Wheels
RotaShop.co.uk has released details of its new 19 Linea Corse LC818 wheel. The company describes its latest release as “a timeless design classic”, with a wide range of widths and offsets to suit a great number of vehicles.
Retail members of road safety organisation TyreSafe are reporting “significant increases” in the number of cracked wheel rims as a result of driving on potholed roads. Therefore TyreSafe encourages motorists to increase the frequency of their tyre pressure checks in a bid to identify and prevent potentially dangerous tyre failures resulting from pothole-damaged wheel rims.
BBS has announced it is showcasing a world premiere at the Essen Motor Show – CI-R design . Other highlights at the booth in Hall 2 are the “Special Edition” of the CX-R wheel in the Satin Platinum finish and the 20-inch CH-R II which is flow-formed.
Dymag, purportedly the first company in the world to manufacture carbon fibre wheels for motorcycles and high end performance cars, has launched a new range of coloured anodised hubs as an addition to its carbon fibre CA5 wheels. The anodised hubs, sprocket carriers and sprockets are now being offered in six colours: violet, red, blue, gold, silver and black.
The distributor of counterfeit Yokohama racing wheels has been sentenced to time in prison after being found in the possession of more than 1,000 aluminium wheels. The Intermediate People’s Court of Guangzhou, in China’s Guangdong Province, also fined the distributor on 19 August.
Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) has been chosen as the preferred commercial vehicle wheel supplier by TruckForce, Goodyear Dunlop’s truck tyre and breakdown assistance support network.
According to the company, the contract will encompass over 45 different wheel sizes ranging from 5.75” x 17.5” to 11.75” x 22.5”, most of which are available in either steel or forged aluminium for the truck, trailer and bus and coach segments.
Tyre, wheel and automotive data firm DriveRight reports that it will soon be offering TPMS CAD analysis. In a recent newsletter the company reports that it has a number of different CAD drawings of OE and AM tyre pressure monitoring sensors from a variety of manufacturers (including Alligator, Schrader, Huf and VDO/Continental).
Leading UK wheel house, Calibre has extended its portfolio by adding another dedicated 4×4 wheel to its range. The new design is called the ‘Nevada’ and boasts a mix of subtle design and quality.
The news back in May that commercial vehicle wheels have been named as a “safety critical item” in European law is something of a breakthrough for those that have been lobbying for the inclusion of wheels in this legislation, not to mention the wheel industry in general and the many automotive and haulage businesses that depend on wheels. Manchester-based Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD), which played a key role in the wording used in the latest EU Roadworthiness Package and continues to be at the forefront the forefront of raising awareness of wheel safety issues, has a right to be particularly pleased with the latest news. However, if you will excuse the pun, the wheels of European legislation and implementation turn slowly. Therefore with 27 countries all at liberty to interpret and apply the rules over a period of years before compliance will begin to be checked – there is still a mountain to climb. With all this in mind, around the time of the news Tyres & Accessories met with managing director John Ellis at MWSD’s Sharston, Manchester headquarters to find out more about what the rules mean for the company and the industry at large.
Between 20 and 23 August Speedline Truck will participate at Elmia Lastbil, for the first time. The international commercial vehicle show is held every two years in Jönköping, Sweden, together with its Swedish distributor NicNac. With the focus on this large trucks and trailer fair in Scandinavia, Speedline truck reports that it aims to strengthen its position on the Scandinavian market in order to also take on a leading role there in the future.
An explosion at Zhongrong Metal Products Co Ltd killed at least 70 people on 2 August. One source put the figure as high as 75. According to the local People’s Daily newspaper, 44 died in the initial blast with others being pronounced dead in hospital. National broadcaster CCTV reported that 187 others were injured in the blast, although other sources put this figure at 200 or more.
Yesterday Superior Industries International, Inc. announced it will close its Rogers, Arkansas wheel manufacturing plant as part of an initiative to cut costs and increase competitiveness.
The firm expects to cease operations at Rogers by the end of 2014. Production will be shifted to other Superior manufacturing facilities, including those in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Chihuahua, Mexico, and is anticipated to generate a net $15 million labour cost savings year-over-year. Approximately 500 jobs will be lost.
Investment firm Audax Group has acquired Wheel Pros, LLC from Platinum Equity. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Wheel Pros is a leading designer, marketer, and distributor of branded aftermarket wheels. The company also distributes performance tyres and accessories. Founded in 1995 with two distribution centres, the company today carries proprietary, leading brands that are recognized across all major vehicle segments and are sold through a national footprint of 25 distribution centres and internationally.
Singapore’s Stamford Tyres introduced a new range of 4×4/SUV tyres, while its associated Stamford Sport Wheels company emphasised the availability of new colours in its wheel range. Stamford also announced the arrival of new truck tyre sizes in its 17.5” and 19.5” ranges towards the end of this year. Another key product for Stamford Tyres was the introduction of its Nu Ice winter range. Larry Lee, Stamford’s vice president – international distribution said plans are in progress to add new sizes for the 2015 winter season.
Messe Essen announced the Reifen 2014 award winners on the evening before the show opened, with Yokohama taking the coveted Innovation Award in the Technology and Products category. The Japanese manufacturer presented its process for the visual representation of the aerodynamic and acoustic rolling behaviour of tyres to the jury, using the Japanese space authority, JAXA’s supercomputer from space research to show that the noise level of a rolling car tyre also depends on flow structures in front of the tyre, which are subjected to a compression effect.
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