Cooper Tire introduces new winter products
Cooper Tire Europe reports the introduction of a new line – the WM-SA2+ – into its winter tyre portfolio and the addition of 25 new sizes to its existing Weathermaster WSC SUV/4×4 range.
Winter Tyres
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Interstate launches three new winter tyres
Interstate Tire & Rubber Co. has expanded its winter tyre product offering with the addition of over 100 new sizes and the release of three new product lines. According to the company, the total winter tyre range offers now 12 different lines with over 310 unique sizes.
Auto Express names Dunlop, Continental Product Awards winners
The Dunlop Sport BluResponse, and the ContiWinterContact TS850 have been named winners in the latest Auto Express Product Awards. Detailed in the latest June Special of the UK’s best-selling motoring weekly, product experts Henry Willis and Kim Adams wrote that its summer tyre winner – the Sport BluResponse – “has clearly been designed with EU tyre labels in mind [with highly rated fuel efficiency and wet grip characteristics]… Yet Dunlop engineers haven’t ignored other performance attributes,” with the tyre achieving “six top-three places” in Auto Express’ nine testing categories. The winter tyre winner – the ContiWinterContact TS850 – was lauded for its all-round ability, having been bested by competitors in snow track testing. Conti’s tyre was rated highly for achieving highly in the “conflicting demands” of wet grip and braking, and low rolling resistance.
Marangoni showing commercial and industrial tyres at Autopromotec
Marangoni has announced that it is showing its commercial and industrial tyres at the company’s stand in Hall 22, Stand A46 at Autopromotec next week.
Hankook all-season range to receive global premiere at Autopromotec
Hankook is set to give its latest generation of all-season passenger car- and SUV- tyres their world premiere during the course of Autopromotec next week. In addition Hankook reports that it is showing its new original equipment tyre for the Porsche Macan as well as a sneak preview of its “next generation Hankook brand premium winter tyres for passenger cars”.
Nokian claims world first with AA-labelled winter SUV tyre
The introduction of the European tyre label in November 2012 resulted in murmurs from some tyre makers – most notably Nokian Tyres – about its unsuitability for appraising their winter ranges, and the Finnish manufacturer even went as far as introducing its own ‘winter grip label’ that aimed to place labelling criteria within a winter context. This was withdrawn after a short period of time, but now Nokian Tyres has made another label-related winter tyre announcement: Despite the label’s use of criteria that is more compatible with summer tyres, this autumn Nokian will launch a SUV winter tyre that has achieved an ‘AA’ label rating. The tyre maker points out its size 265/50 R19V WR SUV 3 is the first winter tyre in Europe – and by default the world – to achieve this top label rating.
Large stand drives ‘record visitors’ to Giti at CV Show
Following its week at the Birmingham NEC for this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show, Giti Tire said that it “registered record visitor numbers” to its new look stand. The manufacturer was displaying its new GT Radial GDR638 drive axle tyre, among others, from a large stand incorporating its corporate colours alongside its flagship GT Radial branding for the first time. The manufacturer said the use of its Giti branding was part of a plan to raise its profile worldwide in support of global infrastructure projects, such as the new $560m manufacturing and distribution plant in Chester County, South Carolina.
Michelin-shod VW Touareg sets speed record on ice
On 20–21 March, 14-time motor sports record-holder Andrey Leontyev and ice captain Alexander Burmeyster set an absolute record by achieving the greatest average speed on ice over a 1000km course on Lake Baikal. The vehicle used was a Volkswagen Touareg production vehicle with standard tyres and service fluids.
Ringtons opts for Michelin winter tyres after trial
Tea company Ringtons, a proud family business steeped in history, is adapting its tyre policy to ensure it can continue to deliver to customers across the UK on time, every time. The Newcastle-based firm will progressively roll out a Michelin winter tyre policy for its fleet of 220 VW Caddy commercials, following a trial during winter 2014/15 which demonstrated a clear improvement in mobility throughout the colder weather.
Independent Scandinavian tyre dealers a focus for new Iceland Tyres range
Iceland has already lent its name to a supermarket chain specialising in frozen products, and now the northerly island is also associated with a brand of tyres aimed at Nordic markets. The newly-launched Iceland Tyres brand is promoted as delivering “safe driving in rough Nordic winter conditions.” Two products are currently listed in the Iceland Tyres portfolio – the non-studded Iceland Snow, which will be available this year in seven sizes for 15 and 16-inch rim diameters (with a further nine sizes for 14 to 17-inch rim diameters planned for next year), and the studded Iceland Ice, which will be released in a similar range of sizes.
Michelin’s new CrossClimate: Year-round, not all-season
On 2 March, at the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show, Michelin launched its CrossClimate tyre. You could be forgiven for calling this tyre as an “all-season” product, however Michelin executives are emphatic that it is not one. Instead it is being pitched as something of a paradigm shift – both for the the French manufacturer, which has repeatedly positioned itself as a staunch supporter of seasonal summer/winter swaps, and for the market in general. Instead Michelin is positioning the CrossClimate as a tyre tuned for European markets with more temperate climates. The United Kingdom and its growing all-season tyre market is undoubtedly one region the tyre maker has in mind for the CrossClimate, however the strategy and the implications of it latest offering go far wider than just the UK alone.
ATS Euromaster says new CrossClimate is a ‘game-changer’ for UK fleets
ATS Euromaster welcomed the launch of Michelin’s CrossClimate tyre range – calling the product a game-changer for UK fleets and coming that it is working to secure stocks across its centres for the official May 2015 launch.
Pitched as the first summer car tyres to be certified for winter use, ATS Euromaster says the tyres will be “ideally suited to the UK fleet sector, where unexpected weather changes and occasional snowfall can cause havoc for company car drivers – resulting in costly business interruption, reduced mobility, plus an increased risk of accidents.”
Nokian addresses weather vagaries with WR D4
Winter means different things to different people depending on where they live, and thankfully tyre makers are acknowledging this. Both Pirelli and Michelin recently added summer/winter tyres for temperate European climates to their portfolios, and winter tyre pioneer Nokian Tyres has now introduced a product it describes as a “versatile chameleon for winter roads” – a tyre that not only performs well in snow and slush (real winter weather, to use Nokian’s own words), but also in the wet weather that many of us more commonly encounter in the colder months. The Nokian WR D4 is scheduled for release in autumn 2015 and is promoted as the “world’s first premium winter tyre for passenger cars” to achieve an ‘A’ European tyre label rating for wet grip.
Conti and Mercedes-Benz World demonstrate winter tyre benefits
Continental Tyres has successfully offered over three hundred motorists the chance to experience the difference in performance between summer and winter tyres, with free tests running between October and December at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge. With UK drivers are six times more likely to have an accident during the winter months, Mercedes-Benz World and “partner in […]
Nokian targets Central European growth with renewed winter, all-season tyre range
Nokian Tyres will bring a new portfolio of five new tyres to Central Europe, as the manufacturer targets growth in the region. Calling Central Europe the world’s largest market area for winter tyres, the Finnish manufacturer said that approximately 70 million winter tyres were sold in 2014, meaning the segment is growing faster than the overall market. With the faster growth experienced in some of Europe’s lesser heralded economic nations than in the traditional big five markets, tyre markets are expected to expand, while Nokian also predicts the continued spread of winter tyre legislation. Therefore Central Europe has become one of Nokian’s most important areas for growth.
