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Nankang’s Sonar PF-1: Good for Winter, Good for the Environment

Nankang Rubber Tire has introduced a new winter tyre range for its house brand, Sonar. The Taiwanese tyremaker’s latest cold weather offering, the Sonar Polar Fox (PF-1) studless winter tyre will be available on the market in time for the 2007 northern hemisphere winter.

According to Nankang, the launch of the PF-1 represents a new era for the Sonar brand, and the company highlights the steps towards an environmentally responsible approach it has taken with the design of the PF-1 – the tread compound used in the entire series contains no carcinogenic high aromatic oils, eliminating a potentially serious health risk to both humans and the ecosystem.

The PF-1 features a unidirectional tread pattern with 3-Dimensional sipes reduce tread block stiffness, thereby improving performance on icy roads. The central tread’s arrow pattern and zigzag grooves enhance snow and ice surface traction, as do the mutli-sipe tread blocks in the central tread area.

16th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper’s Winter Groove

New from Cooper Tire for the upcoming cold season is the recently launched Discoverer M+S Sport, a range of winter tyres introduced to meet the needs of high performance 4×4 vehicles. According to Cooper the Discoverer M+S Sport’s number one strength is its winter traction, particularly during snow and icy conditions. The tread design of the tyre incorporates biting edges that offer a high degree of grip without compromising tread element stiffness. Cooper attributes the road grasping qualities of the tread to a patent pending feature it calls “Snow Groove Design Technology.” The tyremaker reports that this unique design utilises the superior traction characteristics of ‘snow on snow’ grip as opposed to ‘rubber on snow’, while at the same time dispensing of unwanted snow build up in the tyre’s grooves. The zigzag sipe pattern present on the Discoverer M+S Sport ensures strong wet traction as well as winter performance. The depth of the sipes allows their efficacy to continue as the tyre continues to wear with use.

14th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Van den Ban Re-brands Flamingo as Blackstone Tyres

For the past thirty years Van den Ban Autobanden B.V. (VDB) has distributed its private brand Flamingo tyres, building up from initial local distribution in Holland into the current UK and European distribution network. The tyres are manufactured by a premium brand European manufacturer and are said to stand for ‘Comfort and Durability’ which is illustrated in the name of the CD patterns. The assortment consists of three distinctive patterns: CD1000, CD2000 and CD 3000 which serves the high performance sector of the market up to size 235/40/R18. Also a Flamingo Alaska winter tyre assortment has been available for a number of years now and has proven to be successful.

Blackstone Alaska winter tyres will be introduced first, as of the Autumn of 2007. Then in the first quarter of 2008 the PCR (CD range) will also be changed to Blackstone.

13th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Himalayan Sure-Footedness with Federal

Taiwan’s Federal Corporation have been producing winter tyres since the start of the decade, and for the coming winter months are offering UK drivers a choice of two cold weather tyres to choose from.

The Himalaya WS1 is aimed at the performance market and features a compound of tensile synthetic SBR rubber mixed with silica, a combination Federal claims lends itself to prolonged working life. The tread contains v-shaped longitudinal grooves and wide channel grooves for traction-improving water and snow dispersal, and the straight centre rib with cross sipes is designed to improve straight line stability and passenger comfort. The shoulder blocks on the Himalaya WS1 have been beefed up to provide an appropriate level of handling stability and steering response on winter surfaces.

10th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Raising US Prices

The price of all Goodyear consumer tyre lines in the US were increased by 8 per cent on August 1, with materials, transportation and ‘other costs’ cited as the reason. The price of OTR tread rubber also went up by 5 per cent. The tyremaker last raised passenger and light truck tyre prices on April 1, when a 4 per cent increase was put into effect, and OTR rubber went up by 5 per cent the following day.

6th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Manufacturer to Show Apollo and Regal Brands in Singapore

Apollo Tyres has described plans to showcase about 21 products from the product ranges of its leading Apollo and Regal brands. Within the Apollo passenger car range, the company is we are considering showing its W-speed rated, directional, 100 per cent silica compound Aspire. This will be supported by the V-rated asymmetrical Acelere Sportz; the H-speed rated Acelere; and the Amazer XL. The company’s range of Hawkz 4×4 tyres Hawkz HT, HL, AT and RT meant for differing SUV road applications will also be on show.

In the commercial segment Apollo will exhibit four of its leading cross-ply tyres – Amar Gold, XT-7, XT-9 Gold and Duramile. The radial agriculture tyre Farm King and three patterns from the company’s pre-cured tread rubber range DuraTreads will also be exhibited.

As far as the Regal brand is concerned, the Regal Racer and Sportz for passenger cars; and Transport RS, Transport RD and the Regal super single for commercial vehicles, will be displayed.

3rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli UK to Release New Regional Haul Tyres

2007 has been an exciting year in the development of Pirelli’s commercial vehicle tyres, company representatives told Tyres & Accessories. Originally designed for the long haul sector of the market, the Amaranto series’ success has led to the extension of SATT technology and enabled Pirelli to develop a new range of tyres for regional haul.

Designed for 17.5” rims, the new FR85 and TR85 Amaranto are due for release in the second half of 2007. Key features of these new products are said to be: excellent mileage; optimum grip; increased tread width; reinforced sidewalls to resist impact; improved tyre integrity and prolonged tyre life.

By extending the existing range of Amaranto tyres into 60 and 70 series; and with the introduction of the new FR85 & TR85 17.5”, Pirelli is aiming to establish a firm foundation on which to build, enabling the future production and development of the highest quality tyres for the transport industry.

2nd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli UK to Release New Regional Haul Tyres

2007 has been an exciting year in the development of Pirelli’s commercial vehicle tyres, company representatives told Tyres & Accessories. Originally designed for the long haul sector of the market, the Amaranto series’ success has led to the extension of SATT technology and enabled Pirelli to develop a new range of tyres for regional haul.

Designed for 17.5” rims, the new FR85 and TR85 Amaranto are due for release in the second half of 2007. Key features of these new products are said to be: excellent mileage; optimum grip; increased tread width; reinforced sidewalls to resist impact; improved tyre integrity and prolonged tyre life.

By extending the existing range of Amaranto tyres into 60 and 70 series; and with the introduction of the new FR85 & TR85 17.5”, Pirelli is aiming to establish a firm foundation on which to build, enabling the future production and development of the highest quality tyres for the transport industry.

31st July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Launches New HP Line

(Akron/Tire Review) Hankook Tire America Corp. has launched the Ventus R-S2 Z212, a new performance line it said was based on its Ventus RSS Z211 race tire.

Hankook said the new Ventus R-S2 Z212 offers improved road contact, dry traction and “exceptional” water dispersion.

The new line comes with V-, W- and Y-rated sizes ranging from 30 to 60 aspect ratios.

The Z212 also features a 3 per cent wider tread than previous models for traction and handling, wide shoulder blocks for steering control, wide center rib for steering response, and two-ply construction.

26th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Recall Population Reduced, Tyremaker Claims No Impact on Business

(Akron/Tire Review) Even as the Chinese manufacturer continues to claim there are no quality problems with its tyres, certain light truck/SUV tyres produced by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. are still being recalled in the US, though apparently not in the same numbers as originally stated.

Foreign Tire Sales now says it is recalling only 250,000 Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber-produced tyres. Originally, FTS and NHTSA estimated that 450,000 tyres had to be recalled due to concerns over tread separations.

In a letter to NHTSA, FTA said its has narrowed the group of questioned tyres. The impacted tyres were produced in three phases, FTS said, but only those produced in the second phase were missing gum strips. Tyres produced without the gum strips layers between the steel belts, FTS claims, have a greater propensity to suffer tread separations.

26th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Swedish Study Says Brakes, Tyres Still Pollute

(Akron/Tire Review – UPI/Earth Times) Swedish scientists have determined particles worn from automobile brake linings and tyres continue to be major sources of potentially toxic pollution.

David Hjortenkrans and colleagues at the University of Kalmar compared metal emissions from brake linings and tyres to other metal emission sources in Stockholm during 1995 and between 1998 and 2005. They found copper and zinc emissions from brake linings remained relatively unchanged at high levels, making them a major pollution source.

Brake linings were also found to be a source of another toxic metal, antimony. By contrast, lead and cadmium emissions from brake linings decreased by one-tenth during the period.

20th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Maxo Aimed at “Urban Jungle and Great Outdoors”

School run, supermarket shop or Friday night dash to the weekend hideaway, the Marangoni Maxo is the all-season tyre for on-road 4X4s, SUVs and the growing number of crossover vehicles. Maxo incorporates Marangoni’s unique FOM-IC (Filler Optimised Mixture – Improved Compound) technology, resulting in substantial increases in grip, performance and control, according to the manufacturer.

Marangonu reports that progressive response in both dry and wet conditions and high-speed stability were all fundamental elements in the development of Maxo. The Maxo tread pattern – with its siping for light off-road use – is a perfect example of form matching function and is the perfect complement to the lifestyle styling of this vehicle sector.

19th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Recalling 92,000 LT Tyres

(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is recalling some 92,000 Dominator Sport A/T tyres due to concerns over possible tread separations. The tyres, in size LT265/75R16E, were sold only through Discount Tire and America’s Tire locations. The tyres being recalled were produced at Cooper’s Findlay, Ohio, plant between July 2002 and March 2005. The tyres carry DOT numbers UPW8XDJ2702 to UPW8XDJ1305.

Cooper claims it found no manufacturing or design flaws in the tyres. According to reports, NHTSA began investigating complaints on the tyres more than a year ago, but also found no technical issues with the tyres. Cooper has made no public statements about the recall. NHTSA posted a news release on its Web site about the voluntary recall earlier this month.

16th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Adds Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR

(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has launched the Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR, a premium all-season touring tyre line. Cooper said the new Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR features a new performance tyre tread compound. The tyre is available in two tread designs – a T-rated version with four ribs and an H- and V-rated version with five ribs. Cooper said the tyre will address luxury sedan, minivan and CUV segments.

The Touring LSR has a UTQG rating of 640AA on its 14-inch sizes and 780AA on others, Cooper said. The tyre is available in 29 T-rated sizes and 29 H- and V-rated sizes, covering 14- through 18-inch wheel diameters. T-rated sizes come with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, while H- and V-rated sizes will have a 60,000-mile warranty. Cooper said the tyres will be produced at the company’s Tupelo, Mississippi and Albany, Georgia plants.

12th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

MNA Opens New Tread Stock Plant

(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America opened the doors to its new tread rubber production facility in Mexico on July 9. The new Michelin Retread Technologies (MRTI) tread plant is located next to MNA’s Mexico headquarters and passenger tyre plant in Querétaro.

The $40 million plant will produce proprietary tread stock for MRTI retreaders across North America, including the 16 MRTI retreaders in Mexico.

“The retread market in Mexico is currently the seventh largest in the world with a growing demand for Michelin products,” said Jim Micali, MNA’s chairman and president. “The opening of this new plant in Querétaro will allow us to fulfill the growing needs of our local customers as well as support our business throughout North America.”

11th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors