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Congress’ CAFÉ Boost Plan Includes RMA’s Fuel Efficiency Provision

(Akron/Tire Review – Detroit News) The drive to hike fuel efficiency standards took a dramatic step forward May 8 when a Senate committee approved a 40 per cent increase over the next decade. SR 357 also includes a RMA-written amendment that would create national tyre rolling resistance standards and grading system.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) included the tyre rolling resistance amendment, which RMA calls a “consumer education program.” RMA said the amendment was similar to HR 5632, which was passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee last year but never made it to the full House.

Democrats vowed to hold a full Senate vote sometime next month on the CAFE standards bill, which requires automakers to raise the average fuel economy of their vehicle fleets to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a move the companies denounced as unrealistic.

The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Commerce Committee, making it the first fuel economy bill to pass that hurdle since 1991. The move sets the stage for a major battle over new rules that could cost automakers tens of billions of dollars.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bush Directs EPA to Examine Regulating CO2

President Bush has ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin evaluating stricter emissions standards in response to the recent Supreme Court decision that determined CO2 to be a pollutant. By labelling CO2 a pollutant the Supreme Court opened it to regulation by the EPA, potentially circumventing the requirement for Congress to pass stricter Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The President indicated that he wants action prior to his departure from office in January 2009. The EPA will work with the Departments of Transportation and Agriculture in developing the standards which will have to consider factors such as vehicle safety and the cost of the mandates. Deutsche Bank analysts have reported that CO2 regulation will have a “materially positive intermediate-term impact” on some aftermarket companies.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandvulc Director Tires of Govt’s Recycled Arguments Against Retreads

Bandvulc director, Richard O’Connell, has received a government letter confirming his fears that retreaders will continue to be unfairly penalised for the foreseeable future. After a four year fight to be heard, Richard O’ Connell, director of Ivybridge based Bandvulc Tyres, thinks his struggle has finally reached a dead end, his argument having continually fallen on deaf ears.

O’Connell had thought that by confronting Ben Bradshaw MP at labour’s last annual conference, taking the opportunity to express his Industry’s frustration on stage and asking that the government allow it the same benefits as its new tyre counterparts, his efforts would at least lead to an open discussion. Instead, the Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare has written a letter O’Connell says, clearly demonstrates the Government is totally misinformed about the benefits of retreading.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear’s Marathon Now Better Equipped to Go the Distance

Goodyear is set to release a longer-lasting and more durable version of its ultra-low profile trailer tyre, the Goodyear Marathon 455/40R22.5 LHT (Long Haul Trailer). To differentiate this new and improved version from the existing Marathon a plus symbol has been added; the LHT+, as the new tyre is to be known, has the distinction of being the lowest diameter 22.5” trailer tyre on the market and, Goodyear claims that, amongst other performance improvements, the LHT+ offers 10 per cent more mileage than its predecessor.

With the Goodyear Marathon LHT+ 455/40R22.5 tyre featuring what its manufacturer states is the lowest aspect ratio – 40 per cent – offered on a trailer tyre, operators are able to maximise the size of the brakes fitted to units wearing the Marathon LHT+, making the tyre a suitable choice for maximum cube ‘Mega Trailers’.

14th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Minority Conti Subsidiary Seeks Funds to Revive Fortunes

Tanzanian tyremaker General Tyre East Africa (GTEA) has reported that it requires some US$7.5 million to reverse its fortunes. The company, established in 1969 and co-owned by the Tanzanian government (79 per cent) and Continental AG (21 per cent), held talks with a bank in early May in the hope of securing $2.5 million – money that would go towards assuring the company of a more reliable source of raw materials.

GTEA has also previously sought government intervention in its quest for a $5 million loan to obtain the amount it needs to overcome the difficulties the company has been facing as a result of high production costs, including the costs of fuel and natural rubber imports. The company has proposed that rubber plantations in the regions of Tanga and Morogoro be upgraded to increase output, a move that would, according to GTEA, save an estimated $7 million on rubber imports.

9th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

JIA Sources to Show Key Innovations at Brityrex International ’07

Innovative new products for tyre pressure management, nitrogen inflation and ‘touchless’ wheel alignment will be the focus for visitors to the JIA Sources International stand at Brityrex’07. The company’s new Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) makes its UK debut, offering simple-to-use retrofit applications for car, truck and towed vehicles like caravans and trailers.

Nitro-Ride nitrogen inflation systems is another area of business that will benefit from the launch of a new product, with a fully automated system being presented to trade and end user buyers.

JIA Sources managing director, William Mitchell, says that in addition to being innovative and practical, the company’s products are very much in vogue with current focus on carbon emissions reduction: “Reducing the carbon footprint of motorists is a major talking point. Our products focus on setting and maintaining accurate inflation pressures and correct wheel balancing/alignment, which of course improve fuel economy and extend tyre life, both of which help reduce emissions.”

23rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Urges Motorists: Think Before You Drive

Bridgestone is again urging motorists across the country to “Think Before You Drive”, as its campaign to encourage drivers to check the safety of their tyres enters a third year. In an effort to reduce accidents in the UK, Bridgestone joined forces with the RAC Foundation and FIA Foundation in 2005 to launch the Think Before You Drive campaign – and this year will see more activity than ever before.

“Since the campaign began, we have carried out tens of thousands of free tyre checks across the UK and Europe, in an effort to show drivers just how important their tyres are,” said John McNaught, managing director of Bridgestone UK. “Shockingly, we have found that only 6.5 per cent of vehicles had all four tyres correctly inflated, with at least one in eight cars having at least one tyre significantly under-inflated.”

20th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Win a Harley-Davidson

BEN, the Automotive Industry Charity, in Association with Harley-Davidson Motorcycles will be launching its National Bike Draw from Tuesday 24 April. The XL883 Sportster, which has been donated by Harley-Davidson Europe, is described as a pure and unadulterated street machine, an ideal entry level motorcycle for those joining the Harley-Davidson family. With its 883cc V-twin Evolution engine it has the addition of fuel injection for the 2007 model year. Tickets priced at £2 each can be purchased from Kelly Neal at BEN. Simply email her at Kelly.neal@ben.org.uk or call on 01344 294720. The Draw will take place at the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show, The NEC, on December 2, 2007.

20th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Stuntman Gets His Kicks Repairing Tyres

Indian motorcycle stuntman and motor mechanic Dashrathi Parichha claims he has developed a device that will prevent motorcyclists becoming stranded with flat tyres. The kit he has developed is small enough to fit inside a motorcycle’s toolbox, and requires no batteries or motor – all the user has to do to make it work is repeatedly kick start his bike.

Central to the device is a one-way valve that is connected to a hose and a meter that indicates the amount of air pumped. In the event of a flat tyre or puncture, the rider must simply remove one of the motorcycle’s spark plugs, attach the device, and then connect the hose to the tyre’s air valve. Once that is done it is time to get kicking – this moves the cycle’s pistons back and forth, pushing air down the hose. Mr. Parichha claims that about 20 to 25 kicks is sufficient to fill a tyre. However he adds that is essential to first cut off the supply of fuel to the engine, otherwise the rider will end up with a tyre filled with a highly flammable liquid.

18th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Pumps Blow Away Competition in Auto Express Test

Michelin foot-pumps have taken an impressive one-two clean sweep in comparison tests run by Britain’s biggest selling motoring weekly, Auto Express. The Michelin twin-barrel pump was awarded the “Best Buy” 5-star rating for performance and accuracy whilst the Michelin single-barrel foot pump took the runner-up “Recommended” award and a 4-star rating.

The two foot-pumps from the Michelin motoring accessories range were compared with eight competitors’ products in detailed tests carried out by Auto Express’ technical experts. The accuracy of the pressure gauges and their pumping power were at the heart of the tests, which also awarded points for stability in use, build quality, hose length and ease of tyre-valve connection.

17th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

US Drivers Going Soft on Tyre Pressure Checks

According to a recent US survey conducted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), motorists are today paying less attention to their tyres than they were a year ago. Just over 50 per cent of drivers responded that they have checked their vehicle’s tyre pressure within the past month, compared to 70 per cent last year.

The RMA believes this decrease in attentiveness is linked to the drop in fuel prices during the past 12 months. “Our most recent survey suggests that when gas prices began to drop last fall, so did drivers’ attention to their tyres,” said Donald B. Shea, president and CEO of the RMA. He added “low tyre pressure-related crashes are to blame for 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries every year. Motorists need to understand that while proper tyre pressure will save them a couple of dollars at the pump, it will also help keep our roads safer.”

17th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

BERU Tyre Safety System Picks Up “Genius 2007” Safety Award

In April, Jürgen Brust, managing director of BERU Electronics GmbH, received the “Genius 2007” Allianz safety award for the Beru direct pressure monitoring Tyre Safety System (TSS) at a ceremony in Leipzig.
Allianz’s annual “Genius” award is designed to honour pioneering technical developments which have already been implemented in practice and which contribute to the creation of safer road traffic. With this award, the insurance company aims to motivate automotive manufacturers to install safety features such as the BERU tyre pressure control system into their vehicles.

At the award presentation, Dr. Karl-Walter Gutberlet, board member of Allianz, underlined this when he said: “The TSS does not only provide better safety in road traffic, but it also helps to minimise CO2 emissions.” Jürgen Brust responded: “For the engineers and development staff at BERU, the continuous optimisation of our direct pressure monitoring system remains a permanent challenge. The lasting success of the product is also shown by the fact that we have already introduced the third generation of the system.”

17th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Sapphire Supports Thought Provoking ‘Play’ Exhibition With Tyre Fun

Sapphire Energy Recovery’s flagship Manchester processing facility helped demonstrate, last month, that end of life tyres can have an artistic functions as well as a practical ones. Sapphire has supplied tyres for a compelling new exhibition by Urbis, entitled “Play”. Urbis, a £30million development managed by Manchester City Council, examines, explains and celebrates city life through the experiences and cultures of the people living there. With four floors of evolving displays, dedicated to the modern and future city, Urbis is about covering what’s new, original, and interesting about city life.

16th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Drivers Under Pressure to Pump Up

Company car and van drivers are being urged by ATS Euromaster to take advantage of a free tyre pressure check at any of its centres nationwide, in support of the Department for Transport’s new ‘Act on CO²’ initiative. The campaign, launched in March, highlights the amount of CO² emitted by cars and vans in the UK, and targets an eight per cent reduction over 5.5 million tonnes of CO² a year.

The free tyre inspection includes checking the pressure, tread depth and general condition of each tyre and is available at any of ATS Euromaster’s 500 service centres nationwide. It takes approximately five to ten minutes per vehicle and motorists receive a written report showing the exact status of each tyre.

16th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New Commercial TPMS from Mobile Awareness

Transportation safety products company, Mobile Awareness, released a new generation of TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) products geared toward Commercial Trucks, Utility Vehicles, RVs and Trailers – the MA-TPMS. The system automatically and continuously monitors tyre status, alerting the driver to abnormal conditions with an audible alert and LCD display indicator. It not only warns of low-pressure and high-pressure levels, but also monitors hazardous tyre temperature conditions. All three warning settings are programmable by the user.

“There are many advantages to monitoring and maintaining properly inflated tyres, the most important being the reduction of fatalities and injuries from tyre related hazards,” remarked Gary Rothstein, president of Mobile Awareness. “As we expand our offering of transportation safety products, tire monitoring will be a key part of our focus to prevent vehicle accidents.”

12th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors