There’s no denying Michelin makes a good tyre, but unfortunately they don’t taste so good. So it’s just as well the tyre major has released the 2009 Michelin’s Eating Out in Pubs guide. Launched on September 3 and priced at £14.99, this is a publication worth studying before deciding upon a place to whet your palate.
India’s natural rubber exports are said to have increased 38 per cent between April and July this year, according to estimates from the country’s Rubber Board. A total of 23,998 were exported during the period as opposed to 14,816 tonnes in the same period of the previous financial year. Favourable global market conditions in July led to a total of 10,862 tonnes of natural rubber exported during this month alone.
Cooper Tire’s ultra-high performance Cooper Zeon 2XS is to be unveiled as OE on the new electric sportscar, the Lightning GT, at the British International Motor Show, currently taking place at Excel in London until 3 August.
Every Lightning GT built will be fitted with the Zeon 2XS as standard on its 20 inch rim size. The tyre’s cornering ability and steering response won it the right to be OE-fitted on the 700bhp, 130mph sportscar. In addition to the good looks expected of the modern sportscar, the Lightning GT also has the ultimate ‘green’ rating, as it has no CO2 rating and virtually no polluting emissions thanks to its innovative battery power and electric motor. The 245/45R20 Cooper Zeon 2XS rubber offers superior traction and handling characteristics that will befit the Lightning GT’s ability to achieve 0-60mph in four seconds.
Michelin has developed a new all-purpose drive axle tyre it claims is ideally suited for both road and motorway use in all weather conditions. Called the Michelin X MultiWay, the new tyre incorporates Michelin Durable Technologies to further enhance safety through its self-regenerating tread pattern that continues to deliver grip even when the tyre is two-thirds worn.
Specifically, this technology consists of raindrop-shaped cylindrical channels positioned in the centre of each tread block which, when the tread is two-thirds worn, gradually open to create new grooves in the middle of the tread block. A series of tests using a tyre which was two thirds worn demonstrated that the Michelin X MultiWay delivers reduced braking distances compared to a same size Michelin tyre incorporating standard technology.
Goodyear has been selected to provide the OE tyres for the new Lincoln MKS, a luxury sedan due to be placed in dealerships in summer this year. The tyre company adds Lincoln to the lengthy list of new North American vehicles shod with the company’s tyres.
The standard tyre for the 2009 MKS will be the Assurance ComforTred in size P235/55R18, though in addition the company will offer an optional 19-inch fitment of the Eagle RS-A in size P255/45R19.
Goodyear’s high speed Optitrac R+ farm radial tyre has been approved for fitment to the new 7000 series JCB Fastrac tractor. The specific tyres to be approved, says Goodyear, are the 540/75R28 Optitrac R+ front tyre and 650/75R38 Optitrac R+ rear tyre for the Fastrac 7170 and 7200, and the 600/70R30 Optitrac R+ front tyre and 650/85R38 Optitrac R+ rear tyre for the Fastrac 7230.
“We are very pleased that the high speed road and in-field performance of the new Optitrac R+ tyre has been recognized by JCB and approved for fitment to the new 7000 series Fastrac tractor,” said Eric Martin, OE manager farm and industrial tyres Europe.
A new private label tyre company based in Oregon, USA has launched its first product, one with an interesting twist. Icon Tire’s new I/Q LT7 line features what the company calls “Visual Tire Performance Indicators” (VTPI), stud-like devises designed to help drivers see when a tyre has worn to its removal mileage.
Icon said the new tyres and system will be available to dealers and retailers by the end of this year. Initially there will be 12 sizes, Icon said, focused on minivans and SUVs. Icon said the new line was “developed through a non-exclusive license of Smart Tread LLC’s patented performance testing and identification method, and Icon’s patent pending stud design.”
Earthmover tyre specialist Gordons Tyres Ltd has announced a change in its company name. The company is now fully trading as Earthmover Tyres (Wakefield) Ltd. The company has also launched a new website reflecting this name change – www.earthmovertyres.com.
The company is a Michelin approved centre for all major repairs to earthmover tyres. Major repairs are undertaken at the Earthmover Tyres headquarters depot by fully certified earthmover tyre repairers to the Michelin Approved Standard for earthmover tyres.
Wolfrace has introduced the Pro-Lite alloy wheel; described by the company as the first Wolfrace lightweight wheel suitable for race and track use.
The Pro-Lite is similar in appearance to the successful Pro-Sprint wheel, with 12 spokes, but the manufacturing process means significant weight savings; for example, the 7.5×18″ Pro-Lite weighs 9.2kg, compared with 11kg for a standard alloy.
A number of colours/finishes are available, including Black/Machined, Shadow Chrome, Silver, Matt Black, Gloss Titanium, Urban Titanium and White. Available sizes (and weights) are: 6.5×15″ (6.2kg), 7×16″ (7.1kg), 7×17″ (7.8kg) and 7.5×18″ (9.2kg).
Wolfrace says that the wheel is currently being tested and developed by “a well-known team of race experts” and the company is hoping to use the Pro-Lite in a race formula in the near future.
Rotary Lift introduces a new extended height (EH) adapter to enable technicians using any frame-contact Rotary Lift model to properly pick up the Toyota Tundra and other light trucks, SUVs and vans. Additionally, Rotary said it has widened the frame-engaging pad on this and its existing EH auxiliary adapter by half an inch, in order to accommodate new vehicles, many of which have wider frames.
US based Centurion Wheels operates a state of the art facility in China, employing personal with decades of industry experience. Catering for the commercial vehicle market, the wheels produced by Centurion are TRA and SAE compliant, and the company is US DOT approved. The company reports that the design and materials used give its wheels a higher than industry standard fatigue tolerance.
Products manufactured by Centurion Wheels include both tubeless and tube tyre disc wheels for all positions, and in August the company plans to introduce its new industrial and agricultural wheel ranges.
“Tzunamee” is the name of the latest wheel from Barracuda, with a striking design that the manufacturer says really catches the eye.
The powerful visual impression is defined by a combination of two different spider designs, which produce ten basic spokes together, doubling in number as they branch outwards. The branches of the new spider design extend from the rim base all the way to the rim edge. Fitted with bolts, between which the “Barracuda” logo has been discreetly positioned, the finishing tips of the other design create the impression of a composite rim.
The spokes of the second spider greatly increase the strength of the wheel, whilst the construction permits an extremely lightweight design. For example, the wheel with the size 8×18″ has thus been given a wheel-load guarantee of a possibly record-breaking 880 kg by the TÜV (German Technical Control Board).
Move over Twelve…..Thirteen has arrived! This intriguingly named product is in fact the latest alloy wheel from German manufacturer Oxigin, and is follows on from the “Twelve” series rim. The one-piece “Thirteen” design is a five-spoke wheel with a high load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for use on heavy vehicles.
A particularly eye-catching feature of the Thirteen, says Oxigin, is the contrast between the wheel spider sections, which are painted in a high gloss, black finish (Higloss-Black), and the sections with a 2D-front-brushed finish (Face Diamond-Cut). The latter produce an additional spider that is turned inwards and whose “gleaming rays” point towards the wheel centre.
At T&A we never tire of tyres but it is always good to remember the metal object ensconced inside, whether they be the latest high-performance alloys or standard equipment on a trailer unit. Next month’s Tyres & Accessories is home to our annual wheel feature – a great place to catch up on the latest products available here and abroad.
Problems surrounding the importation of sub-standard tyres in Uganda may be reduced following the decision to introduce a certificate of conformity that importers must obtain from manufacturers. A consensus to this effect was reached during a recent workshop held by the Uganda Industrial Research Institute.
Regulation of the sale of tyres has become the responsibility of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), and at the opening of the workshop UNBS executive director, Dr. Terry Kahuma, commented that regulation will better ensure safety and fair trading. “We have embarked on enforcing standards of imported tyres in order to protect road users and passengers against accidents caused by sub-standard tyres,” Kahuma was quoted as saying by Uganda’s New Vision newspaper. “This has come up as a need to protect consumers and traders dealing in good quality tyres but subjected to unfair competition by those dealing in poor quality tyres.”
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