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Winter Tyres

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Michelin Primacy Alpin Awarded Highest Distinction by ADAC

The new Michelin Primacy Alpin tyre has been awarded the highest distinction – a “highly recommendable” rating – in a test conducted by Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), the German Automobile Association and Europe’s largest automobile club.

Carried out by ADAC and its Austrian and Swiss counterparts – Österreichischer Automobil-, Motorrad- und Touring Club (ÖAMTC) and Touring Club Suisse (TCS) – the comparative test involved 16 brands of 205/55 R16 H winter tyres.

The tyres were tested for their grip on snow and ice covered roads as well as on low temperature wet and dry surfaces. Tyre life was also measured, and in this category the Michelin Primacy Alpin received the highest overall score, ahead of all its competitors.

The Michelin Primacy Alpin responds to the dual challenge of optimising safety and longevity. During the design phase, Michelin research and development teams focused on meeting three performance objectives.

28th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Publishes Winter Truck Tyre Guide

Continental Tyres has put together a comprehensive guide to the differing tyre requirements British truck and coach operators expecting to run their vehicles in European countries this winter have to meet. Draconian penalties – including an absolute ban on entering certain countries – will apply to vehicles not properly equipped when there is ice or snow to contend with. Countries including Austria, Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland are covered and the Conti guide – available free of charge to operators – spells where special cold weather tyres are required and when snow chains have to be fitted.

24th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

BMW Approves Conti Winter Run-Flats

Continental has secured another OE contract with BMW, this time supplying run-flat winter tyres to a number of vehicles produced by the German manufacturer. The supply deal covers the 1 and 3 series as well as the X5 SAV and the Z4 coupe and convertible.

To accommodate the different driving dynamics of the various vehicles, BMW has ordered two tyre models – the X5 will be fitted with the ContiCrossContact Winter in 18 and 19-inch sizes, whilst the other vehicles will be equipped with 16 and 17-inch fitments of the ContiWinterContact TS 810 Sport.

Conti reports that the company currently supplies 50 per cent of BMW’s OE tyre requirements.

6th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

All-Season Protection

Vredestein believes there is a need and a good future for cold weather tyres in the UK, and is backing up its confidence in this often ignored market with the release of more winter weather products, including the new Quatrac 3 series, which will be launched at the end of September.

The Quatrac 3 can be visually distinguished by its non-directional asymmetric tread, and Vredestein adds that an examination of the tyre’s summer and winter tread profile sections will also reveal a clear distinction between the two. Upon its initial release the new tyre also offer a world first for all-season tyres – run-flat variants. Vredestein will offer two run-flat sizes when it launches the Quatrac 3.

For discerning motorists the new Quatrac 3 is a very attractive choice. As it is an all-season tyre, there is no necessity for the twice annual change between summer and winter tyres. “The Vredestein Quatrac 3 is a first-rate alternative for countries without extreme driving conditions like snow-covered, icy roads or steep hills,” Bert Stellinga, managing director Vredestein UK and Ireland, explained. “In plain or gently sloping areas and in temperate climates, the Quatrac 3 is the all-season tyre of choice. It offers optimum ride and grip characteristics under all circumstances.”

31st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Never Lose Your Cool

Living in an environment so cold that even a polar bear thinks twice about popping out for a pint a milk can have its advantages. The lawn doesn’t need mowing very often and there’s no real cause for concern if the tub of ice cream is left out overnight. Plus, if you just happen to be in the business of testing winter tyres, nature will bless you with ideal working conditions day after day.

Test World is located in such a place. Based in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, some 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Test Word is the world’s northernmost winter testing facility. Every year when it gets cold in Ivalo – which, given its balmy May average temperature of 5ºC, is most months – tyre, vehicle and other manufacturers and importers, regulatory authorities, technical institutes and intrepid media representatives rug up and head north in order to put tyres, not to mention a huge range of different products, through their paces.

30th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New and Improved

There are two types of European winter: the winter we know and grumble about, with coats, scarves and the heating cranked up a few notches – and then there’s the mind-shatteringly cold northern winter, an environment so unforgiving that even the careless act of touching a metal surface with an ungloved hand may result in the loss of a few layers of skin. So with two vastly different definitions of winter existing within the one region, it makes sense for a tyre manufacturer to recognise this distinction when developing a winter tyre range. Michelin has done exactly this, and offers different winter products in different markets. In Scandinavia and Russia the tyremaker sells products like the Latitude X-Ice North, a studded, blocky, heavily siped tyre designed to tackle severe Nordic conditions. But such a tyre would obviously be ridiculously excessive for a shopping trip to the high street or commuting on the M25, so for our milder, yet deceptively hazardous winters, Michelin offers a more suitable range.

30th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear a Popular Choice for Safety Conscious Coach Operators

Given their already greater stopping distances and relative lack of nimbleness, there is no question that heavy vehicles need to be fitted with tyres appropriate for the season. This particularly applies to large passenger-carrying vehicles and those that are taken abroad.

Goodyear reports that it is expecting further demand for its Winter ‘UltraGrip’ tyres this year, particularly with bus and coach operators who have a desire to maximise passenger safety on continental ski trips and European tours. Last Winter the performance of the 315/80R22.5 Goodyear UltraGrip WTS (Winter Tread Steer) and WTD (Winter Tread Drive) tyres on coaches used for continental tours resulted in a significant upswing in demand for these tyres.

Among the noteworthy features the Ultra Grip WTD (Winter Traction Drive) offers is the tread pattern. According to the tyremaker this is the first tyre to incorporate a new Goodyear patented design its calls 3D-BIS Technology (Block Interlocking System), which features trapezoidal shaped blades. The 3D-BIS Technology blades are fine sipes with three-dimensional wave-like shapes – perhaps best described as looking like waffles. The unique shape of these blades causes the tread blocks to lock together when the tyre deforms, creating a more rigid and stable footprint.

29th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Tires – Stay in Charge, Whatever the Weather

Whether it’s the wrong kind of leaves on the line, frozen pipes or frosted locks, traditionally us Brits have never prepared well for winter… and it shows. As the sage advice goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. And whilst no sane person would brave the winter months in their summer shoes, we somehow expect our cars to.

The safety-conscious Scandinavians have it sussed. With many countries enforcing fitment of winter tyres in appropriate months, the accident figures, or rather lack of them, speak for themselves. We’ve all seen cars beached by the roadside or sliding helplessly along a poorly cleared road. Often with inevitable and expensive results. Whilst a decent set of winter tyres may tax the pocket a little, it’s small beer compared to a lost day’s work, your insurance excess – and resulting premium hike – or worse! Many fatal accidents occurring in winter could have been wholly avoidable had the vehicle in question had the right tyres fitted. Putting a price on safety really is the worst kind of false economy.

28th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Deldo – the Winter Tyre ‘Specialist’

Deldo Autobanden markets itself as the European specialist for winter tyres, a claim based on the many years the company has participated in this seasonal market. Today in its Antwerp warehouse Deldo stocks more than 25 brands of cold weather tyres, including its exclusive Wanli and Sunny brands.

The two exclusive brands are manufactured in South China Tire & Rubber’s year old factory in China’s Guangzhou Province, and Wanli and Sunny offer an extensive range of tyres for passenger and commercial vehicles, with more than 80 studdable and non-studdable sizes available for the winter tyre segment alone. In mid July Deldo commented that it was “happy” with the level of pre sales for winter tyres ahead of the upcoming cold season, stating they had already reached a respectable 65 per cent.

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Safe Through Winter with Inter-Sprint

Dutch wholesaler Inter-Sprint is continuing to grow, and recently opened a third depot in the town of Moerdijk. And Inter-Sprint reports that it has a complete winter program ready and on offer for the coming cold season – in addition to the well-known branded winter tyres the company also sells a comprehensive range of private label winter tyres in the UK.

Tyfoon
The Tyfoon brand is a European product made by a leading manufacturer that also offers a full range of winter tyres under its own label. The Tyfoon brand is already well established in a number of markets, including Germany and Norway, and Inter-Sprint comment that a number of tests have revealed Tyfoon is easily able to compete with the ‘A-brands’ both in terms of quality and value. The label has recently also expanded with the addition of a 4×4 range, reports Inter-Sprint.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cool Performance

The cold months present a particular challenge to manufacturers with a reputation for delivering performance products – how does one combine the superior handling qualities buyers of the brand have come to expect with those needed for safe winter driving? How can a single tyre fulfill these two seemingly contradictory roles? This is a task that researchers and designers at Pirelli have grabbed by the horns, and the tyremaker’s strong work towards developing a better product in the early stages of the modern winter tyre’s development continues to this day. The result is a range of winter tyres with an enviable reputation.

The reigning sovereign of Pirelli’s winter performance range is indisputably the Winter Sottozero, a tyre whose test results have earned it lavish yet deserved praise from several leading European motoring magazines. The Sottozero – Italian for ‘below zero’ – is, as Pirelli’s cold weather addition to the Planet Zero portfolio, the most performance oriented winter tyre yet offered by the Italian manufacturer. Promoted by Pirelli as the “first real dual season tyre,” the Sottozero is a product that deserves the attention of performance car drivers in the UK. Pirelli states that the Sottozero is suitable for fitment from mid-autumn to early spring, regardless of what condition the weather may throw in our direction; the Sottozero, while obviously designed for cooler conditions, will also safely take unseasonable weather in its stride.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Rubber Given OK to Construct Proving Ground in Thailand

Yokohama Rubber announced on August 22 that it has received approval from the Thailand Board of Investment to go ahead with the construction of a large proving ground. The company has already secured a 1.69-million square metre site in Thailand’s Rayong Province. The proving ground, to be built at an estimated cost of 2.5 billion yen (£11 million) should be complete by the end of March 2009.

For the new proving ground, Yokohama Rubber will construct a high-speed circuit with a total road length of 4.1 kilometres and a 1 kilometre section of straight track. The company also plans to construct various test courses for the proving of driving stability, fuel efficiency, durability, noise, vibration and driving comfort. Rayong Province was chosen both due to its close proximity to the facilities of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., and the availability of suitable land in the area.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

A Compound to Suit Your Winter

Since its inception in 1972 Interstate Tires has expanded rapidly and now represents a group of five companies, selling tyres under its own ‘Interstate’ brand name. Headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands, Interstate offers worldwide distribution and operates warehouses both in Europe and China, simplifying the delivery process for their customers as much as possible. Tyres can be shipped to every major port, with from the port truck or train transport also arranged by Interstate if required. A sign of the company’s popularity as a tyre supplier can be witnessed by the company’s positive sales figures, growth Interstate claims consistently outpaces that of the tyre market.

Interstate’s range of exclusive brand winter tyres for the 2007 season is called the Interstate Winter IWT-2. Produced in China to a European design and intended for European conditions, each tyre in the Winter IWT-2 line-up is E-marked, ISO certified, ETRTO, TüV and DOT approved. To maximise the range’s Europe-wide appeal Interstate will release the Winter IWT-2 in two silica compound variations, a softer compound for Nordic regions and a firmer ‘West European’ compound more suited to UK driving.

21st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Winter Tyre Test Specialist Appoints New MD

Test World, the independent winter tyre testing facility located in the brisk northerly reaches of Ivalo in Finnish Lapland, has a new managing director. Following the retirement of incumbent managing director Timo Mäkelä on August 1, deputy managing director Harri Eskelinen has filled his snow shoes.

The company performs an invaluable service for Europe’s tyre manufacturers. Tyre World’s extreme northerly location ensures frigid weather for a large chunk of the year – the test season begins in late October and runs until the end of April – making Ivalo a much sought after location for putting winter tyres through their paces. The testing specialist has developed track maintenance techniques that permit invariable conditions for the duration of tyre tests, and can conduct tests in all conditions likely to be encountered, including snow, slush, wet and dry surfaces. During 2007 the company is also launching a brand new indoors test facility that will be used for performing approval tests conforming to ECE norms.

20th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Eurostone from NDI –Tyres for Wet or Dry Winters

Nordisk Dæk Import AS (NDI) is a major supplier of tyres and wheels to European markets. The Danish company was established in 1970 and today its headquarters in the town of Brørup occupy more than 56,000 square metres of office and warehouse space. The company boasts a sizeable presence in its home market of Denmark – throughout the country NDI also operates nine strategically located branches and 50 company owned “Super Dæk Service” retail outlets, employing a total of approximately 750 people.

The company also produces wheels to order for industrial and agricultural applications, specialising in adapting rims to individual customer’s requirements. A third related field in which NDI operates is retreading. The company’s retreading subsidiary, Euroband, is Denmark’s largest manufacturer of retreaded tyres for trucks, buses, tractors and earthmovers. The Euroband facility is also located in Brørup.

17th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors