Cooper will be unveiling its new run-flat technology at the Essen show. The Cooper Zeon 2XS run-flat tyre is designed and manufactured to handle typical air loss situations, allowing motorists to drive on safely for up to 50 miles to their destination or suitable service station. Cooper Tire will be at stand 3-322, exhibiting products including Cooper, Avon and Mickey Thompson tyres.
Tomahawk, the UK manufacturer of retread radial motorcycle tyres, has launched a new pattern tyre for the 2006 season. The company’s new T3 tyre is said to be sport biased “with a large contact patch that puts more rubber on the road.” The tyre offers Z-rated performance in a choice of three compounds; Road, for every day use and good rates of wear; Sport, for spirited riding on road or track; and Sprint, for track day use.
The Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association (JATMA) has reported that domestic tyre production grew to 13.5 million units in August, up 1.1 per cent year-on-year. The 13th successive month is significant because output levels are generally down in August, when factories shut down for summer holidays.
Ex-Grand Prix star and BBC MotoGP commentator, Steve Parrish, visited Bridgestone UK’s Warwick HQ last week to draw the winner of the second phase of the manufacturer’s 2005 dealer and customer promotional campaign: ‘Grip the Road – Escape to Freedom’
According to Group Tyre, Maxxis is fast becoming one of the most highly regarded ‘premium budget’ brands in the UK. Chairman, John Church, commented on the development: “In the last two years, we have invested major resources in developing the Maxxis brand in the passenger car, 4 X 4 and light truck sectors, promoting its quality and value-per-mile attributes, which have clearly resonated with trade and retail customers alike. These initiatives have assisted in creating a firm foundation of distribution outlets, for the brand in the UK, and we can confirm that the initiatives will continue, as we look forward to further developing the Maxxis brand.”
Omskshina, a subsidiary of Sibur, has released its full year 2004 and first quarter 2005 results showing sharp declines in sales and output. In 2004 tyre output fell 27 per cent year-on-year to 3.8 million units. At least part of this sizeable drop can be attributed to Sibur’s decision to transfer the production passenger car and light truck tyres to its Matador-Omskshina joint venture. Although to all intents and purposes this was a sideways move, the transition of these figures from one balance sheet to another, has obviously had a marked impact on Omskshina’s totals.
“If Nick says it’s good then it must be,” says Mark Gregory, national franchise manager for Punctureseal, when asked about the company’s tyre sealant. Nick Sanders, the person he refers to is a renowned adventure/endurance biker who is well known in biking circles for his world moto challenge, where he circumnavigates the globe on his Yamaha R1. Nick advocates the brand by both using it on his own tyres and recommending it to all that travel alongside him.
More than five million motorcycle tyres are sold every year in Western Europe, making motorcycle tyres an extremely important niche market. In addition manufacturers are interested in this area because of the kudos influential companies can gain. In the next issue of Tyres & Accessories we take a close look at what’s going on and ask: “What’s coming next in the motorcycle tyre business?”
Michelin has launched the first road legal multi-compound racing tyre, the Power Race. The hypersport bike tyre utilises Two-Compound Technology (2CT), which the manufacturer says represents a “leap forward in the development of commercial motorcycle tyres.”
Michelin has launched the new Pilot Activ as a replacement to part of its existing Macadam 50 range of motorcycle tyres.
According to Michelin the new belted crossply tyre with sports-orientated tread pattern, “offers improved manoeuvrability, better dry and wet grip, higher mileage, and improved rider comfort,” compared with the Macadam 50.
The new tyre’s tread pattern features an optimised void ratio which puts four per cent more rubber on the road compared with a Macadam 50 of the same size. Which in turn improves grip, tyre life and contributes to better stability.
To achieve the improvements Michelin revised the recently developed casing construction to improve grip in all weather conditions.
The tyre is available in seven front sizes and six rears and in H and V speed ratings.
The middle of winter may not be motorcycle weather, but it is time for the motorcycle sector to be considering their purchases for the coming year. T&A looks at the players, the brands and the market developments for 2004.
Motorcycle tyres for the Moto GP are already running on C3M built tyres. The technology is said to give engineers better control over tyre manufacture.
Michelin claim that Valentino Rossi laps a half-second faster on a C3M-built tyre compared to a traditionally built tyre using the same materials.
Tyres from Czech manufacturer Mitas will be sold directly on to the Irish market from the beginning of November. The tyres will be sold through subsidiary company Mitas UK Ltd., which will be trading on the Irish market as Mitas Ireland. As well as agricultural and OTR tyres, Mitas Ireland will be selling earthmover, industrial and motorcycle tyres. The organisation will operate from a warehouse in County Kildare, run by sales manager Dave Deering.
Bridgestone used the EICMA show in Milan last month to introduce new motorcycle tyres. The Battlax BT-014 already has several OE homologations and the BT-020 and BT-45 are designed for the growing enduro/touring sector. The fourth new tyre, the Battlax BT-002, is for riders competing in supersport races or track days.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has revealed details of its new tyre production system, called Taiyo (“the sun”). It is a fully automatic system, integrating all the production process, from component preparation to tyre curing, into one cell. The process is very flexible and, says SRI, produces a more uniform tyre. The Taiyo system is in production at SRI’s Nagoya plant and 1,000 tyres of eight different sizes can be produced daily.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
