Wheels
US wholesaler Tire Group International has entered into an agreement with private brand marketing and distribution company Tireco that gives TGI the exclusive right to distribute Geotrac, Geostar and Milestar branded tyres throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. TGI will offer the aforementioned brands on a direct factory basis and also offer a fill-in program from its warehouse in Miami, Florida.
The US National Highway Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a recall notice from North American truck manufacturer Navistar. According to the company, the problem is that “over time, due to corrosion and fatigue, the wheels may crack, resulting in possible wheel separation from the vehicle.”
Tyre specialist ATS Euromaster has signed a two year deal with independent wheel distributor Motor Wheel Service (MWS) aimed at more than doubling ATS Euromaster’s share of the UK commercial vehicle wheel market by the end of 2013.
Titan Europe plc has announced that limited production at the company’s large agricultural wheel facility in Finale Emilia, Italy recommenced on 16 July, a little under two months after being knocked out of operation by an earthquake in the region. The rim-rolling and assembly welding areas of the factory will progressively return to normal volumes over the next few weeks, with production scheduled to continue during the normal summer shutdown period, the company’s Board of Directors stated.
Halfway through its first season supplying rubber to the series, Yokohama was at Brands Hatch last weekend (14-15 July) for the FIA Formula Two championship. The Official Tyre Partner called Kent’s Brands Hatch circuit the series' spiritual home, and was supplying drivers with its ADVAN A005 dry slick and ADVAN A006 wet tyres – a necessity with the inclement conditions in the south of the UK. The meeting saw another new face on the top step of the podium while a prospective motorsport student got a behind-the-scenes look at the series with the Yokohama technicians.
Road safety organisation TyreSafe has recruited wheel and tyre supplier Wheel Solutions Ltd (WSL) as its latest member. The company specialises in caravan, trailer and agricultural products, while also supplying other sectors. WSL hasn’t wasted any time in adopting TyreSafe’s activities having developed a range of dual branded material to educate its customers, highlighting tyre safety messages. Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe, said: “It’s great news to welcome Wheel Solutions to TyreSafe as it has wealth of knowledge in some specialist sectors that will help us drive home the tyre safety message to a wider audience.
While Pirelli will bring its P Zero White medium compound and P Zero Yellow soft compounds to the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on 20-22 July, much of the Formula One teams’ focus on the first practice day will be on the new specification P Zero Silver hard tyre that will make its debut following a washed-out session at Silverstone. Teams will have two sets of the new tyre on top of their usual allocation of 11 sets of the race’s nominated tyres. Pirelli’s test driver Lucas di Grassi anticipates that the tyre will offers “even better traction, particularly if temperatures are at the lower end of the scale.” The company’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said the tyre has been evolved from the current hard tyre to provide a “slightly wider” range of operating temperatures.
The top three UK tyre retailers have presented their views how TPMS will be implemented in the market following questions from Michelin’s Fleet Panel at the end of June. Their answers, which are the most comprehensive response to this topic yet, show that the while all three market leaders report they are ready for TPMS, their views on what this may mean for fleet customers and indeed consumers varies.
Brembo has won the Best Brand award from Sport Auto, a German magazine dedicated to sports cars, for the sixth time. The Sport Auto Award 2012 recognised the best accessories in 12 categories including brakes, wheels, exhaust systems and sports seats.
During preparations for its production debut in late 2012, the all-electric Audi R8 e-tron has just set a world record for a production vehicle with an electric drive system on the Nürburgring Nordschleife – the toughest test track in the world. Racing driver Markus Winkelhock piloted the high-performance, all-electric sports car around the demanding 12.92-mile track in 8:09.099 minutes.
The Starco Group reports it has established a new entity in South Africa. The Danish-based company shares that a partnership agreement was signed in July with Mac & Tirecity – a major South African distributor that operates three strategically-located distribution centres in the region.
Hull-based Tyremen reports that it recently launched the UK TyreNetwork (UKTN) to offer a fitting service throughout the UK for its internet customers. After choosing the tyres they need on the Tyremen website, the UKTN allows drivers wherever they are in the country to order and pay for the tyres they need and have them fitted at a garage of their choice.
During Reifen 2012 Toyo Tire launched its NanoEnergy 1 and Nanoenergy 2 tyres which represent both the company’s latest technology and a unique response to the labelling challenge. With the addition of the new tyres and the AB rating that comes with the NanoEnergy 1, Toyo now offers some of the highest European labelling rated products currently available in the market. With both being production ready products rather than concepts tyres, Toyo appears to be communicating that it is aiming to compete at the very top of the market.
Two years ago, at Reifen 2010, Starco marketing manager Brian Lorentzen told Tyres & Accessories off the record that the company was in the process of developing plans involving the agricultural sector. At this year’s show the news was finally made public as Starco announced its entry into the tractor radial tyre market. The Danish company describes this agricultural debut, which centres on a new distribution agreement with the tyre manufacturer ATG (Alliance Tire Group), as “a move that breaks with the past and indicates the shape of things to come.” Under the agreement, Starco will now distribute ATG’s Galaxy tractor tyre range in Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Germany and the Benelux countries.
It starts on Thursday. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, that is, and Michelin will be easy to find there. The tyre maker, who has signed on the dotted line to sponsor the Goodwood Festival of Speed Supercar Paddock, is running three exhibition spaces at the show. In addition to Michelin’s stand in the abovementioned ‘paddock’, the company says it will bring its motorsport heritage to life for visitors in the main area and within the FoS Tech Pavilion.
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