Michelin has expanded its range of supermoto tyres with the introduction of four new tyres: a soft front, a medium/hard rear, and front and rear wets. These are in addition to the existing medium/soft front and medium rear.
The 2006 Jeep Commander will be rolling out on Goodyear Fortera tyres when it hits North American dealer showrooms later this year, reports the tyre manufacturer.
The first Jeep with three rows of seats, the vehicle is positioned as a seven-passenger 4×4 that is “Jeep Trail-Rated.” Off-road capability and on-road refinement were requirements of the new vehicle, explains the tyre manufacturer adding, “the tyres had to match the package.”
Goodyear Fortera tyres are designed to offer a high-performance tread compound that delivers improved traction in wet and dry conditions. The computer-optimised tread pattern also promotes a quiet ride. The tyre size selected for the Jeep Commander is P245/65R17.
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.
At the SEMA show, Dunlop has unveiled a competition drag tyre that is also street-legal, aimed at the sport-compact drag segment, allowing enthusiasts to drive to the track and test their vehicles without changing tyres. The tyre, called the “Inferno”, looks the part as well, with an image of flames on the sidewall, and a tread pattern of directional, sweeping grooves to optimise straight-line performance. The Inferno’s compound is based on the Dunlop drag racing slick and the tread pattern, carcass and mould shape were computer-designed. It will be available early next year in size 205/50 R15.
Dunlop has announced a new, multiple application tyre targeted at the multi-purpose usage engaged by sport-utility vehicles and light trucks. The new Dunlop Rover RVXT is an all-terrain performance tyre carries the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s standard that designates tyres designed for use in severe snow conditions. The Rover RVXT is labelled with the mountain-and-snowflake symbol on the sidewall to distinguish its capability as a winter tyre. A key benefit for Dunlop dealers is the consolidation of two existing product lines – the Dunlop Rover RV and Rover P-Metric – as the new Rover RVXT hits the market. The new line offers 31 sizes, ranging from 15-inch to 17-inch rim diameters. The Rover RVXT’s tread pattern features a rugged, four-rib design to provide excellent on- and off-road performance. The tread has deep lateral grooves that provide extra traction in tough conditions, and circumferential grooves that assist in channelling water away from the tyre’s contact point patch with the road surface.
Michelin has introduced two new tyres, designed specifically with Asian driving conditions in mind. Called ‘Pilot Preceda’ and ‘Energy MXV8’, the tyres have been designed to suit road and weather conditions in that part of the world, in both construction and tread pattern.
Vredestein and Giugiaro have teamed up for a second time to produce a stylish ultra high performance car tyre – the Ultrac. This follows the success of the Giugiaro designed Sportrac, which encouraged Vredestein to ask the Italian design studio to work with them on their first venture into the UHP segment. The result is a variation on a theme, the now familiar extended deep vee tread pattern has been touched by natural influences and now follows a sweeping pattern taken from nature, using the veining of a leaf as inspiration. Many will wonder whether a tread pattern designed by a stylist is as effective as a tread pattern designed by a tyre technician, but by adopting the rule that form follows function, the result is a tyre which appears to perform as well as any of its UHP competitors. The real innovation though is in the compound and the building of the tyres. The Silica Silane compound turned the mixing process into a chemical reaction which had to be time and temperature controlled. Further, the tyre building required an accuracy offered only by new tyre building lines. Vredestein invested some 50 million Euro in production facilities for the Ultrac. It is a venture which leads the Dutch manufacturer into the burgeoning UHP sector, however, MD Rob Oudshoorn told NRZ, “We don’t consider this as a growth market, we see it as another opportunity to sell tyres.”
Michelin has launched the new Pilot Sport HPX (Horse Power Xtreme) motorcycle tyre to cope with the demands of today’s more powerful bikes. The tread pattern is the same as the Pilot Sport, but the casing has been redesigned to cope with the higher speeds and weights of machines such as the Suzuki GSX-R 1300 Hayabusa and the Kawasaki ZX12-R. The new tyre which was presented for the first time during the Intermot Munich at the end of last year is available in the following sizes: 120/70 ZR 17, 190/50 ZR 17 and 200/50 ZR 17.
Two years ago, Pirelli launched its “Winter Snowsport”, a tyre with an asymmetric tread pattern, for sports cars and high-powered saloons. The same technological basis from which the Winter Snowsport was created has enabled Pirelli to offer two new products, extending the same guarantee of safety that Snowsport gives to top-of-the-range cars, to other important motoring segments. On a glacier in Iceland, Pirelli launched the two new products. With 21 sizes for 13″ to 15″ diameter rims, the Q- and T-rated new directional “Winter Snowcontrol” will be available in all European markets. The tyre offers performance in all winter conditions, particularly on ice and snow, to all drivers of cars in the medium to medium-low segment. “Scorpion Ice&Snow” is an asymmetric winter tyre specially developed for sport utility and recreational vehicles, which provides excellent performance on ice and snow and is highly versatile on snow-covered off-road surfaces. The tyre is based on the Scorpion concept for the 4×4 market and will be available in nine sizes from 15 to 18 inches (8x T-rated, 1x H-rated).
While, for example Michelin, declares the demands of Le Mans comparable with Formula 1, Goodyear is fitting the Corvette of the official Chevrolet team and a private BMW prototype with the Eagle F1 street tread pattern.
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