Thousands of road accidents in the UK could be prevented every year if the minimum tyre tread depth was increased to 3mm, according to the findings of an Auto Express investigation. In the first magazine test of its kind, Auto Express compared the stopping distances of a car travelling at 70 mph with both 3mm and 1.6mm of tread depth.
Maxxis International reports that it attracted major interest from UK distributors and dealers alike when it launched a series of new products at Reifen 2006. “Reifen 2006 proved to be an exceptionally good platform for us, as we showcased some exciting new products for the UK market, gave customers the opportunity to see the winter and all season tyres we are looking to develop and dealt with a lot of OE enquiries,” said Maxxis International UK managing director Derek McMartin.
(Akron/Tire Review) Retreader Bergey’s Tire, based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, has become a Marangoni Ringtread retreader. According to the announcement, Bergey’s will exclusively produce and sell Marangoni retreads, and will not renew its previous franchise deal with Bandag.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America’s (MNA) earthmover tyre group has introduced the X-Crane AT, designed for self-propelled all-terrain construction cranes. According to MNA, the new tyre ‘’reduces machine downtime, minimizes operational costs, reduces braking on wet surfaces and improves handling on the road and at the jobsite.’’ In addition, the tyre is said to have 7 per cent lower rolling resistance vs. other products, thereby reducing an operator’s fuel cost.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bandag Inc. has introduced a new Trailer Linehaul-Spread Axle (BTL-SA) tread to the North American market. Designed for spread axle and multi-axle trailer applications, the tread “offers tough shoulders for tyres that twist, scrape and scrub as lateral stress is created when trailers corner,” said Bandag. BTL-SA offers a 16/32” tread depth and is now available in 210-, 220- and 230-mm sizes.
Cooper Tires has expanded its Discoverer off-road family of tyres with the addition of the ‘Discoverer ATR’. Designed exclusively for use on 4x4s, light trucks and SUVs, the Discoverer ATR delivers outstanding traction and versatility thanks to a radically new tread pattern, construction and compound, according to Cooper.
As Cooper’s hardest-working all-terrain tyre, the Discoverer ATR arrives with the promise of uncompromising performance regardless of the surface. The rugged five-rib tread pattern extends over the shoulders to enhance off-road traction. Combined with wide and deep saw tooth circumferential grooves, and lateral slots, the Discoverer ATR is said to provide “a solid all-terrain performance advantage and enhanced all-weather traction.”
Walsall tyre technicians Dave Carrier and Chris Bunce have received certificates from Bridgestone UK technical training manager Phil Thirsk, having passed a health and safety course run by the tyre manufacturer. The course is part of a training scheme endorsed by the Institute of the Motor Industry, and the two technicians, who work at First Stop dealership Lodge Tyres on Pleck Road, are now well on their way to achieving full accreditation.
The latest ‘Next Tread Utility’ tyre will be displayed at the Chartered Institute of Waste Management Show on 13 15 June, demonstrating the Next Tread commitment to developing bespoke tyres to suit specific industry applications. ‘Next Tread’ is the retread brand of Goodyear Dunlop Tyres, and the tyre giant claims that kerbing damage is a major reason for premature tyre wear and unscheduled replacement for municipal vehicle operators.
A truck driver from well-known UK haulier Stan Robinson Ltd has been named Britain’s top driver by Goodyear after managing to achieve a remarkable 425,000 kilometres (266,000 miles) on the same set of Goodyear steer tyres.
Nigel Brown took delivery of his new Scania in April 2003, fitted with Goodyear Marathon LHS 385/65R22.5 steer tyres. Three years later, he had clocked up a mileage equivalent to driving ten times around the Equator and the set of Goodyear steer tyres had yet to be changed.
The new Michelin X One XDN 2 Grip is the first tyre with a tread design and architecture that incorporates all three elements of “Michelin Durable Technologies” —an array of technological solutions developed by Michelin that includes patented Double Wave sipes, Raindrop sipes and InfiniCoil technology. Available in 495/45 R 22.5, the Michelin X One XDN 2 Grip is a wide single tyre designed to replace twins on the truck’s drive axle.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin Retread Technologies has introduced the Michelin XDA Hypersipe tread stock, which it claims is the “first self-regenerating retread.” As the tread wears, Michelin North America said, sipes molded into the bottom of the tread appear “giving improved worn traction over the life of the retread.”
Inverness-shire-based Ferguson Transport has become one of the first operators in the UK to fit Michelin’s new XDN2 Grip tyres, which are said to offer increased traction in the wet and on hard packed snow and icy surfaces. Located at Spean Bridge, close to Fort William, Ferguson Transport operates a fleet of 40 tractor units and 100 trailers, and has fitted the new Michelin XDN2 Grip tyres on the drive axle of one of its 460 hp Volvo FH12 6×2 tractor units.
A new survey published by Bridgestone reveals that more than 80 per cent of drivers believe they have never driven on a tyre which is even slightly unsafe, but only a third of those questioned know what the legal minimum tread depth of their tyres actually is.
And while more than half of motorists claim to have checked their tyre pressures in the last month, 49 per cent of drivers do not know that an under-inflated tyre can dramatically affect a car’s stopping distance.
Goodyear’s plant at Danville in the USA recently produced its one millionth Unisteel G395 LHS medium-truck steer tyre. Now in its third year, the G395 LHS reached this milestone four years faster than its predecessor, the G397. The G395 LHS has turned out to be Goodyear’s most successful steer tyre ever.
The company that brought us the Solio solar power iPod Charger has now turner its hands to tyres. Tread is a new line of digital accessories cases that are handcrafted handcrafted from discarded Columbian truck tyres and redesigned into fashionable rubber iPod and Solio cases. There is also a sleeve available for a Powerbook G4 or MacBook Pro. No-one knows why the company chose to source their tyres from Colombia, but the technology is citing the case’s water-stopping capabilities and overall durability as a strong selling points.
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