Winter Tyres
A New Zealand coroner’s call for a nationwide ban upon winter tyres has failed to gain widespread support. Palmerston North coroner Tim Scott made this recommendation following an inquest into a fatal car accident involving a vehicle that was imported second hand from Japan with cold weather tyres fitted.
With some meteorologists forecasting the UK's third harsh winter in succession, car manufacturers and tyre companies are widely advocating the fitting of winter tyres.
HiQ is offering consumers the chance to experience the benefits of winter tyres in exchange for penning an independent review. In an attempt to underline the driving advantages and safety benefits of travelling on cold weather tyres once the temperature drops below 7 degrees, HiQ is teaming up with Goodyear to give away 25 sets of cold weather tyres in return for objective reports about their performance, to be showcased online at hiqonline.co.uk.
Following Michelin’s investor’s day briefing at its Cuneo, Italy factory on 5 October financial analysts suggested that while the good news is that Michelin’s European production is up and increasingly efficient, the company remains over-exposed amidst the ailing demand of the North American markets and conversely not exposed enough in the emerging markets.
The SMMT, and the journalists the association invited to a recent media event, have come out in support of using winter tyres. “Tyres can have a major effect on a car’s performance, improving its safety and keeping it moving in winter conditions,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “Winter tyres provide greater grip and handling, reducing braking distances in cold, wet conditions as well as on snow and ice. With temperatures starting to drop and the wetter seasons approaching, motorists should make sure they have the best tyres for the road and climate conditions.”
Toyota has introduced a winter tyre programme, with Yokohama winter tyres supplied by Stapleton’s. Toyota secured its supply of “thousands of winter tyres” earlier this year suitable for most current – and many past – Toyota and Lexus models. Hybrids, in particular, are well catered for, with a healthy supply available for the 17-inch wheels featured on Prius, Auris Hybrid and the Lexus CT 200h. Toyota Centres will supply competitively priced tyres and carry out the changeover for vehicle owners, who can also store their standard set with the Centre until the spring.
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Nokian Tyres is widely acknowledged as a winter tyre pioneer, but other companies also played a part in the introduction of season-specific tyres. One such firm is Semperit, who this year celebrates three quarters of a century in the winter tyre business.
Swedish car brand Saab is offering winter tyre packages through its dealerships in October, offering alloy wheels and winter rubber from £559, excluding fitment. David Leighton, business development manager for aftersales at Saab GB, notes that winter tyres “reduce braking distances and suffer less wear and tear, thus offering not only peace of mind, but a cost-saving benefit too.”
Spanish vehicle manufacturer Seat is showing its support for Tyre Safety Month’s emphasis on winter safety with a campaign highlighting the benefits of winter tyres. The campaign will be run through more than 120 Seat dealers in the UK and explain to customers the main features of and qualities of these cold weather products – features familiar to those in the tyre industry but still an unknown for much of the British motoring public.
Online tyre business is the future, according to Delticom CEO Rainer Binder. With more people buying tyres online than ever, it might not take a futurist or e-business whizz to make such a predction, but in this recent interview with T&A Binder share more about Delticom's approach and new European, fleet and global business strategies.
The latest edition of Tyres & Accessories is now available online, simply click more to see the September issue. This time round the magazine includes a feature on the winter market as well as all the latest news and analysis.
Next month is tyre safety month, and this year TyreSafe plans to focus on winter safety. This theme is being supported by a new online video released by the tyre safety organisation; the short film, titled ‘Stay Safe This Winter’, was shot on an ice rink and highlights the enormous difference in performance between winter weather and standard summer tyres. Through this film, TyreSafe is keen to stress that winter tyres, as opposed to just being snow and ice tyres, really come into their own when the air temperature drops below seven degrees Celsius – a temperature usually experienced throughout the UK between October and March.
Hankook Tire Canada is supplying Canadian Tire – Canada’s largest retailer – with an exclusive Hankook-brand “all-weather” tyre. The Hankook Optimo 4S, which carries the mountain/snowflake symbol that the Rubber Association of Canada and its US counterpart, the RMA, assigns to approved winter tyres, will be available only at Canadian Tire locations across Canada.
Amongst the myriad of new releases on display at September’s IAA Motor Show in Germany, Hankook Tire presented its latest cold-weather products. The first of these was the i*cept RS, a replacement for the Icebear W440 intended for the moderate climates of Central and Western Europe. The Korean manufacturer says standout features on the i*cept RS include its “particularly reliable and stable handling characteristics on wet, snowy, slushy and also dry roads.”
Aeolus Tyres has launched an improved version of its HN364 winter drive tyre. The brand says the improved winter tyre is a result of its intensive research and development programme. It features inter-connected profile blocks, which “helps to create greater stability, while simultaneously improving safety, comfort and longevity,” according to the company. The tyre is available in the three most common drive axle sizes.
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