre of Scotland has taken over the former Dunlop plant in Dunfermline to stage its latest production. At its height the factory employed more than 6,000 people, but now the younger generation are using the shop floor as an auditorium in a piece which centres on the experiences of factory workers. Tickets are said to be sold our, which suggests audiences won’t “tyre” of watching

13th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Holbeach Tyres Celebrates Four Decades of Business

Holbeach Tyres has celebrated 40 years of trading in the town of Spalding. According to a recent local newspaper report, the business was established as a small independent garage at Battlefields Lane in 1969 by John Tinn but moved to Boston Road in 1993. In order to celebrate John and his son David, who took over 10 years ago, held a party at “Cafe Dunlop” to thank their loyal customers.

10th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors