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Test World officially opened additional new indoor test facilities at its Ivalo, Finland operation on 27 March 2019, signalling the culminating of that latest part of a multi-million-euro series of investments in Test World. The recently constructed indoor facilities increase Test World’s capacity for year-round cold weather testing, allowing for simultaneous testing on snow, ice, and wet and dry asphalt, 365 days a year.
Finland’s central police agency, the National Bureau of Investigation, has completed its pre-trial investigation related to Nokian Tyres and accusations of tyre test rigging. It has referred the case to the Prosecutor’s Office of Helsinki.
Although tyre tests cover everything from handling to comfort and fuel consumption, the value of a tyre’s role in bringing a vehicle to a safe stop can’t be underestimated. Auto Bild agrees – it’s the criterion the motoring magazine uses to determine which tyres to further examine in its tyre tests, and which it should eliminate.
Yesterday we reported the results of the Auto Motor und Sport summer 2019 tyre test and noted that while no tyre received the publication’s highest rating, most gained its recommendation. It’s a different story at sister title Sportauto – its test of eight tyres yielded a ‘highly recommended’ winner, but six of the candidates only received a lukewarm endorsement.
For its 2019 summer tyre test, Auto Motor und Sport (AMS) looked at 215/55 R17, a size favoured by compact SUVs. It tested 11 tyres on a VW T-Roc. What it found was a group of tyres that largely performed well, but failed to dazzle. None of the candidates received the German motoring publication’s top ‘highly recommended’ rating. The good news is, however, that no less than seven were ‘recommended’.
Test World has won the ‘Tire Industry Supplier of the Year’ award at the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2019. According to the company, the win recognises continued investment in Test World, with expanded indoor test facilities due to be officially opened during a ceremony on the 27 March.
Another tyre test from the Auto Bild family of magazines. This time, Auto Bild Sportscars has looked at 11 products in the size 245/45 R18 100W/Y. The exercise was happily free of major dramas, with testers Henning Klipp and Dierk Möller not reporting any serious safety issues amongst the candidates.
Look at recent tyre test results from Auto Bild and Gute Fahrt and you might assume there’s no such thing as a bad tyre these days, but you’d be wrong. Auto Bild Allrad has evaluated ten SUV tyres, and while six were awarded the top ‘exemplary’ rating, one certainly wasn’t recommended and another hesitantly so. The upshot is that it still pays to do your homework when buying replacement tyres.
As expected, this year’s Auto Bild size 225/45 R17 summer tyre test delivered no nasty surprises. With more than half of the original field of 53 already eliminated in a preliminary round of wet and dry braking tests, the remaining 20 candidates all gave a good account of themselves. Six of their number were even declared ‘exemplary’ tyres.
During its years of performing comparative tyre tests, German car magazine Gute Fahrt has been confronted with the good, the bad and the ugly. But this time round things were a little different – in its latest evaluation of summer car tyres, all candidates put in a performance worthy of a rating of ‘good’ or better. This is the first occasion that no tyre has gained a lowlier rating in a Gute Fahrt test.
When evaluating the latest crop of tyres for the coming summer season, Germany’s Autozeitung opted to look at ten brands of size 235/45 R18 rubber. We weren’t especially surprised to see the Continental PremiumContact 6, last year’s runner-up, in first place and the Michelin Primacy 4 in second, but it was nice to see the Maxxis Premitra HP5 acquaint itself with the victors’ podium.
Shortlisting has taken place for the Auto Bild 2019 summer tyre test, with a starting field of 53 candidates reduced to 20 finalists in the initial round. The size 225/45 R17 91/94 W/Y tyres selected for further testing mainly come from the premium and mid-range segments, while the budget segment was well-represented in the group of 33 tyres eliminated from proceedings. Disappointingly, the group also included two tyre brands belonging to leading manufacturers – both delivered ‘bottom ten’ results.
For their current summer tyre test, the main motoring associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (the ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS) have looked at 32 products in total. Half of these were in the small family car size 185/65 R15 H/V, and the remainder size 215/65 R16C, tyres suited for use on vans, minibuses and campervans.
Continental is offering drivers free all-season tyre demonstrations this February half term. The German tyre manufacturer will offer the free demonstrations at Mercedes-Benz World as Partner in Excellence, highlighting its award-winning range across each season and weather eventuality. Tests will also mark the first time its AllSeasonContact has been available for consumer experiences within the UK.
Smithers Rapra is opening a new product testing laboratory in Suzhou, China. The 4,000 square foot facility provides air leak and burst, cleanliness, material properties, salt spray, and pressure, vibration, and temperature (PVT) testing. According to Smithers, the new lab will support the evolving automotive market in China with fluid transfer system expertise, combining with Smithers’ existing labs in Akron, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; and Shawbury, UK to support global clients.
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