Winter Tyres
Kraiburg Austria is reports that another nine designs from the retreading specialist have successfully passed the 3PMSF test and are therefore approved as winter retreads with immediate effect. These are: K16, K26, K43, K45, K50, K51, K203, K204, K213. The tests were conducted by the Prüflabor Nord in January and February. As a result of the test a total of 29 Kraiburg patterns can be labelled with the 3PMSF pictogram.
Michelin has launched a new CrossClimate tyre to take on the demanding conditions in which European van drivers increasingly operate. Having successfully rolled out the “summer tyre with winter capabilities” to the consumer market with two iterations of CrossClimates for cars and an SUV version, Michelin has extended the concept to light commercial operators with the Agilis CrossClimate. To mark its launch, Michelin demonstrated the tyre’s winter characteristics at a special test site in the French Alps. With the so-called Beast from the East providing the most extreme winter driving conditions the UK has seen in more than a decade as Tyres & Accessories goes to print, the appeal of products to handle such conditions while also suiting the mostly moderate climate in a market disinclined to fit winter tyres seems likely to receive at least a short-term boost.
Well-known Finnish test centre Test World is expanding its year-round testing options. According to the company, this year it is more than doubling the length of the existing natural snow and ice platforms, and introducing asphalt tracks for wet and dry braking and aquaplaning, all under one roof. The new and extended indoor tracks will be opening from April 2018.
Bridgestone has signed a tyre partnership with online supermarket Ocado. The manufacturer will supply its home delivery fleet, encompassing more than 1,500 Mercedes Sprinter vans, with the Blizzak W810, which will stay on each vehicle all year round following rigorous internal testing. It is Bridgestone’s biggest UK van tyre fleet win to date.
From studs to autonomous driving technology and including the latest winter tyres available, Continental AG has demonstrated a range of innovations designed to move the company (and motorists) towards its Vision Zero goal. Indeed, “our goal is to achieve zero road traffic accidents”, Conti CEO Elmer Degenhart is on the record as saying, summarising what Continental is aiming to do.
With the opening of a new indoor facility for testing winter tyres, Yokohama Rubber says it can improve the accuracy of its test data and thus develop more advanced technologies. The indoor test centre is located at Yokohama Rubber’s Tire Test Center of Hokkaido (TTCH) facility in Asahikawa City, Japan, and began testing tyres on 5 January ahead of its official inauguration on 30 January.
We’re more used to seeing winter tyres in the car and truck segments, however off-highway tyre specialist BKT has launched a range of tyres developed with colder conditions in mind. These are the Earthmax SR 22, Snow Trac and Earthmax SR 42 for OTR applications, as well as Earthmax SR 33 and Ridemax IT 696 for the industrial sector.
Four entirely new Nokian winter tyre ranges are to be introduced in time for the colder months in 2018/19. These lines will start shipping to retailers in spring, with a large size portfolio available to consumers this coming autumn.
As reported at the start of the month, an eBay tyre fitting service is now available in the UK in partnership with Blackcircles.com. The service was launched at the time of the year when the days grow shorter and motorists should prepare their vehicles, particularly their tyres, for winter roads. Kevin Steward, head of sales, Vehicle Parts & Accessories, UK Trading at eBay, has written the following tips for tyre sellers hoping to capitalise on this season’s winter tyre market.
Whether you operate one van or 100 vehicles, daily maintenance checks are more important in winter months than ever. Cold weather can present some of the most challenging driving conditions and when winter arrives it’s important to know your vehicle(s) is more than capable of dealing with extreme weather. With only eight hours of sunlight each day and the mercury plummeting overnight, ensure your vehicle is road fit with LeasePlan UK’s winter car maintenance checklist:
Continental has scooped top spots in the Auto Express tyre awards 2017 for both its summer and winter products. The Continental ContiPremiumContact 5, and the WinterContact TS 860, both successfully took first place.
With the Met Office issuing yellow warnings for icy patches and snow, driving conditions are set to deteriorate and there could be severe disruption to the daily commute. According to research commissioned by Goodyear Tyres UK, over half (53 per cent) of motorists surveyed say they find driving in the snow and ice nerve-racking, with a further 48 per cent listing de-icing wind screens in the mornings as a problem.
McLaren, the British creator of luxury sports and super cars, has paired with tyre partner Pirelli to deliver a new winter wheel and tyre package for McLaren Sports Series models.
Winter tyres have always been something of a non-issue with most British motorists, but for years our counterparts in Germany have diligently switched from summer to winter rubber every autumn and then back again in the spring. The head of Michelin considers this largely unnecessary.
A successor to the Continental TS 830 P and WinterContact TS 850 P is coming to our roads in time for winter. Designed with sports and high-powered cars in mind, the new Continental WinterContact TS 860 S will be produced as customised versions for original equipment supply and also for the replacement tyre market. The range for the coming winter contains 14 dimensions for 18- to 21-inch rim diameters and approvals for speeds of up to 168mph.
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