Wheels
Alcoa Wheel Products will be showing its forged aluminium wheels at Tip-Ex show (stand C7-8) between 10 and 12 June. The wheel maker recently added some 17.5” wheels to its portfolio including: a 17.5 x 6.75 10 hole low deck trailer wheel, available in mirror polished version; a 17.5 x 6.75 6 hole truck wheel for medium duty trucks. Alcoa reports that the latest sizes will be available in brushed and Dura-Bright finishes from April 2011 onwards.
2011 promises to be an exciting year for one of Europe’s major suppliers of specialist and industrial tyres the Starco Group, according to Group marketing manager Brian Lorentzen. Since the onset of the recession at the end of 2008, Lorentzen says Starco’s strategy has been to trim its organisation – “both to weather the financial storm and to prepare the company for the future. It is natural that we have focused on reducing operating costs throughout the group; by reducing unnecessary stock levels and by cutting expenditure on those activities which do not relate to our core business.” All this, of course needed to be achieved “without reducing the company’s ability to innovate and operate, and without impacting the customer satisfaction on which our current and future business depends,” as Lorentzen acknowledges.
Garage technology firm Omitec is promoting its latest TPMS-orientated range. According to the company, OmiCheck Service from Omitec carries the TPMS function and enables registration or re-registration of tyre pressure monitoring valves on the vehicle ECU’s. Company representatives say that the Tyre Pressure Monitoring application is “a must for anybody who removes wheels from a vehicle.” This TPMS application is designed to register a new valve or re-register the location of a wheel should it be moved from front to rear and detect when there is a tyre pressure monitoring system fault or when the valve itself needs replacing.
Paul Goggins, Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has been awarded ‘Parliamentarian of the Month’ by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. The award is said to have been presented in recognition of his efforts to raise the issue of regulation for heavy goods vehicle wheel safety in parliament.
In June 2010, Paul was approached by Motor Wheel Service because the firm was concerned about the lack of regulation to ensure the safety of second hand heavy goods vehicle wheels. They believe that there has been a rise of approximately 10,000 substandard second hand HGV wheels entering the UK market per year. Paul is concerned that there are no guarantees that these second hand wheels are safe because while tyres are heavily regulated to ensure they meet minimum standards of safety, wheels are not.
Agricultural and other primary resource industries continue to play a leading role in the economic growth and social development of the former Soviet republics. In these nations, agriculture, natural resource development and the construction industry have always been at the forefront of economic development, and this is now being further facilitated by the growth of private enterprise, an influx of foreign investment capital and a general recovery from the global economic recession.
A DAF dealer in West Sussex has purchased two TA-20 wheel aligners from Haweka, a measure it says will “help hauliers reduce their operational costs in the tough economic climate”. Barnes Group in Shoreham-by-Sea & Guildford believes the investment will help its customers save costs on fuel and tyres. Haweka is a UK supplier of commercial wheel alignment and wheel balancing accessories; it demonstrated the equipment to Barnes Group in its workshops, leading to the purchase.
Good news for all Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com subscribers. With just a subscription and a click on the more link below you can now access the latest issue of the magazine in virtual paper format. The April issue contains features on the wheel business, the effect of raw material costs on the tyre industry and a review of some new additions to the diagnostics market.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. will provide its Advan A006T (for tarmac) and ADVAN A053 (for gravel) rally tyres in support of Toshi Arai and Fumio Nutahara in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), which has been underway in Europe since January. Yokohama Rubber is endeavouring to improve recognition of its Advan rally tyres in Europe by supporting proven drivers in highly popular rallies.
Alcar Wheelwright’s Calibre range has announced a new alloy model: the retro-design Bomb. The 7×15” rim “points the way forward for [the Calibre range’s] new season collection”, according to the company. It has an eight-spoke face with pseudo-split rim bolts, giving it a “race-ready demeanour”. The Bomb enters the market priced £93 (excluding VAT), and Calibre says its “4×100 PCD makes it perfect for many core tuner, Honda, BMW and VAG rides”.
The speed rating of agricultural implement wheels and tyres has traditionally often been limited to 40 km/h, a limit reflecting the restrictions historically imposed on general agricultural tractors not equipped with suspension. This absence of a suspension system was a deliberate design feature that optimised field performance, and the known limitations – the affect upon stability, ride and road holding at increased speeds – were in past times not considered economically important.
German hard rock band Scorpions took a specially built Volkswagen Amarok fitted with Oxigin’s 19” 14 Oxrock alloy wheels on its final tour. German manufacturer Oxigin says “the band was so impressed by the pick-up truck that the Amarok and its 19” wheels were brought on stage during the concert in its hometown of Hannover.” The wheel is available in 7.5×17”, 8.5×18”, 8.5×19”, 9.5×19”, 8.5×20”, 9.5×20” and 11×20” sizes, with black, black full polish, orange polish, gun metal polish, and white pearl polish finishes.
Alloy wheel brand Carmani – a subsidiary of Oxigin – has introduced its five wedge-shaped spoke 6 Impact light alloy wheel. The wheel also features a recessed centre and a choice between a black polished and a crystal silver finish. A specially developed acrylic clear lacquer coating protects the surface from heat, brake dust, and road salt. The wheel is available in sizes 7×16”, 7.5×17” and 8×18” for all popular vehicles with five-hole application.
While the 2011 CV Show was well-attended by tyre majors and equipment suppliers alike, there was also a surprising number of tyre wholesale and distribution companies present. These included Kirkby Tyres & Wheels Ltd and RH Claydon Ltd as well as Tyreline OE Ltd and TD Tyres. What the two well-known wholesalers (Kirkby and RH Claydon) had in common was the fact that both firms were showing the latest Chinese-produced additions to their respective tyre product portfolios.
UK tyre safety campaign group TyreSafe is currently running its motorcycle-specific tyre safety month to coincide with the commencement of the riding season – welcomed in by the excellent weather in the UK this weekend. The organisation is highlighting the 82 motorcycle accidents in 2009 where illegal, defective or underinflated tyres were a contributory factor (Department for Transport figures). Although this number represents a slight decrease on 2008, each one is an avoidable accident, says Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.
The UK distributor for MAK replacement alloy wheels, Yokohama HPT, says it is helping the manufacturer celebrate its 20th anniversary by introducing three new styles into the UK. These include the Venti (Italian for 20); a striking design intended to reiterate the company’s design flair and high quality production values.
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