Michelin North America has reported on a 383-page report made available in mid-March the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This report, says Michelin, confirms that wide single tyres are more fuel-efficient than duals on heavy trucks. This conclusion is based upon data collected from more than 700,000 real-world miles driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the course of four-years.
Leading tyre retail websites tyre-shopper.co.uk and kwik-fit.com have been rated as amongst the top 10 automotive shopping and classified websites in the UK. In the research kwik-fit.com came fifth, while tyre-shopper was ranked in ninth place. However it is also interesting to note that the success of first placed ebaymotors.co.uk and sixth-placed 247spares.co.uk, which both sell tyres, means 40 per cent of the UK’s leading websites in this category are also online tyre distribution channels.
The survey was carried out by Experian research company Hitwise, which monitored 8.43 million UK Internet users and how they interact with more than 1 million websites, across more than 165 different industries. The ranking didn’t include details of the relative performance of alternative leading tyre retail websites such as blackcircles.com, mytyres.co.uk or bestbuytyres.co.uk.
Cooper Tires said it will continue as presenting sponsor of the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda for 2009. In addition, Cooper has upped its participation in the 12-race series to raise the series’ overall purse to $3 million.
“Cooper’s partnership with the Atlantic Championship continues to pay tremendous dividends,” said Chris Pantani, Cooper director of motorsport and event marketing. “Our involvement provides a great research and development environment, as well as marketing opportunities. It also provides an excellent platform for Cooper to showcase its ultra-high performance racing products and technological capabilities to enthusiasts throughout the race season.” (Tire Review/Akron)
The Auto Channel reports that on Monday 9 March, 2009, Michelin presented PSA Peugeot Citroën with the millionth Michelin Energy Saver tyre, reaffirming the strategic partnership between the two groups. The Energy Saver made its debut exclusively on the Peugeot 308 in 2007.
Michelin states that its ‘green’ technological solution “generates fuel savings of nearly 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres in combined cycle driving, resulting in a reduction in CO2 emissions of nearly 4 grams per kilometre.” In recognition, it states of its “performance and the exceptional teamwork demonstrated by the partners,” PSA Peugeot Citroën presented Michelin with an Innovation award in May 2006. Today, this tyre technology is widely deployed on a large number of Peugeot and Citroën vehicles.
Only two UK-based car manufacturers have applied for European financial support, leading the Financial Times to conclude that the British automotive sector is being slow in applying. According to FT, cabinet ministers don’t want UK-based companies to miss out on European Investment Bank funding which is said to be unlikely to exceed 7 billion euros (£6.5 billion), significantly less than the 40 billion euros the industry had previously sought. This is in addition the government’s £2.5 billion automotive support package, which includes £1.3 billion of guarantees to back loans from the European Investment Bank and £1 billion of guarantees for other loans.
According to the FT, Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover have both applied for EIB financing to support research and development work. Jaguar said it was waiting for Wednesday’s meeting to get details of the non-EIB guarantees. Neither General Motors nor Ford Motor had yet applied for EIB-backed loans in the UK, the companies said.
Genencor announced the first transfer of BioIsoprene product – designed to provide an alternative to petrochemically derived isoprene, a key intermediate for synthetic rubber production – to Goodyear. Four containers of the clear liquid were handed over to Goodyear at Genencor’s Palo Alto, California, research facility. “This is a historical moment, after substantial research on this technology,” said Rich LaDuca, senior director of business development at Genencor. “It signifies a new era in biochemicals. We’re excited to be ushering in a future where tyres and many other products will be produced with renewable materials.”
Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, and Goodyear first announced their research collaboration on the technology and integrated production system for BioIsoprene product in September 2008. BioIsoprene is derived from renewable raw materials, and represents a significant development within the biochemical and rubber industries. Aside from synthetic rubber for tyre production, traditional isoprene is used for the production of a wide range of products, such as surgical gloves, golf balls and adhesives. Thus, the potential for BioIsoprene is substantial, according to the companies. (Tire Review/Akron)
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) reports earning three “Best Buys” ratings from Consumers Digest in the magazine’s recent tyre evaluation. A Bridgestone-brand and a Fuzion-brand tyre were acknowledged in the Performance Car Tires category along with a Bridgestone-brand tyre in the Touring Car Tires classification. This is a significant occurrence for BATA, as according to Consumers Digest, “Research shows that 62.7 per cent of consumers actually bought a product based on Consumers Digest Best Buy Seal.”
“We are very honoured to earn this kind of recognition for our Bridgestone and Fuzion-brand tyres,” said John Baratta, president, Consumer Replacement Tire Sales, U.S. and Canada, BATO. “Consumers Digest is an important and influential resource for consumers when they go to make buying decisions.”
Michelin has been named amongst the top ten “superbrands” in the UK. The top ten new arrival secured a berth at number eight on the list of the Business Superbrands Top 500, which is compiled by the London based Centre for Brand Analysis.
“The Superbrands research is very thorough and it’s quite an achievement for us to be recognised as a stronger business brand than companies like BP and Bupa,” commented Michelin head of communications Peter Snelling. “These are challenging times, and to be rated so highly by our peers can only be seen as a very positive sign for the future of our business.”
The German government is said to be in a difficult position….The Schaeffler Group, part-owner of Continental AG, has sought debt assistance, and the government seemed ready to help – until allegations of the company’s dealings in the Nazi era came to light.
At the end of February, the group issued the findings of independent research into its activities during the Third Reich, and this report shows Schaeffler to have widely used forced labourers in its Poland based armaments factories. The company released the findings in light of rumours circulating on the internet that its factories also utilised hair taken from inmates at Auschwitz, a charge Schaeffler vigorously denied.
What risks would you take to save money? Kwik-Fit has expressed its concern about a growing group of motorists who chance damage to their vehicles (and themselves) do to just that. The fast fit chains calls such drivers ‘eco-coasters’, and its caution comes in response to research that shows some 5.4 million “financially prudent motorists’, 15 per cent of all UK drivers, have taken to selecting a neutral gear when going downhill – just to cut their fuel bills.
As many as 3.6 million UK motorists could be driving on illegal tyres, according to the latest research. Figures from the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) show that of nearly 60,000 cars checked in January 2009 by retail members, 7,000 were being driven on at least one illegal tyre. Extrapolated across the population, this could amount to 3.6 million cars in the UK whose owners are at risk of causing serious road accidents. The disturbing findings are reflected by another recent survey conducted by TyreSafe, revealing that nearly one in ten motorists expects to spend less on tyres in 2009 compared with last year.
“When you consider that there are over 30 million cars on the UK’s roads, learning that one in ten motorists admits they plan to spend less on tyres shows an alarming lack of awareness among drivers towards their own road safety and the safety of the others,” TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis commented. “Many tyre dealers have indeed reported that more drivers are letting their tyres run below the legal tread depth before they replace them as they feel the financial pinch. This is a worrying trend which sadly may result in more accidents and road deaths as a result of the loss of grip and longer stopping distances associated with illegal tyres.”
The TyreSafe research reveals that motorists in London are most likely to decrease their spending on tyres in 2009 with one in ten drivers expecting to spend less, while drivers in the East Midlands have the most responsible attitude towards replacing tyres, with less than 3 per cent expecting to spend less on tyres over the coming year.
In the US Goodyear has released its first off-road tyre containing DuPont’s Kevlar. The para-aramid fibre is used in the sidewall area of its new Wrangler MT/R range for enhanced puncture resistance. The utilisation of Kevlar, a material that is, pound-for-pound, five times stronger than steel, brings improved sidewall cut- and puncture-resistance to an area of the tyre that demands extra toughness when driving off-road – it also helps reinforce the sidewall in case of any kerbside incidents on the drive home.
“The new Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar updates the legendary off-road performing namesake, which has had a great reputation among serious off-roaders,” said Melissa Montisano, Goodyear’s general manager for light-truck tyres. “This new tyre will certainly get the attention of anyone who takes off-road traction seriously.”
As of February 1, research and development for Continental Automotive in Romania is being headed up by Dr. Christian von Albrichsfeld. The 12-year Conti veteran is coordinating the research and development activities of Continental in Romania at a national level in its Timisoara, Sibiu and Iasi sites. Dr. von Albrichsfeld has taken over this position from Christian Ruediger, who was in charge of the team in Romania for two years and finished his term in the position on January 31.
American Pacific Industries (API) is preparing to introduce its Pegasus passenger car tyre brand into the European market in the second quarter of 2009. The range, which will be available in a range of 14 to 24-inch sizes will be distributed exclusive in the EC countries by InterSprint. API told Tyres & Accessories that Pegasus is the European version of it Spector tyre programme, which has been re-engineered for the European market.
According to company literature, API has built its name on developing “first class American engineered, Chinese manufactured products with a reputation for consistent quality and good value.” API says it is actively seeking partners “in most regions of the world.”
He’s one away from the ‘big five-oh’…Rally Norway, the sole all-snow round of the World Rally Championship, was the scene of five-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb’s 49th career win – it also marked the first competition victory for Pirelli’s brand new generation of Sottozero studded winter tyre. Loeb’s Citroën kept the Pirelli-equipped Ford Focus RS WRC of Mikko Hirvonen at bay throughout the event, finishing the three-day rally after what Pirelli has called a ‘close battle’ with the Finnish driver.
In past years, spiked winter tyres for world championship winter rallies used to be of a special narrow size, designed to bite through soft snow to the harder surfaces underneath. This year, as part of the Pirelli supported FIA cost-cutting drive, Pirelli’s tungsten-tipped Sottozero winter tyres – each of which contains 384 studs – have been designed to fit on standard 15-inch gravel wheel rims.
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