regulation Archives - Page 11 of 14 - Tyrepress

Posts

T&E Releases Position Paper on Tyre Noise Regulations

The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) has released a position paper on improving tyre noise in response to the European Commission’s invitation for public consultation on the topic, made in preparation for the drafting of new regulations. The submissions are intended for the new ‘Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Advanced Safety Features and Tyres’, a regulation that would most likely be used to replace most of the separate safety-related directives that currently come under the vehicle type-approval Framework Directive.

In its response, T&E urges the European Commission to propose, without delay, effective standards to reduce noise emissions from passenger and commercial vehicle tyres. “It must be kept in mind that road traffic noise is first and foremost a serious and widespread public health problem,” reports T&E. “Noise is often at the top of the list of citizen’s concerns over their quality of life and living environment.” The organisation adds that more than 200 million EU citizens are exposed to levels of road noise, the major source of environmental noise in Europe, that potentially pose risks to their health.

24th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

T&E Releases Position Paper on Tyre Noise Regulations

The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) has released a position paper on improving tyre noise in response to the European Commission’s invitation for public consultation on the topic, made in preparation for the drafting of new regulations. The submissions are intended for the new ‘Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Advanced Safety Features and Tyres’, a regulation that would most likely be used to replace most of the separate safety-related directives that currently come under the vehicle type-approval Framework Directive.

In its response, T&E urges the European Commission to propose, without delay, effective standards to reduce noise emissions from passenger and commercial vehicle tyres. “It must be kept in mind that road traffic noise is first and foremost a serious and widespread public health problem,” reports T&E. “Noise is often at the top of the list of citizen’s concerns over their quality of life and living environment.” The organisation adds that more than 200 million EU citizens are exposed to levels of road noise, the major source of environmental noise in Europe, that potentially pose risks to their health.

24th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Keeping it Together

The organisers of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship maintain the provision of sustainable solutions to the environmental impact that results from UK rallying events as one of their top priorities. Following on from the introduction of a “greener” control fuel, a partnership set up by the BRC with Pirelli Tyre and the Forestry Commission will examine tyre technologies with a view to developing a product that will have positive economic and environmental benefits. Thus, on the back of its participation as partner and official tyre supplier to the BRC, Pirelli has joined forces with these two parties to carry out an evaluation and tyre development programme with the aim of reducing damage to forest roads.

19th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Tubeless Radials the Hot Ticket in India

(Akron/Tire Review – Hindustan Times) The flurry of new car launches in India is bringing in a quiet revolution: tubeless radial tyres have become standard fitment. Most of India’s tyremakers including MRF, JK Tyres and Ceat have started manufacturing tubeless radial tyres.

It is a quiet change on behalf of carmakers, says Tom Thomas, chief of manufacturing and technical for Ceat Tyres. Previously, most carmakers stuck to regulation tyres with tubes. These are cheaper, but they are also prone to punctures and excessive wear and tear. “Tubeless tyres give better long-term value for money for a buyer, and it is easy to repair too,” said a Mumbai-based sales manager for Tata Motors who declined to be named. “Tubeless radials can carry on with a nail in them for many kilometers, and you will probably notice the flat tyre at home, rather than on the road,” added Thomas.

16th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

European Associations Launch Right to Repair Campaign

Automotive aftermarket and motorist representatives have today launched the Right to Repair Campaign at Equip’Auto 2007 to safeguard consumer choice and effective competition in the market for vehicle replacement parts, tools and equipment, servicing and repair.

“Vehicles are more and more becoming “computers on wheels”, stated Campaign spokesperson Sylvia Gotzen. “While technological innovations provide better emissions control as well as more safety and comfort, they have made it increasingly challenging to service or repair a vehicle. Fair and full access for independent market operators to technical information, multi-brand diagnostic tools as well as test equipment, replacement parts and training is therefore more than ever crucial to be able to provide European motorists with the quality service and parts they deserve in the aftermarket care of their vehicles”, she explained.

16th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Stoner Unhappy About MotoGP Single Tyre Proposal

The recent suggestion from Dorna that a one tyre rule should be adopted for MotoGP in 2008 has been met less than enthusiastically by current world champion, Australia’s Casey Stoner. The Bridgestone shod rider recently made public his feelings about the proposal made after a season in which the Japanese tyre major dashed Michelin’s long enjoyed winning streak.

“There has been one [bad] season and now everyone wants to jump ship,” Stoner said. “This is a prototype championship. These bikes are built just for this championship and these tyres are built just for this championship. If we bring in a single tyre rule, then you bring in single manufacturer bikes, and then it’s the R6 Cup.”

12th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

China in the firing line

(Rubber Asia) A number of China’s tyre makers are presently having a tough time in the US, but protectionist sentiments may spread to Europe too. While China’s export pricing has much to do with this, China has recently moved to reduce the export incentives that had become such a bone of contention in the West. But the rancour felt particularly in the US goes further and deeper than this.

Some of the current animosities have as much to do with culture as they have with conditioning. The China of today is a young and resourceful economy, whereas its large export markets in North America and Europe are, for the most part, mature economies where the twin burdens of regulation and social protection weigh much more heavily. That is why China’s freebooting ways in particular are causing tensions.

20th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Fleets Increasingly Switching to Non-Franchised Servicing

With a new report rating customer care at franchised dealers at just 6.3 out of 10; it is no surprise that 39 per cent of companies are switching to non-franchised dealers for routine servicing.

The 2007 Business Car Perceptions Report by business and management consultants BearingPoint suggests that the traditional franchised dealer network, which car manufacturers depend on as their key channel to market, is under strain as a result of a growing fall-off in aftersales business. reveals that fleet servicing business, which provides an important source of revenues for car manufacturers and franchised dealers alike, is being lost to non-franchised dealers.

The research, which was conducted by Professor Peter Cooke, the recently appointed Professor of Automotive Management at the University of Buckingham, in association with BearingPoint, shows that almost two-fifths (39 per cent) of companies already use non-franchised dealers for routine servicing. This number is set to grow, as nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of those respondents still using franchised dealers expect to switch to non-franchised dealers in the future.

19th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Be Seen, Be Safe with Dickies

UK based workwear manufacturer Dickies produce a high visibility range of garments designed specifically for those working in the automotive industry whose work takes them out of the workshop and onto the roads. Combining regulation safety and detailed construction, this range of robust high visibility garments offers comfort, durability and protection when working at the roadside.

In distinctive high visibility orange and navy all the garments feature regulation 5cm reflective strips and are fitted with a number features intended to assist those working in this tough occupation. For example, the Recovery Poly/Cotton Trousers are fitted with multi-entry cargo pockets complete with a pocket for a mobile phone and radio. Kneepad pouches that will take flexible cushioned kneepads are also fitted to relieve the discomfort of working in a kneeling position on hard road surfaces.

There are three jackets all complying with EN471 Class 3, the standard for the Primary Route Network (PRN) and all other roads with a speed limit of 40mph and above.

15th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

GEA Helps Garages “Keep Cool” About New Car Air-Con Regulations

The Garage Equipment Association (GEA) is part of a working group in consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regarding the new EC Regulation No 842/2006 on Certain Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gases), and has produced an eight page guide to help those in the vehicle servicing industry understand what this regulation means to them.

The principle objective of the F-Gas Regulation is to contain, prevent and thereby reduce emissions of F-gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. Key obligations in the Regulation apply in the UK and the rest of the EU with effect from 4 July 2007.

F-Gases are hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) and their main application in the motor industry is the use of F-Gas 134a as the refrigerant in vehicle climate control and air conditioning systems. As such the July 4 phase-in of the above-mentioned obligations impacts the vehicle service industry.

10th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

CIMS Commentary on Chinese Tyre Recall

(Akron/Tire Review) Federal regulations require that tyre purchasers have a right to have their tyres registered at no charge, so they will be directly notified in the event of a safety related recall to have the tyres removed from the highway as quickly as possible.

[Editor’s Note: CIMS, which produces and sells tyre registration materials in North America, issued a press release yesterday regarding the current recall situation involving Chinese produced tyres. While the release itself contained no news – only commentary – the comments of CIMS president Paul Kruder regarding the matter may be of interest to readers.]

“As a result of the recent government ordered tyre recall of at least 450,000 Chinese produced tyres, questions regarding tyre safety are dominating the headlines once again. Tyre purchasers need to protect themselves and make sure their tyres are registered.

4th July 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

ISSRP Appoints New Executive Committee in Delhi

(India/Rubber Asia) The 48th International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers Inc (IISRP) AGM held in New Delhi, India, recently discussed subjects including the new EU quality regime and the marketing scenarios in the galloping economies of China and India. The organisation also appointed new executive committee members that reflect the growing importance of the Russian market.

The newly elected president Vasily Nomokonov will also serve as the European section president of IISRP. Speaking to Rubber Asia on the sidelines of the AGM, Mr Nomokonov said he would like to see that the institute has a broader platform during his tenure. He would also like to see that Russia continues to play a vital role in the growth of global SR industry. The AGM ended with a mesmerising farewell luncheon hosted in a characteristic Russian red ambience and a hearty invitation from the new president to meet in Moscow for the 49th edition of the AGM.

9th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Slam Dunk from the Sky

Two US university students have made history by successfully making what is said to be the world’s longest basketball shots. From their vantage point in the gondola of the Goodyear blimp, hovering 500 feet above the ground, Stacey Freyer and Jennifer Hanson – both avid supporters of their University basketball teams – cast a regulation size basketball towards a 100-foot hoop on the ground.

Freyer and Hanson were amongst four students selected to attempt the shot, winners of the Goodyear “Get There” Blimp Shot Contest, part of the tyremaker’s new nationwide advertising campaign. In recognition of their successful shots both Freyer and Hanson received a number of “Get There” prizes, including travel, accommodation and tickets for two to attend one of the sporting events for which the Goodyear blimp will provider aerial coverage for during the next 12 months. As an added bonus, video of both winning shots and the balls they used will be added to the exhibits at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Massachusetts.

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

UK Heavy Vehicle Sales Plummet During February

Monthly figures released by the ACEA show dismal UK sales of heavy commercial vehicles for February 2007 compared with data recorded a year earlier. These results contrasted with Europe-wide figures that revealed mild growth in most market segments.

New UK registrations of commercial vehicles weighing 16 tonnes and over were down by 28.4 per cent on February 2006, with only 1,372 vehicle registrations. This was the largest percentage decrease measured anywhere in Europe, and the ACEA attribute these figures to the decline in orders experienced after the Euro 4 emission regulation came into effect last October. Throughout the EU an average 11.2 per cent increase in registrations was recorded.

27th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors