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One Million KM and Still Rolling with Michelin

How much mileage do you expect from your tyres? 40,000 kilometres? Does 100,000 kilometres sound impressive? That’s chicken feed for Samworth Brothers – a MAN TGA 6×2 tractor unit belonging to the Plymouth based food distribution company has clocked up a cool million on the same set of Michelin XDE2 drive axle tyre casings.

The company achieved this admirable performance by following Michelin’s Four Lives tyre policy and through stringent tyre maintenance managed in-house by its own Michelin-trained technicians. Not wishing to claim all credit for the Methuselah-like longevity of the XDE2 casings, Michelin adds that the high professional standards of the Samworth Brothers company drivers also made a difference.

8th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Concept Tyre on Land Rover LRX

Land Rover recently displayed its vision of tomorrow’s 4×4 vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. Called the LRX, the concept vehicle pointed towards the development of lighter, hybrid powered vehicles – and low rolling resistance 245/45 R 20 tyres, specially designed and supplied by Continental.

“We developed the tyre design in close contact with the Land Rover Design Group,” commented Conti designer Ulrich Behr. “We focused on making a tyre with low rolling resistance that is a symbiosis of design elements from off-road and sports tyres. And the 20-inch size is in tune with the vehicle size and appearance. The LRX logo was integrated in the flowing tread elements to accentuate the exclusive nature of the experimental vehicle.”

7th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

All This And Good Looks Too…

Pirelli’s Diablo Rosso is aimed at bikers who not only want their machines to perform flawlessly at all speeds, but to look good as well.

Today’s bikes are more powerful than ever and all this power passes through the tyre’s contact patch – improve the contact patch’s behaviour, says Pirelli, and the benefits to the rider are enormous. Hence Pirelli’s EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology), which affects every aspect of the tyre’s design – tread pattern, structure, compound etc. – to ensure maximum performance in all conditions.

6th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Releases Conti Motion

Cambrian Tyres, the UK importer for Continental motorcycle and bicycle tyres, describes the Continental range as the fastest growing motorcycle tyre brand in the top seven. New for 2008 in the Continental range is the Conti Motion (pictured). Available from March 2008, the Motion is dubbed as the “world’s first entry level sports touring radial tyre.”

The tyre is built for year-round use and is said to provide “great value for money” as it offers a high service life yet costs less than other tyres in its sector. The longer mileage is reportedly achieved by using new formulated polymers in the compound along with a modern, force orientated tread pattern.

5th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Launches Battlax BT-016

Bridgestone recently launched its Battlax BT-016 on Cambrian Tyres’ Motorcyle Trade Expo stand. An advanced hypersport tyre seen for the first time at the EICMA 2007 in Milan, it is designed to give “maximum performance to riders who are passionate about sport bikes” and features Bridgestone’s MotoGP multi-layer compound technology. Compared to the BT-014 it will progressively replace, the new BT-016 is said to provide total handling improvement in all riding modes – with noticeably better contact feel, feedback, stability and grip – as well as longer wear life and lower noise levels.

One of the focuses of development in the new tyre has been in its compound. Bridgestone has combined its top MotoGP construction technology with its latest multi-compound technology from SACT (Straight And Cornering Technology) and says this produce a sport tyre that gives high-level grip performance in braking, cornering and acceleration.

5th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Super Wide from BFNAT

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire has launched a new super wide on/off highway radial. The Bridgestone L315, according to BFNAT, was “engineered for long mileage, superior traction and outstanding flotation.” The L315, with a 30/32nd tread depth, was designed for extra-heavy loads, such as front-discharge cement mixers with front-wheel or all-wheel drive, as well as dump trucks, specialty oil-field equipment and on/off-highway construction vehicles. The super wide Bridgestone L315 has an L load rating, good for up to 12,300 pounds at 120 psi. It is now available in size 445/65R22.5. (Tire Review/Akron)

28th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandag Offers New Tread Design

Bandag announced today it is now offering BDY2ä, Bandag Drive Severe Service 2, in the North American market. Working with Canadian fleets, Bandag specifically engineered this retread tire design for severe service conditions where superior traction is required from a drive position tyre.

“We understand that keeping fleets up and running on time is critical to the oil field and logging industries. BDY2Ä is a next-generation design offering more aggressive traction than its predecessor,” says Chris Hoffman, product manager of global tyre products for Bandag. “Our retread tyre design complements the new Bridgestone M775 on/off highway radial tyres and has rapidly been put into use by fleets in both Canada and the western United States.”

25th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Reveals New WRC Winter Tyres

Pirelli’s tyre range for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship has been completed with the addition of two new winter tyres. The first of these is the Sottozero Snow, which the Italian manufacturer claims will be best suited to events such as the Rallye Monte Carlo (which begins on January 24). The tyre is of similar dimensions to the PZero asphalt and is available with or without studs.

As anti-deflation mousse is no longer permitted in WRC events, resistance to punctures has been sought through other means and the Sottozero Snow therefore features a reinforced shoulder to combat such occurrences. The compound used in the Sottozero Snow is reportedly very similar to that used on Pirelli’s winter road car tyres, however the tyre’s studability provides drivers with additional flexibility in marginal conditions. Competing teams will only be permitted by the FIA to use one type of tread pattern, construction and compound.

23rd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Fowler Welch Coolchain Gives Michelin the Thumbs Up

Specialist food distribution company Fowler Welch Coolchain has reported an increase in operating hours and less tyre related breakdowns after switching to a Michelin X-Terminal T tyre policy for its fleet of Terberg tugs. The company operates tugs across its five distribution hubs to move trailers on and off loading bays. The move to a Michelin policy follows a six-month tyre trial using a Terberg RT222 tug fitted with X-Terminal T tyres. This in-house trial saw the Michelin-shod tug carefully monitored, with weekly tyre inspections to check for wear and damage.

22nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

BFGoodrich Releases Activan Range

BFGoodrich has launched its new Activan range of van tyres that have been specifically designed to cope with the demanding operating conditions faced by tyres fitted to these vehicles. Based on BFGoodrich motorsport technology developed through the company’s World Rally Championship participation, the Activan tyres are built to offer an excellent level of wet and dry grip while providing sturdy damage resistance.

The tyre’s tread area is made up of large tread blocks for maximum grip in dry conditions. There are also a high number of sipes in the tread pattern that cut through surface water on wet roads, offering grip and safety when the British weather begins doing what it does best. The tread compound selected for the Activan is one that provides the type of durability and resistance to wear commercial users rely upon, and reinforced sidewalls featuring two casing plies protect this often scuffed area from kerbing damage.

22nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Vipal Launches New Ruzi Treads

Vipal brand, Ruzi, has lauched a new range of pre-cured tread material, designated RM 729. The new treads are available in four sizes – 245, 255, 275 and 285 millimetre widths. The RM 729 tread design is made up of blocks which reportedly deliver “high traction and braking response on paved surfaces.” Aimed primarily at medium and long-haul applications, the new tread is said to provide low noise properties.

The recent product release follows the news that Arctic Cool Treads Pty. Ltd. (in Australia) took delivery of its first consignment of pre-cured treads in the third quarter of 2007. The Way family, owners of Arctic Cool, are said to be delighted.

16th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Tyres For Lotus In The USA

Toyo has introduced two new sizes of its Proxes R888 D.O.T.-approved tyre specifically for fitment on both the Lotus Exige and Elise automobiles. These are the first D.O.T. approved competition tyres that Toyo has offered in sizes suited for the Lotus, the sizes being 195/50R16 front and 225/45R17 rear.

Launched in mid-year 2007, the race-winning Proxes R888 features a semi-slick shoulder area and stiff sidewall. The result for the already capable Lotus cars is racecar-like handling which is ideal for road racing, track days, driving schools and performance street driving.

16th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Designs Tire for Hummer HX Concept

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, in cooperation with General Motors, has designed a Dueler concept tyre for the Hummer HX concept sport utility truck, introduced by GM at the 2008 North American International Auto Show.

The 35-inch tall tyres, engineered specifically for the HX, are mounted to the concept car’s 20-inch rims and feature a striking, deep-skid directional tread pattern with large, stiff lugs that provide excellent traction on a variety of driving surfaces. The tread lugs, stretching halfway down the sidewall, offer extra grip in deep sand, snow and mud and protect the tyre from punctures during off-road activities, such as rock crawling, BFNAT said.

15th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Lanxess Releases New Tyre Additive

Specialty chemicals group Lanxess has developed a new high-performance rubber additive. Known as Nanoprene, this material additive for tyre tread compound is reported to significantly reduce the rate of wear in a tyre. Lanxess adds that this reduction in wear achieved through the use of this additive does not in any way impact on rolling resistance or wet grip.

“Boosting tyre service life without losing other key tread properties was a major challenge for the rubber industry,” explains Nanoprene developer Professor Werner Obrecht, rubber expert at the Lanxess Technical Rubber Products (TRP) business unit. “Despite all the positive developments of the last 20 years, after travelling around 40,000 kilometres, the tread pattern is normally worn and new tyres are then needed. This is not only annoying for the customer, since the fine rubber particles created by the tyre wear ultimately end up in the environment.”

15th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli WRC Gravel Tyre Gets Nod From FIA

Pirelli’s gravel tyre developed for use in the WRC championship has gained FIA approval for use this year. The new tyre, known as the Scorpion, is designed to deliver strong performance on a range of gravel surfaces and features an asymmetric directional tread pattern that is intended to provide solid lateral grip as well as traction when accelerating and braking.

The Scorpion’s design also reflects changes to tyre regulations introduced this year. “The 2008 FIA WRC regulations state that anti-deflation mousse cannot be used,” comments Pirelli. “So this year’s gravel tyre has been considerably strengthened in order to resist cuts, abrasions and punctures from sharp rocks, potholes, and other such obstacles.”

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors