Winter Tyres
After two successive cold winters (2009 and 2010) a lot was hanging on a frosty conclusion to 2011. While only five years ago winter tyre sales barely registered at less than 1 per cent UK market share, by the end of the opening months of 2011 various sources were reporting that the market had swollen to around 450,000 units, doubling and even tripling some wholesalers’ stock forecasts.
As what is traditionally known as winter season in Western Europe draws to a close after an unusually mild season, Turkish tyre brand Lassa has issued a series of winter tyre selection tips. As the industry well knows, winter tyres feature a combination of elements designed to equip them for the cold season. Here’s what Lassa is communicating to consumers when it comes to choosing winter rubber:
Brisa-produced tyre brand, Lassa has been promoting its winter tyres across Europe with a series of television advertisements on Turkish channels. The brand also offers a tyre SOS service, sending the nearest dealer drivers’ contact information when in weather-related difficulty in Italy and Germany.
Online tyre dealer Delticom reports that 2011 was “again a successful year.” The German-based company’s preliminary figures for the recently concluded financial year show a 14.4 per cent increase in revenues, to 380.0 million. During the 12 month period EBIT grew 9.6 per cent to 52.2 million and earnings per share were up 8.4 per cent to 2.99 euros.
Uniroyal has reacted to its RainExpert tyre being awarded “best buy” status by Which? Car in the November 2011 edition. Praised across several areas such as wet grip and dry braking, the RainExpert in size 175/65 R14T achieved an overall rating of 67 per cent with Which? commenting: “The RainExpert does exactly what it says on the tin, providing top-of-the-class wet grip, with five stars for grip on the straight and in bends.”
Even though this winter has been relatively mild compared with the past couple of years, Michelin is expecting a strong increase in cold weather tyre sales in the UK. Staffordshire based newspaper The Sentinel reports the tyre maker is expecting sales of winter tyres to reach the half-million mark this season, some 50 per cent more than a year earlier and more than three times more than three years ago.
Nokian Tyres has introduced a new winter range for larger 4×4 vehicles, light trucks and vans. Known as the Hakkapeliitta LT2, the tyre employs the same innovations and technical solutions used in the Hakkapeliitta 7 passenger car tyre, however the Finnish tyre maker says the LT2 has been designed for heavy-duty use and this “combines uncompromised grip and exceptional durability.”
Continental has responded to the Which? magazine winter tyre test published in December, saying the “best buy” rating the ContiWinterContact TS830 and TS800 were awarded was a “real honour”. The test was the first time the consumer advice magazine has recognised the increased awareness of the product in the UK, with many premium brands putting extra effort into the promotion of seasonal tyre changes. The test encompassed 69 tyres across six of the most popular sizes on the market, with Conti tyres given “best buy status in four sizes.
Roadside service provider Mondial Assistance shares that cost is a major factor putting UK motorists off purchasing winter tyres. In a recent 200-person survey it conducted, just under two thirds of respondents said they do not intend to fit winter tyres to their vehicles; from this group, 46 per cent said they won’t fit winter tyres as they cost too much money.
Michelin’s product marketing manager, Steve Dolby has said that Which? magazine’s winter tyre tests – in which the manufacturer’s Alpin A4 and Primacy Alpin PA3 cold weather tyres were awarded “best buy” ratings – will help to raise awareness amongst consumers and educate them about the benefits of fitting cold weather tyres during the winter months.“There has been considerable interest from UK consumers in cold weather tyres this year,” Dolby said, “and sales so far are estimated to be more than half a million tyres – up nearly 50 per cent over the same period last year.”
Consumer advice magazine Which? has completed an extensive winter tyre test in the Alps, taking into account six sizes. Each tyre was given a percentage score and ranked accordingly in its size division. In addition, the magazine presented a star rating out of five in each category it tested, namely: dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, braking on snow, traction on snow, cornering on snow, braking on ice, cornering on ice, fuel economy, noise and wear. The full list of Which? magazine’s “best buys” – and the winter tyres it suggests its readers to avoid – is presented below.
Pirelli has published a video highlighting the safety benefits of fitting winter tyres to passenger cars. The short film, created in conjunction with TyreSafe, features Pirelli’s Winter Sottozero Serie II fitted to a Jaguar XF driven at slow speeds on an ice rink. The video displays the greater grip and traction offered when setting off, in addition to the reduced stopping distance; driven at 15mph, the Jaguar fitted with the winter tyres stops three metres before that running on summer tyres.
It’s now half a decade since TyreSafe first set out to improve safety on UK roads. The 2006-established organisation is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and upon reaching this milestone can reflect with pride that, during the years it has contributed to public awareness on tyre safety, the number of motorists (as reported by DfT figures) killed or seriously injured in tyre related accidents has dropped 38 per cent.
ATS Euromaster has seen cold weather tyre sales quadruple in the Autumn of 2011, with strong demand nationwide from private motorists and fleets. Between September and November 2011 the retailer says it achieved a 301 per cent rise in the number of cold weather tyres fitted to cars, 4x4s and vans, compared with the same period in 2010. Huw Williams, group marketing director at ATS Euromaster, says: “This year we worked hard to secure significantly more stock and it’s enabled us to meet the exceptionally strong demand. We still have cold weather tyres available in many different sizes; however, it’s a continually changing situation and we’re yet to see sales reach their peak.”
According to a UK-based vehicle hire website, 14.6 per cent of British motorists admit retaining the tyres on their cars until they fail the MoT or are flagged as illegal during vehicle servicing. The website, VanRental.co.uk, did not specify the size or makeup of the survey group, however founder Roland Head states the results “highlight the casual attitude taken by many motorists towards tyre safety.”
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