Winter Tyres
Sumitomo brand, Falken has launched its newest winter tyre, the Eurowinter HS449. Falken says the new tyre has an innovative tread pattern and compound to improve control and grip. It is available for delivery in the UK this month, meaning it is ready for the start of the cold weather season.
Wholesaler Van den Ban says that its selection of winter products is “wider than wide” this winter, and the company is expecting to cope well with “normal demand”. In recent winters VDB has experienced “very early” seasonal demand for winter tyres, but with a somewhat milder winter last year, the company is confident that this early rush will be evened out into “normal demand” this year, “commencing later than previous years”.
Shanghai-based manufacturer, SD International has introduced winter tyre models across several of the company's established private brands – Pace, Zeta and Maxtrek.
Based in East Yorkshire, point-S member, Tyremen is conspicuously active in the seasonal winter market. Not only is there a dedicated winter tyre and wheel section on the company’s website, but banners advertise both specialist seasonal products and all-season rubber in prominent positions. The retailer says it is “well prepared” for what it predicts will be “a busy winter season in 2012/13”.
Continental has developed its first winter coach tyre, the HSW 2 Coach. Designed primarily for safety, but with the varying road surfaces involved in coach travel applications, quiet running, comfort and economy also in mind, the tyre, suitable for use on all axles of the coach, uses “intelligent tread pattern design” to provide the characteristics necessary for winter passenger transportation. But the really clever bit is that the tyre has been designed to wear in a way that will make it suitable for continued use when spring arrives.
Yokohama’s range of winter tyres is branded W.drive and consists of a full range of sizesfor varying driving conditions – from daily run-arounds to high performance super-saloons and light commercials. Offering superior performance to summer tyres at temperatures lower than 7°C, the W.drive features an asymmetric tread design, a micro-silica compound construction, 3D sipes and high-drainage grooves to achieve high levels of grip and safety in cold weather conditions. It is available in 35-60 series between 16 and 20 inches, including four run-flat sizes, with speed ratings of H and V.
During a visit to Bridgestone’s Sweden Proving Ground earlier in the year, Tyres & Accessories drove in temperatures way below freezing in some of the most extreme conditions in Europe, using the manufacturer’s current Blizzak LM-30 winter rubber, and the prototype of its successor to be, the LM-32, which remains in development for the moment, as well as a comparative summer weather tyre, which behaved about as well as one would expect on heavy snow. There was, however, an intermediate all-weather tyre option, which the company is particularly focusing on in Oceanic climates such as that found in the UK.
According to Pirelli, the new Scorpion Winter tyre, designed for high-performance SUVs and crossover vehicles, features improved safety under braking and cornering while offering “the same standards of comfort, reliability and handling that was previously only available on sports cars.”
To kick off the Annual Tyre Safety Week, the Northern Ireland region of the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) is promising a dramatic demonstration of the importance of fitting the right tyre when the weather turns wintry.
Nankang has added to its winter tyre line-up with the release of the Winter Activa SV-55. The new SUV-specific tyre is available in 11 sizes for 16 to 20-inch rim diameters and in H, V and W speed ratings. The Taiwanese tyre maker says the asymmetrical tread pattern used on the SV-55 provides high drainage performance, while the large blocks on the outer edge are said to provide comfortable cornering maneuverability.
Bridgestone has begun manufacturing its Blizzak winter range in China. The tyre maker celebrated the start of Blizzak production in its Tianjin plant this month. The factory, which opened in 2000, recently benefitted from a capacity expansion programme that saw output increased from 16,500 units per day to 25,300; it is not clear what proportion of total output will be dedicated to winter tyres.
Regulation (EC) No 1222/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other essential parameters – to give our new label legislation its full and proper name – comes into force in just a few months. The EU has agreed upon a system of rating tyres using three performance parameters, and almost every new passenger car, light commercial vehicle and truck tyre (C1, C2 and C3 tyres) sold in Europe will come with this rating. But even before its mandatory implementation, murmurs of label scepticism can be heard. Generally, these comments hinge on the label’s limitations, and whether these will hinder consumers from purchasing the tyre best suited to their needs.
Leading global independent tyre dealer network Point S has become the latest full member of the tyre safety campaign group TyreSafe. As a member, the network says it will provide its 133 independently owned centres in the UK with tyre safety advice and information, helping them to educate their own customers and improve standards of tyre care. “With so many customer touch points, it’s fantastic to have the support and backing of a network as significant and large as Point S,” comments Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.
Half year 2012 financial results for Nokian Tyres have been released, and these show the Finnish tyre maker’s sales to be 27.1 per cent up on a year ago. Nokian achieved group net sales of 798.0 million in the six months to 30 June, while operating profit increased 31.5 per cent to 217.7 million euros. Net profit went up 33.9 per cent to 182.9 million euros and earnings per share rose from 1.06 euros to 1.40 euros. Net sales, operating and net profits for the second quarter of 2012 were 413.8 million euros, 112.7 million euros and 95.4 million euros respectively.
In an interview with Institutional Investor magazine, which covered topics ranging from BRIC region outlook to the euro crisis, Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera shared that the number of new products the tyre maker intends to introduce in the next few years will represent a doubling of its recent programme.
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