Kenda’s Komet Plus tyre in size 175/65R14 will be fitted on the Chinese-manufactured GM Chevrolet Sail on the Chilean and African markets, the manufacturer has announced. The Komet Plus tread design utilises Kenda’s NMA technology, which reduces the sound emission from the tyre. Water channelling grooves enhance wet and dry traction.
The Sumo Firenza brand is continuing on its strategy of being a competitive option within the truck tyre market in both Europe and the UK, according to global distributor Singapore-based Stamford Tyres. In the UK Sumo Firenza truck tyres are exclusively distributed by West Midlands based International Tyres.
Company representatives attribute the brand’s progression to face that its products incorporate Japanese technology and are manufactured in the Far East. In addition Sumo Firenza’s truck tyre portfolio offers a growing size range plus a broadening choice for the Super Singles market.
The success of the Grabber brand has been highlighted in Continental Tire the Americas’ decision to apply this name to products in General Tire’s truck range. Yet as the name suggests, the original Grabber was a dedicated off-road tyre with an emphasis on traction – and in August 2010 a new street version that combines off and on-road use was released in the US. Parent company Continental describes the latest Grabber as an “extreme traction tyre for the street and off-road,” a product that brings General Tire’s race technology to everyday use.
A new brand of passenger car tyres is set to be introduced to the market with an initial offering of two products in 35 sizes. Luccini Tyres are to be produced by a Far-Eastern manufacturer using European technology with 50 years experience in tyre production and design. Having spent the last year researching and developing, the team behind the brand is ready to launch the Buono Sport – a non-directional tread design for wet performance and noise reduction – and the Buono Drive – an asymmetric pattern designed for draining efficiency, ride comfort and durability.
A custom-made trailer fitted with Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyres has clocked up an impressive 270,000km with an average of 7 mm tread remaining. In the hands of Devon-based M. R. Horn Transport, the manufacturer estimates that the tyres have another 100,000km of life remaining before they will need to be regrooved. One of a fleet of seven, the trailer is used to carry loads of hay and straw, as well as heavy machinery.
European fleet operators wishing to equip their vehicles for safer winter operation can now obtain Michelin’s XFN 2 Antisplash in size 385/55 R22.5 TL. This front steer-axle tyre is part of Michelin’s ‘X Grip’ portfolio of cold weather tyres and is intended for multi-purpose use on long-distance routes plus national and regional roads. The XFN 2 Antisplash bears the M+S symbol and is suitable for year-round operation.
Cost per mile and reliability are of utmost importance to the transport industry, and this particularly applies to operators of harbour based container and freight terminals. The duties carried out by straddle carriers at these sites are often strenuous, and the tyres used there need to provide maximum load capacity and high wear resistance. With its new EV-4R for straddle carriers, Goodyear claims to have developed a radial tyre that satisfies both criteria.
Michelin reports that East Riding Sacks has clocked up over 700,000km on a set of Michelin XDE2 drive axle tyres – the equivalent of over 535 journeys from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The tyres were fitted as original equipment to a Volvo FM9-300 in May 2003 and regrooved for the first time in May last year. When they were removed in April 2010 – to be replaced with a set of Michelin Remix tyres – they had covered 752,827 km.
A new tread design has been added to Trelleborg’s TM900 range. Available in size 710/70R42, the TM900 High Power has a new lug profile with a 15 per cent larger lug volume. The tyre is specifically developed to be fitted onto high-power agricultural vehicles and tractors, and Trelleborg says the TM900 High Power guarantees performance at high speeds, assures superior traction capacity and copes with the demand for increasingly large loads – all with minimal soil compaction for maximum agronomic yield.
In North America Michelin is gearing up to launch a new Uniroyal winter tyre, the Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II. Scheduled for release on August 1, the new passenger car range will be available in 29 sizes, nine of which are Tiger Paw Ice & Snow I designs previously only available in Canada. Michelin describes the Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II as a tyre “provides both durability and reliability for driving in severe winter conditions at an affordable price.”
Cooper Tire has introduced two new ranges of high performance tyres intended for winter conditions, the WM-SA2 and WM-ST3. The manufacturer reports these newest members of Cooper’s high-performance line-up benefit from the latest state-of-the-art production technology and have been designed to offer firm footing on snow and slush.
Cooper Tire & Rubber has released its latest North American market winter tyre. Called the Weather-Master WSC (Winter and Snow Confidence), Cooper says the new tyre represents the "next generation of tyres designed to deliver superior winter performance." The manufacturer says the Weather-Master WSC's was developed for drivers of newer SUVs, CUVs, smaller pickups and some passenger car applications looking for improved traction on slushy and snow-covered winter roads.It adds that the tyre's directional design, combined with a high silica tread compound, is ideally suited for the toughest winter conditions. The range is initially offered in ten T-rated sizes for 17 and 18-inch diameter rim sizes.
In the US, Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions has introduced a new Bandag-brand BDR-HG tread specially designed for regional and over-the-road fleets operating tandem-axle tractors. When used in the drive axle position, the new BDR-HG (Bandag Drive Regional – High Grip) tread is said to promote best-in-class traction both when new and as the tread wears.
Nokian Tyres has released a new tyre for straddle carriers. This new radial tyre, the HTS Straddle, is designed for work in harbours and goods terminals and combines, says Nokian, the high load-bearing capacity desired by operators with excellent driving comfort appreciated by drivers.
TyreSafe has reported on the risks associated with buying part worn tyres following revelations from Birmingham City Council that its trading standards officers examined a selection of part worn tyres being sold in the city and found that nine out of ten failed to meet the minimum legal standards. Among the failures uncovered were tyres with embedded nails, illegal tread depth, exposed cords, inadequate markings – and one tyre that was 17 years old. The investigation comes just weeks after TyreSafe found that more than ten per cent of drivers are more likely to buy part worn tyres compared with a year ago.
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