LEGISLATION
The New Zealand Government has prohibited the fitting of both winter and summer tyres to the same vehicle, yet for a man that has campaigned against the cold weather product for two years this ban does not go far enough. Don Graham’s fiancée was killed in 2007 when her car – fitted with winter tyres on the rear wheels – lost traction on a wet road, and he believes that cold weather tyres have no place in New Zealand.
Continental AG says its welcomes the tyre labelling system agreed upon by various EU bodies. While the system must pass a final vote in the European Parliament before it is given the official green light, the German tyre manufacturer looks forward to its November 2012 introduction and holds the opinion that the extra costs manufacturers face through labelling will pay off in the long term.
The first in Cooper’s 4×4 product portfolio to be developed outside the USA, the Zeon 4XS, says the American manufacturer, has been designed specifically to meet the demands of European 4×4 vehicles on European roads. The tyre will include fitments for the Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, BMW X5, Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and Mercedes M-Class, and will be available to buy in the UK and mainland Europe from early November.
Beginning by quipping that he didn’t mean to lie at last year’s event when he said the 2008 dinner was to be his last, NTDA chairman Peter Gaster opened this year’s chairman’s speech by explaining that the his chairmanship has been extended while he completes a review of NTDA’s future. Kwik-Fit’s David White, who will succeed Gaster as chairman, is set to take over when the select group of NTDA members has been consulting with have completed their recommendations.
The current chairman was keen to point out the association’s history and strengths: “Our association has been in existence for over 80 years and, in tyre industry terms, is the oldest surviving association and is still going strong! The main themes of any proposed changes are based upon the strength and weakness or pros and cons of our association.”
This was a reference to the association’s recent moves to resist “integration with other organisations.” However, “we would view any trade association that wanted to affiliate or even join the NTDA with an open mind and on its merit,” he added. This means that NTDA will maintain its office in Aylesbury with the ongoing support of its director and staff for the “foreseeable future.”
Marangoni has teamed up with premier drag venue Santa Pod Raceway and experienced TV production house Pulse 8 Media to create two unique ‘magazine’ style car shows that will be airing throughout the latter half of the year on both Eurosport and Motors TV channels on the digital platform.
Investing significantly in the move, Marangoni and Santa Pod Raceway acquired no less 36 hours of broadcast time for two shows that showcased their ‘Marangoni Fast Show’ and ‘Marangoni Ultimate Street Car’ sponsored events. The programmes show every aspect of the events from the ubiquitous racing, to the nightlife and lifestyle elements that proved so popular with the capacity crowds. Naturally, Marangoni branding, demo cars and products are liberally sprinkled throughout.
Hankook Tire is to invest 230 million euros in its Hungary tyre production plant over the next 2 years in a bid to double production output from 5 to 10 million tyres a year by 2011. The latest injection of funds means the company has invested 550 million euros in the project. An official statement from the company said the latest move to ramp up production in Europe was a reflection of increasing demand there. Hankook’s decision to build a manufacturing facility in Hungary has been key to reducing customer delivery times from one month previously to just five days for the Europe-made Hankook tyres. However, the move also positions Hankook for increasing amounts of OE business, with the company openly bidding for the attention of “Audi-level” customers. Last year the company’s Hungary site began supplying OE customers in Europe, first Hyundai’s Czech factory (with tyres destined for the i30-compact car) then to Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge in Germany for the popular VW T5.
Tyrepress.com has published a new question of the month for September. After getting off to a positive starte with our launch question (which showed that a large majority of readers favour the new-look tyrepress.com) this month’s readers poll looks at how long it will take for dealers to comply with the new s-marking ruling which is set to officially take effect on 1 October. At the moment the first few responses seem pessimistic about the chances of largescale compliance before March 2010, short of a robocop kind of enforcement. However, every point of view needs to be taken into account. So, to cast your vote click 'home' to answer this month's question. Every opinion counts so don’t forget to leave a comment.
Rally Australia is back on a new route after two years of absence from the WRC calendar, and it looks like being one of the most interesting events of the 2009 Championship.
In a letter to President Obama, David Hartquist, executive director of the Committee to Support US Trade Laws (CSUSTL), encouraged the President to support a petition brought by the United Steelworkers union.
From 2012 all new cars sold in Europe will have to be fitted with tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) as standard. However, leading TPMS-maker Schrader Electronics believes the legislation passed by the European Parliament earlier this year is flawed and could even compromise road safety. The concerns centre on the fact that the forthcoming rules make two types of TPMS technologies available to car companies – direct and indirect measuring systems. The tyre and TPMS industries favour solutions such as the direct system which places a pressure sensor in each wheel and transmits reliable pressure measurement information back to the car data centre which then informs the driver immediately about the condition of its tyres.
If Doctor Foster had gone to Gloucester in 2009 he’d have had more to worry about than puddles. According to a three-month study carried out by the Chris Mullins Tyres, more than three quarters of motorists in the southwest town are leaving it too late before they replace worn, damaged and potentially dangerous tyres. Staff at the Gloucester based tyre specialist found that almost 77 per cent of the 3,050 tyres they examined from cars, 4x4s and light vans between May and the end of July were already worn below the legal limit of 1.6mm.
On 13th August 2009, Motor Vehicles Regulations came into effect, making it illegal to fit a non type-approved catalytic converter to a vehicle registered on or after 1st March 2001. This means that a "Y" registered or newer vehicle requires a type-approved "cat". The new law also requires that replacement Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) are also type approved. The following information, supplied by the NTDA, outlines the reasons behind the law’s introduction and the importance of compliance.
Bosch reports the 81 per cent of passenger cars newly registered during 2008 in its home market of Germany are now equipped with its ESP electronic stability programme, two per cent more than last year. Europe-wide, 55 per cent of newly registered passenger cars were so equipped in 2008, five per cent more than in 2007. This figure is set to keep on growing as the enforcement date for EU legislation draws nearer – the EU requires all new vehicle models from November 2011 to be fitted with the safety system, while all newly registered vehicles must have ESP from November 2014. Similar legislation has also been passed in the US and Australia.
Forensic tyre examination specialist Brian Lawton has published Tyre Essentials, a new reference book covering almost everything to do with tyres. In the new book Lawton, a director of Newlaw Associates Limited, calls on his vast experience of the tyre industry to compile a tome covering important areas such as tyre construction, markings, manufacture, technology and legislation. In addition, the publication contains a thesaurus of around 800 tyre related terms and definitions.
Michelin claims another industry first with the launch of its accredited earthmover tyre repairs programme, which is designed to raise the standard of repairs and ensure increased safety, performance and value for operators. Launched in partnership with Rema Tip-Top, this UK initiative has been developed by Michelin as a worldwide pilot ahead of its possible introduction in other countries.
“There are national standards in place for the repair of road tyres but currently no legislation which sets a standard for off-road tyre repairs,” explained Chris Logan, commercial director of Michelin Earthmover and Industrial Operations.
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