ProTyre has announced that it will stock the new Michelin Energy tyre. “This tyre is special” comments ProTyre, “we are delighted to be offering motorists the next wave in revolutionary tyres at competitive prices.” According to Michelin, the new Energy has 25 per cent higher durability than any other tyre, a higher fuel efficiency that could save motorists up to £50 in fuel costs, and is environmentally friendly – reducing CO2 emissions by up to 150kg.
Bridgestone is set to compete in terms of fuel efficiency with the launch of its new Ecopia EP100 passenger car tyre. According to the company, the tyres will boast “outstanding braking performance in wet conditions in level with the B’Style Ex tyre as well as a 30 per cent reduction in rolling resistance.” The tyre will go on sale from 1 April 2008 in 195/55R16, 185/65R15 and 195/65R15. There are said to be plans to expand this range in a stepwise manner. Prices are all set at the manufacturer’s recommended retail price.
Those of use who didn’t grow up in agricultural families may be unaware of just how important soil quality is to arable farming. And as the size of farms grows and the agricultural industry becomes an increasingly professional business, so the use of modern machinery is also increasing. That’s why Michelin invited journalists to a farm in Leicestershire to learn about how products like its Axiobib tractor tyre prevent the problems that are associated with soil compaction.
We’ve all driven past fields with water-logged tyre tracks running across them. But did you know this can be a sign that poor tyre choice has led to lower levels of soil being compacted, which in turn hinders drainage and reduces crop yield? Neither did we, so it was a good job Michelin had invited the Soil Management Initiative’s (SMI) resident soil expert, Dr Alistair Leake, along to explain the science behind the theory. (The SMI is a non-profit making, independent organisation dedicated to promoting the adoption of systems designed to protect and enhance soil quality, resulting in agronomic and economic benefits for farmers. The Environment Agency, John Deere and Michelin are just three of the 22 SMI members.)
Michelin wants the world to know that its energy saving tyres reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – and on October 30 the French tyre major launched a novel new method of getting its message across. Every evening at 7pm the company will project “Green” meters onto prominent landmarks in four major world cities. These meters will display the estimated fuel savings and reductions in CO2 emissions achieved since 1992, the year Michelin first released low rolling resistance tyres with silica used in part as a substitute for carbon black.
Featuring Bibendum, the iconic Michelin Man, the meters will be projected onto the façade of the Park Inn Hotel in Berlin, the NASDAQ and Reuters boards in New York’s Times Square, the Port de Suffren at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and on the City Group Mansion tower, across from the Bund, in Shanghai – four cities, says Michelin, whose growth has been driven by the mobility of the goods and people who come and go every day.
The 9th annual Challenge Bibendum is only two weeks away, and this year sees the event returning to Shanghai, host city to Challenge Bibendum 2004. The Challenge Bibendum, created by Michelin in 1998, is a concerted effort on the part of vehicle manufacturers, technical partners, energy suppliers and research institutes to provide political and economic decisions makers with insights and understanding into the latest advances in vehicle technology for creating cleaner and more fuel efficient transport options.
On 5 October 2007 Dwory S.A. signed a licence agreement with Michelin for poly-butadiene rubber production technology. At the same time the two companies signed a trade contract supplying the rubber to Michelin for a minimum period of 7 years from the start of production. The value of the trade contract is estimated to be over £200 million.
Under the agreement some of Dwory’s production is going to be supplied directly to Michelin plants. The rest is to be sold by Dwory on the market under its own brand. The completion of the project is also expected to result in better utilization of the company’s general infrastructure and lead to further reductions in fixed costs.
(Akron/Tire Review) Sumitomo Rubber Industries has announced plans to develop more fuel-efficient passenger and light truck tyres. Company officials said that in the near future, Sumitomo will launch new tyres with rolling resistance about half that of existing standard tyres. The planned new radials are expected to improve fuel economy by some 10 per cent, the company said.
The Tokyo Motor Show, acknowledged as one of the motoring world’s “big five” shows (along with Detroit, Geneva, Frankfurt and Paris) gets underway on October 24. The 2007 exhibition, the 40th Tokyo Show, runs until November 11 and has attracted numerous top name exhibitors, including Japan’s – and the world’s – largest producer of tyres.
Bridgestone will present a stand focusing on the theme of “The Environment and Safety”, and will introduce tyres and related activities supporting these concepts. The environmental emphasis will include a display of various eco-products, beginning with ECOPIA, an environmentally friendly fuel saving tyre, and NanoPro-Tech, a material technology that boosts environmental performance in tyres by reducing rolling resistance. NanoPro-Tech was first seen in the Blizzak Rev02 pcr studless tyre released in 2006, and is now one of Bridgestone’s core technologies. The company will also introduce a variety of its environmental activities using display panels.
Goodyear truck tyres will be available for fitment on all International Truck & Engines vehicles in the US following the decision to name the Akron based tyremaker as an International Truck primary tyre supplier. Through this arrangement Goodyear’s fuel-efficient Fuel Max Technology and self-sealing DuraSeal mixed-service tyres are available for selection by International Truck customers, with the Fuel Max fitted as OE to the International ProStar family of tractors.
Women hate being told that they are no good at looking after their cars, says TyreSafe. And yes, it is a stereotype, and of course it does not apply to all women, but a recent survey has shown that 21 percent of women do not – to use TyreSafe’s own words – “have a clue” about the correct tyre pressure for their car, preferring to get someone else to check their tyres for them.
This is one of the worrying findings of the largest ever tyre pressure and tyre safety survey undertaken in the UK, carried out by TyreSafe supporters to coincide with Tyre Safety Month. The face of the campaign, Vicki Butler-Henderson – a woman very much at home checking the pressure of her tyres – commented that “Drivers are clearly not aware of the dangers of driving a car with severely under-inflated tyres. I have recently been testing a car with tyres at low pressures and badly worn and the combination is potentially deadly.”
Much of Europe is currently getting ready for the seasonal change to cold weather tyres, and while many drivers assume that winter tyres increase a car’s fuel consumption, Nokian says that the truth may come as a positive surprise. The Finnish tyremaker claims that the latest generation of Nordic winter tyres roll fluently, save fuel and generate less harmful CO2 emissions than summer tyres.
Rolling resistance is measured in terms of a rolling resistance coefficient; the greater the coefficient, the heavier the tyre rolls. The average rolling resistance value for contemporary tyres varies between 1-1.2. Several test results indicate that the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi, the studless winter tyre designed for northern conditions, has the most economic rolling properties in its category, with a recorded value below 0.9. This makes the tyre, according to Nokian, 36 per cent superior in terms of rolling resistance than its worst performing competitors (in 205/55 R16 size).
Looking for the latest in nitrogen inflation? Perhaps you should make a pit stop at PCL’s booth (35428) at SEMA. Headlining this year’s show is Accura Mobile – a brand new portable Nitrogen (N2) tyre inflation cart.
Featuring the same accuracy as the rest of PCL’s Accura range, Accura Mobile features an N2 “convert and purge” of air inflated tyres and a “top-up” of nitrogen inflated tyres. It can be used with either an N2 bottle or generator. With six hose outlets for multi tyre inflation it can provide high speed on site or off site inflation and is especially designed for US applications.
Shropshire-based truck fleet, Grocontinental, has appointed ATS Euromaster as its sole commercial vehicle tyre services provider across its fleet of 55 commercial vehicles and 100 trailers following an extensive Michelin tyre trial. The new agreement will see ATS Euromaster work in partnership with Grocontinental’s maintenance team fitting Michelin tyres across the fleet. According to the company the new contract replaces a previous Goodyear policy which had been managed internally for more than 30 years.
David Grocott, Joint Managing Director of Grocontinental says: “Tyres have a critical impact on a vehicle’s fuel economy, and after a Michelin tyre trial we saw that by working with ATS Euromaster to manage our tyres more effectively, we could make valuable savings to our fuel bill. Switching our procurement policy will also allow us to follow Michelin’s Four Lives tyre strategy.
“It was a difficult decision for us to make because of the length of time we have worked with our previous supplier, but ATS Euromaster was able to offer a range of additional benefits including a nationwide roadside assistance service and weekly fleet checks to ensure our tyres remain in the optimum condition,” he adds.
One of Australia’s largest tyre retailers, Beaurepaires, is calling on motorists to help reduce the environmental impact of their cars and tyres through the use of climate neutral tyres. For the first time, Australian motorists can purchase climate neutral tyres at no extra cost thanks to the Beaurepaires Climate Neutral campaign the retailer is running across its 300-store national network during October.
If the 11 million passenger vehicles on Australian roads were fitted with climate neutral tyres, more than 10.5 million tonnes of CO² emissions could be prevented from entering our atmosphere. This is equivalent to the volume of 2.3 million Olympic sized swimming pools or more than 1.6 million households switching to clean energy for one year.
Beaurepaires has also produced a set of tips to help motorists reduce the environmental impact of their cars and tyres on a day-to-day basis. Managing director and CEO of Beaurepaires, Judith Swales, urged motorists to do their bit to lessen the environmental damage caused by their vehicles.
Michelin car tyres have the longest life according to Auto Express. Tests carried out by independent testing body TUV Sud, and witnessed by Auto Express, compared Michelin tyres with six of their main European competitors. The 15-inch Michelin Energy E3A tyres showed a 35 per cent longer tyre life than the worst performing tyre in the test and a significant 18 per cent advantage over the second best tyre.
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