Following the success enjoyed by its previous Alfa MiTo M430 and the Fiat 5.0.0. project cars, Marangoni has developed the ‘Z-HYDRO’, a new tuned vehicle for 2010. As before, the project has been handled by Florence, Italy based tuner TRC Italia, and completed in what Marangoni describes as an “astonishingly short time”, considering the recent market launch of the Nissan 370Z R34, the vehicle the Z-HYDRO is based upon.
Goodyear has announced that the 2010 Toyota Prius will fit its Assurance Fuel Max tyres as standard in the US. According to the company, the fitment for the popular Prius will be Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tyres in size P195/65R15. The selection of the new Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max for the 2010 Toyota Prius follows earlier announcements that the tyre will be fitted on the 2010 Ford Fusion S and the exclusive fitment for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.
Coral Group Ecological Technologies (Ukraine) has become the latest company to join the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). Formed just over five years ago, Coral Group has developed what TRIB describes as “a very important method for recycling waste tyres and has a pilot plant in operation in the Ukraine to prove the economic and environmental benefits of their method.” Coral Group’s method is a pyrolisis-based technique that the company says results in an “ecologically clean and financially beneficial method of recycling the worn out automobile tyres.”
To get an idea of the scale of what Coral Group are planning, subscribers can view company’s corporate video below.
A number of new sizes have been added to Continental’s low steer and drive tyre line-up in North America to cater to large capacity and car-carrier truck operators. Sales of the new low profile HSL2 Eco Plus (Heavy Steer Long-Haul) and HDL2 Eco Plus (Heavy Drive Long-Haul) tyre in size 295/60R22.5 begin in November, Continental Tire North America reports. This particular size, the company adds, is a full three inches shorter than the 275/80R22.5 size product, but each has 1,215 more lbs. additional carrying capacity in a single fitment for load range G.
Last year the Michelin Fill Up With Air campaign showed 35 per cent of motorists to be driving around on dangerously under inflated tyres. Yet despite the French manufacturer’s very worthwhile efforts, the tyre safety message just doesn’t seem to be sinking in – Michelin’s 2009 Fill Up With Air campaign results reveal that this figure has crept up to 36 per cent.
After more than six months of planning, Techking is making preparations to launch a passenger car tyre range called Effiplus in January 2010. The Qingdao, China-based tyre manufacturer , which is best known for its OTR tyres, has already arranged a substantial off-take agreement with an as-yet unnamed Chinese tyremaker. Marketing manager Ben Zhang refused to reveal exact details of which manufacturer the company would be working with, but Tyres & Accessories understands it will be one of China's largest producers.
Techking opted to make the move into the passenger car sector after a couple of factories approached it with the suggestion that the company should capitalise on its international links and sell car products in the numerous markets it sells OTR tyres in. The first phase of the passenger car tyre project will see the company launch the new UHP, SUV and winter ranges (generally up to 17-inch diameters) in Europe, Australia and perhaps South America. The plan is to sell the the tyres direct to dealers in these respective markets, rather than distributing through importers.
Interstate has announced that it has released its new eco-conscious tyre, the ECO Tour Plus. The tyre, as its name suggests, is particularly concerned with addressing ecological issues, such as lowering CO2 emissions through decreased rolling resistance. The company states that the tyre includes the development of materials technology called I-ECO combined with a new non-directional tread design. I-ECO, Interstate continues, produces a lower rolling resistance coefficient by reducing energy loss in the top compound during rotation. The new non-directional tread design features a connected block and a thin rib with strategically placed noise reducing ovals, which aims to enhance contact pressure and wet braking performance. All tyres are produced with the Interstate Clean-Oil.
Waste and environmental management specialist Focsa Services UK has selected an all Michelin policy, and the tyre maker reports this move away from budget brands is increasing tyre life amongst Focsa fleet vehicles and reducing tyre related breakdowns. The Focsa agreement covers it mixed fleet of vehicles, which ranges from vans and road sweepers through to 32 tonne refuse collection vehicles. All are being switched to Michelin tyres following trials at a number of the company’s operating centres.
Pirelli Tyre has underlined its commitment to the truck tyre sector with the launch of a new tyre aimed at the regional sector of the European market. Called the R:01 Series, it has been developed by Pirelli's research centres to meet the requirements of professional operators in terms of mileage yield, reduced fuel consumption, retreading potential and respect for the environment.
Other Pirelli products in the truck sector include the H88 Amaranto and G88 series, developed for long distance transport and for construction vehicles respectively and the TS:01 series. These four products extend the Pirelli range designed for transport professionals in order to cover 80 per cent of the European market in those sectors with greater growth trends.
Michelin has leant financial support to the development of a green engine, which reportedly has the capacity to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 20 per cent. The fuel-lean Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine (HCCI) has a flameless, low temperature combustion which enables it to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, combining the emissions benefits of a gasoline engine with the low fuel consumption of a diesel engine. The HCCI technology has been developed by Dundee based Oxy-Gen Combustion Ltd, with much of the research and development undertaken by the company's managing director David Tonery, who invented the enabling HCCI technology while a mechanical engineering undergraduate at the University of Dundee.
Kraiburg Austria has launched two new treads – the K222 and KST2. Following the company’s K74 development, reportedly the first design with sufficient traction properties for the 60 series, Kraiburg has now designed an all-season tread for 70 and 80 series casings. Suitable for trucks and buses, the new all-season design is said to be able to offer extra grip in winter without comprimsing on wear or increasing rolling noise or fuel consumption. According to the company, this makes the K222 or KST2 “ideal for all applications in which the annual mileage is approximately the same as the running performance of the drive axle.”
A new inner liner material developed by Yokohama Rubber is hoped to further improve the fuel saving properties of the company’s eco-tyre products. The ‘Airtex advances liner’ adheres to the inside of the tyre and features what Yokohama describes as a special resin, which when added to the conventional inner liner can “substantially reduce the volume of air naturally leaking from a tyre.” The material, says the Japanese manufacturer, is both highly impermeable and flexible. The company says that products employing Airtex have already been marketed in Japan, North America and some European countries, and the quest is now on to produce what Yokohama calls the ‘next generation Airtex’, a product that delivers near zero air leakage.
Halloween can oft be a spirited affair in the Emerald Isle, and one newspaper has called upon tyre dealers to do their bit in keeping festivities under control. Reporting on the Irish tradition of bonfire lighting on the eve of All Saints Day, the Galway Advertiser quotes a local policing committee chairman as saying the “gardai will do everything to increase patrols in the city to eliminate illegal bonfires. Tyre companies will also be called to ensure they do not give out any old tyres, and if they do they will be prosecuted.
Yokohama Tire Corporation's (YTC) eco-friendly dB Super E-specT tyre, which is made of 80 per cent non-petrol products, scored well in a recent low rolling resistance test conducted by US retailer Tire Rack. "The Tire Rack test shows that the dB Super E-spec, which introduces new technology in tyre materials and design, is noticeably better on all-around performance," said Mark Chung, YTC director, corporate strategy and planning. "Compared to standard tyres on a Prius, both the fuel efficiency and handling are improved, and compared with other conventional tyres that offer enhanced fuel efficiency, the dB Super E-Spec excels in driving performance.”
Following a year-long trial using Michelin’s X One MaxiTrailer tyres, pan-European haulage company Alcaline has decided to adopt an all-Michelin policy for the fleet and will specify the tyre as original equipment on all new trailers it purchases. The first units to be so equipped and delivered to Alcaline are the 15 Schmitz Cargobull tri-axle trailers that will enter service before the end of 2009.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
