Wheels
Accuride Corporation recently debuted a line of OEM-quality chrome wheel accessories. This new range consists of ABS chrome front and rear wheel hub and nut covers designed to fit most class 7 and 8 trucks, trailers, and recreational vehicles.
Snap-on Equipment has introduced two new tyre changers under the Hofmann and John Bean brands to meet what the company perceives as a growing need for tyre shops and garages to handle the larger wheel rim diameters fitted to an increasing number of cars on the road: the Hofmann monty 3300-24 and John Bean T4500-24.
Hayes Lemmerz International has announced that its Hayes Lemmerz Holding GmbH organisation in Germany has received an “A” level performance rating from Audi Ingolstadt for supplier project development and project engineering in connection with steel wheels produced for Audi at the wheel manufacturer’s plants in Manresa, Spain and Manisa, Turkey.
Those of you with around £180,000 stashed away in your piggy bank may wish to add Lamborghini’s new Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera to your new car shopping list, and if your budget does stretch to this latest supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese, your next set of wheels will come fitted with the finest Pirelli has to offer. In the countdown to the start of the International Motor Show in Geneva, the Italian tyre maker has bolstered its ongoing technological partnership with Lamborghini and announced the premiere of its new PZero Corsa System at the exhibition.
During a conference call on February 25, Titan International chairman and CEO Maurice Taylor Jr. disclosed that the company intends to produce its first 73.5-inch low sidewall OTR tyres by April. Prototype 73.5 steel wheels have already been produced at Titan’s wheel production facility in Quincy, Illinois, and preparations for the tyre are now underway at the company’s Bryon, Ohio factory.
Maxxis is offering cash rewards or ‘contingency payments’ totalling more than a million dollars to ATV and motorcycle racers competing in eight major US race series this season. “Historically, Maxxis has offered cash for certain classes and free tyres for the rest. This year, we’ve gone to an all-cash contingency since racers are having a harder time than ever coming up with the money for things like gas, hotels and all other race expenses. And of course, the extra cash will help when they need to replace their well-used Maxxis tyres,” said Maxxis senior sales representative Harry Tripp.
Sportservice Lorinser has developed a reputation for its Mercedes Benz turning accessories, and the German firm has presented its latest aluminium wheel for the three-pointed star marque. Lorinser says the new wheel, called the RS9, has been designed to meet the stylistic and technical requirements of the current Mercedes model range. The wheel is available in a ‘polished silver’ finish for in 18 to 21-inch sizes.
Two years after a school-owned van travelling without winter tyres fitted on all wheels collided with a truck in the snow, the New Brunswick government in Canada has made the fitment of these cold weather tyres upon its fleet of multi-function activity buses mandatory. Seven members of the Bathurst High School boys basketball team died in the January 2008 collision, and in the absence of official tests being conducted by the province into the safety of summer tyres in winter, the parents of three of the boys had arranged to have the tyre configurations currently used on activity buses in the province's schools privately tested in Michigan. The tests were scheduled to take place on February 24, the day after New Brunswick announced its new tyre rule.
Volkswagen has released its latest Polo BlueMotion, an 80.7 mpg fuel economy wonder, to order from Volkswagen Retailers. Prices start at £14,445 on the road, but the main news is the fuel economy and its subsequent low emissions.
The new Polo BlueMotion features a new 1.2-litre TDI three-cylinder common rail diesel engine offering 75 PS, and 133 lbs ft (180 Nm) of torque available from 2,000 rpm. The new engine, combined with longer gearing through the five-speed manual gearbox, regenerative braking and an automatic start/stop system, help the new Polo BlueMotion emit just 91 g/km of CO2 while returning an impressive 80.7 mpg on the combined cycle. This grants the new Polo BlueMotion a theoretical range of over 800 miles on one tank of diesel.
Michelin North America sent its Michelin Disaster Response Unit trailer to a Tire Centers L.L.C. (TCI) warehouse in Dallas last week after heavy snow caused part of the roof to collapse. TCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MNA, said the 16,000-square foot Dallas warehouse is roughly 30 years old. A section of the roof caved in 12 February after record snowfall in the Dallas area. In addition to the roof, about 7,000 tyres were damaged.
Goodyear Farm Tires, a Titan Tire Corporation brand, has introduced a new tyre the company says is suited to wet conditions. To help it achieve this wet condition operability, the DT 930 TM in size 1100/45R46 features a low sidewall (LSW) aspect ratio.
The majority of volume car manufacturers with UK plants are showing strong interest in sourcing more locally-built components. That’s the view of the latest independent research commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which highlights the tactical advantages of UK component sourcing including: benefiting from a favourable exchange rate; minimising the vulnerabilities and logistical costs associated with an extended supply chain; and the UK’s flexible labour force and positive industrial relations as reasons for looking for supply options within the UK.
The report recognised the significant opportunities arising from the transition to a low carbon economy, but also identified some conventional technologies that manufacturers would like to source more of in the UK. This list included what are described as “basic automotive components” such as: alloy wheels, alternators and starter motors, brake components, castings and forgings, fasteners, nuts and bolts, plastic mouldings in general, large stampings, sheet steel and aluminium, transmission components and wring harnesses. So called high technology areas included: electronic control units (ECUs) in general, satellite navigation systems, advanced air conditioning and safety systems especially airbags.
Stamford Tyres is an established exhibitor at Tyrexpo Africa and has supported the show since being launched in 2004. In March the Singapore based company will once again be using the show to further endorse the group’s growing presence in the South African tyre and wheel market.
As part of the restructuring of its Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS) business, a measure taken in order to accelerate growth, Alcoa has appointed Olivier M. Jarrault to the new position of chief operating officer, Engineered Products and Building Systems. In this role, Jarrault, who has served as president of Alcoa Fastening Systems since 2002, will lead the Alcoa Fastening Systems, Alcoa Wheels and Transportation Products, and Building and Construction Systems business units.
Present at the Autosport International Engineering Show, Oxfordshire company Stack displayed its battery-free TPMS systems, which it believes “completely redefines tyre pressure monitoring in motorsport”. Based on patented SAW sensor technology, the company says problems associated with mounting batteries and complicated electronics in sensors on wheels eliminated.
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