Firenza high performance tyre options
International Singapore-based contract tyre brand Firenza continues to maintain a presence in the UK and Europe as a supplier of high performance tyres with the firm’s ST22 range.
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Michelin: Planned obsolescence is ‘quite developed’ in the European tyre market
Michelin further re-affirmed its opposition to increasing minimum tyre tread depths (and of those that recommend changing tyres at 3mm) on 11 May when the company held a “The truth about worn tyres” demonstration at its ultra-modern Ladoux global research and development centre near Clermont-Ferrand in France. But what is the truth about tread depth? Tyres & Accessories spent a day experiencing some of the differences between tyres currently available in the European market and spoke with the Michelin senior vice president responsible for the firm’s whole-life tyre strategy, Bernard Delmas, in order to find out more.
Pirelli’s flagship Burton Performance Centre shows what can be done with tyre retail
In Autumn 2016 Pirelli open the doors of a model Pirelli Performance Centre on the business park virtually next door the company’s UK headquarters in Burton-on-Trent. In mid-March Tyres & Accessories had an exclusive guided tour of the facility and found out more about what the incredibly modern and stylish centre offers and the strategy behind it.
Continental: Total Lousado investment to reach €150M
Continental is to realise a substantial increase in production capacity at its tyre plant in Lousado, Portugal. The company’s Tire division intends to invest a total of some €150 million by the end of 2018. The aim is not only to further expand annual passenger car tyre production capacity from its current level of approximately 18 million units, but also to set up a production facility for agricultural tyres in Lousado. At present, production at the site mainly focuses on standard car van and light commercial vehicle tyres.
Goodyear launches Dębica Presto UHP2
Following on from the release of new summer UHP products for its Fulda and Sava brands, Goodyear has introduced a UHP tyre range for its Poland-based brand, Dębica. The tyre maker states that the new Presto UHP2 offers greater mileage than the previous-generation tyre thanks to the use of a ‘Uniform Contact Pressure’ design, which distributes pressure over the whole tread contact area and thus spreads wear more evenly. Rolling resistance has also improved through the use of an optimised rolling resistance chafer that controls energy dissipation via the tyre’s rim.
ADAC tyre test win ‘demonstrates Goodyear EfficientGrip value’
Following its EfficientGrip SUV’s victory in the latest ADAC test, Goodyear states that the tyre has demonstrated the value it offers to the consumer. Prevailing in a contest featuring 15 other tyres, German automotive magazine ADAC found the tyre to have well-balanced performance, particularly regarding tyre wear, fuel consumption and handling on dry and wet.
Kumho positioning Ecsta PS91 as affordable premium performance tyre
The new Kumho Ecsta PS91 is now available in the UK and “aimed squarely at supercars and such mouth-wateringly quick passenger saloons.”
Westlake Motorsport Europe
During the course of January’s Autosport Show in Birmingham, Tyres & Accessories met up with the directors of relative newcomer Westlake Motorsport Europe. While Westlake branded car and truck tyres are distributed by Zenises across many European markets, the Chinese manufacturer behind the brand (Hangzhou Zhongce a.k.a ZC Rubber) has chosen to distribute its motorsport tyres separately to that.
Tyre sell-out up 4% overall, value tyre sales growth outpaces premium 4:1
No review of 2016 would be complete without a look at some market data. During the course of researching this feature Tyres & Accessories asked market research specialists GfK to share some key insights into what has been happening in the UK tyre retail market during the last year or so. GfK’s data is contained in the infographic below and discussed here by us. Clearly 2016 hadn’t come to an end at that point, so the data reflects GfK’s Point of Sales Tracking information comparing November 2014 to October 2015 with November 2015 to October 2016.
January 2017 launch for Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
A replacement for the Michelin Pilot Super Sport will come to market next year. The new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S will be available in Europe and the USA from January 2017; the Pilot Sport 4 S range will include 34 sizes for 19- and 20-inch rim diameters, a portfolio that Michelin says covers 92 per cent of the market. The tyre maker anticipates that the Pilot Sport 4 S will become “one of the most successful sports tyres ever designed by Michelin for the general public.”
Falken Ziex CT50 OE on Chrysler Pacifica
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is supplying its high-performance falken ziex CT50 tyres to FCAUS LLC on the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, now on sale in North America.
Z Tyre donates all profits from ‘World’s Most Expensive Tyre’ to Zenises Foundation
Z Tyre set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive set of car tyres ever sold, with the diamond and gold studded model, manufactured by Sentury Tyre, fetching $600,000 from a private buyer. Now the brand has confirmed that the profits from the sale will be donated to the Zenises Foundation.
Zenises presents US$600,000 world record tyre
Zenises has presented the world’s most expensive tyre at the firm’s Reifen Show launch event. The world record, which is the first official third-party adjudicated record of its kind, has set the bar high at US$600,000 for a set of four tyres – a figure verified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The Z-branded 295/35 ZR21 107Y […]
Stapleton’s: Retailers’ wishes steer development of UHP tyre offering
Leading national wholesaler Stapleton’s Tyre Services reports that, while the company stocks all the best known brands, in recent years “some excellent alternatives of HP and UHP have been introduced into Stapleton’s stable”. This applies across all price point, but – say company representatives – retailers’ wishes steers the development of the company’s UHP tyre offering.
Subaru recognises Goodyear tyre supply
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company received two prestigious North American supplier awards for its performance in environmental sustainability and environmental stewardship by Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA).
SIA is an Indiana-based manufacturer of the Subaru Outback, Legacy and Impreza line of vehicles. Goodyear supplies original equipment tyres to the popular Subaru Legacy model.
