The first phase of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau’s totally redesigned www.retread.org website has gone live, and offers visitors numerous new features including a full resources section including a retread buyer’s guide, studies regarding retreading, a calendar of industry events and a DOT code searcher. A members-only section provides community-based tools to connect members geographically or through similar product interests.
Continental’s Commercial Vehicle Tires division has a new head of global public relations. Dr. Christiane Pfeiffer, formerly in charge of international marketing communications for truck and bus tyres at Continental, has replaced Udo Brandes in this role. Brandes, aged 64, intends to retire in May after six years at Continental and until this time will work for the Commercial Vehicle Tires division in an advisory role.
US motor industry supplier TRM Automotive Holdings reports its zero initiator tyre pressure monitoring system – a product the company refers to as “its lowest cost auto location system ever” –recently entered mass production and is now under evaluation with global vehicle manufacturers. Announcing the new product’s rollout, Laurent Crosnier, product portfolio director for TRW Radio Frequency Electronics, commented that “TRW seeks to bring cost competitive systems to market in our effort to deliver the safety that everyone deserves, and affirms its TPMS technological leadership with this innovative new product launch.”
Yokohama Rubber says its preparations for the 2010 European tyre label are to be strengthened through the April release of its BluEarth-1 range, which it says has achieved an ‘A’ grade rating – the highest possible – for fuel economy under the upcoming label’s expected classification system. The BluEarth-1 is the first of a series of BluEarth products that will be launched in Europe; the product family was first publicly previewed at January’s Tokyo Auto Show, where the top of the line BlueEarth-1 was displayed alongside the premium BluEarth RV-01 minivan tyre and the standard BluEarth AE-01.
A new addition to Vredestein’s Quatrac all-season family, first established in 2007 with the Quatrac 3, is scheduled for release at the Geneva International Motor Show. This new product, the Quatrac Lite, is described by Apollo Vredestein as being “revolutionary” and the “first ‘green’ all-season tyre.” In announcing its imminent launch the tyre maker says the Quatrac Lite “meets all the environmental regulations due to be implemented across the European Union in 2012, and is focused on fuel efficiency.” Apollo Vredestein further comments that the new range “meets the premium quality and safety standards for which Vredestein is renowned.”
Goodyear India has announced the launch into the market of its Assurance Fuel Max tyre. “In the current environment where the rising fuel costs are a huge concern, Fuel Max technology is designed to improve fuel consumption without compromising on mileage or performance,” said Rajeev Anand, chairman and managing director, Goodyear India.
A market study into the viability of selling Goodyear’s truck and bus radial range in India has begun, reports the Hindu Business Line. The managing director of Goodyear India, Rajeev Anand, stated on February 22 that “We are putting our TBRs into the market on a pilot basis for testing. The market study will take around 18 months after which we will launch a new range. At present we only make cross ply tyres for trucks and buses, in which we have a small market share.” As the financial daily notes, radials still account for just 12 per cent of the 950,000 truck and bus tyres sold in India each month, yet sales have more than doubled in the last two years due to growth in the commercial vehicle market.
Haweka UK, a leading independent manufacturer of wheel balancing accessories and commercial vehicle alignment equipment, is to show its range at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham this April.
Two new mixed service treads have been added to the European Bandag range, and Bridgestone Europe says both products deliver up to 15 per cent higher mileage, along with a lower cost per kilometre, than their predecessor treads, the BDY3 and BZY2. The treads are the Bandag Drive Mixed Service (BDM1) and the Bandag Rib Mixed Service (BRM1), an all-position tyre for on/off road use.
During the month of January Michelin is bringing two new motorcycle tyres designed for road use to market. Spearheading this portfolio expansion is the eagerly awaited Pilot Road 3 for sport touring bikes. Michelin states this new product has been designed to deliver superior grip in all conditions of use – whether on wet or damp – as well as offer outstanding total mileage. The tyre, the manufacturer adds, reflects Michelin’s across-the-board R&D strategy of improving individual tyre performance characteristics without sacrificing others. In this instance, engineers at the Michelin Technology Center “developed X Sipe Technology” (XST), which integrates dual-action sipes into the tread. How this works, Michelin explains, is that the sipe ribs first cut through the surface of the water, which is then evacuated faster and more effectively toward the outside of the tyre through wide grooves.
Moscow has is the venue for this year’s the launch of ‘The Cal’ – Pirelli’s 2011 Calendar. In its almost half-century, the Pirelli Calendar has gained an enviable reputation for presenting some of the world’s most beautiful women. This time round, however, under the artistic direction of Karl Lagerfeld the Calendar has diversified to include something for everyone – in a departure from the previous 37 editions, men feature alongside the female models in the 36 photos that make up the 2011 Calendar. Tyres & Accessories brings you full information tomorrow.
During the winter months many British motorists will engage in the practice of turning on their vehicles’ engines well before departure time in order to remove the morning frost without manual scraping. The obvious resulting problem is that leaving a running car unattended invites the attentions of the criminal classes; Sainsbury’s Bank has recently published figures suggesting 66,000 vehicles are stolen in this situation. Vehicle accessories company Armour Automotive believes it has found a solution, announcing the launch of its new range of engine remote starter systems, available through the company’s Clifford brand.
Bridgestone’s Battlewing Adventure Sports tyre will be original equipment on Triumph’s latest model, the eagerly anticipated Tiger 800 XC. The tyre was chosen after rigorous testing for compatibility. The bike was unveiled in Milan earlier this month and is aimed at the adventure touring bike market. The fitment will help maximise the motorcycle’s on and off road capabilities, says Bridgestone.
November’s EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan provided Pirelli with a ‘home town’ venue for the introduction of its latest tyre for supersport and naked bikes, the Diablo Rosso II. The Italian manufacturer’s replacement to the first generation Diablo Rosso is described as being an “ideal evolution” of the original tyre that has inherited its predecessor’s sporty identity while emphasising and improving versatility, wet performance and regularity of wear. The Diablo Rosso II, with its strengths as a supersport road tyre, thus joins the trackday-focused Diablo Rosso Corsa in a premium radial product line-up that Pirelli calls ‘Rosso Generation’.
Mechanics, car dealers, driving instructors and taxi firms throughout the UK can now offer consumers the opportunity to review and rate their products and services online at Yell.com, following Yell’s acquisition and integration of the TrustedPlaces local review website. As part of the launch, Yell is developing a network of national and local community charities and will make a 25p donation for every review posted to the contributor’s charity of choice.
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