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Winter Tyres

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New Winter Range for Interstate

Netherlands based Interstate Tire & Rubber Company has announced the introduction of a new range of exclusive brand Interstate winter tyres for the 2007 season. Called the Interstate Winter IWT-2, the new tyres are produced in China to a European design and intended for European conditions, and 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.

Being designed with winter conditions in mind the range feature three-dimensional sipes on both the inner and outer shoulders, and these sipes are laid out in an interlocking format that prevent the sipes from sticking to each other when subjected to lateral forces, thus increasing dry road stability and handling while providing grip in snow and ice conditions. The centre tread is laid out in a v-shaped pattern, which Interstate claims serves to direct water from the tread area into the wide circumferential grooves positioned on either side of the centre tread.

14th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Rubber Sales Increase 10.1%

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced on May 10 that its net sales had risen 10.1 per cent to 497.4 billion yen (£2.083 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. This sales total is the company’s highest ever, with sales growth resulting from unit sales gains and from a weaker yen, adding yen value to sales generated outside of Japan. The main increase in sales was seen in the company’s Tire Group and Multiple Business (diversified products) Group.

Operating income dropped by 4 per cent to 21.1 billion yen (£83.4 million), a figure the company has attributed to increases in raw material costs outpacing increases in net sales, and net income declined by 23.7 per cent to 16.4 billion yen (£68.7 million). This drop in net income reflected a tax benefit recorded in the previous year in connection with earlier write-downs of equity in a US subsidiary.

10th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

ETRMA Joins European Road Safety Charter

At the end of April the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA), the representative association for ten of the leading tyre companies operating in Europe, signed up to the European Road Safety Charter. The April 27 signing ceremony was chaired by European Commission vice-president Jacques Barrot in the presence of the Association’s president, Francesco Gori, vice-president Eric de Cromières and secretary general, Fazilet Cinaralp.

“Today I am pleased that at the time of Europe’s first Road Safety Day, the ETRMA has signed up to the Charter and is making strong commitments,” stated Mr. Barrot during the proceedings. “The Tyre Industry’s dedication represents an encouraging signal to achieving the European Road Safety Charter objectives.”

10th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Analysts: Nokian 1Q EBIT 80 per cent Above Expectations

Financial analysts at Deustche Bank have commented that Nokian’s first quarter performance as clearly exceeded expectations. Nokian’s 200 million euros of net sales and 39 million euros of pre-tax profits were described as “16 per cent and 80 per cent better than expected, largely driven by strong demand in Russia for both summer and winter tyres. Furthermore the company’s mix of winter tyres was said to be “clearly better in first quarter than it was last year.”

26th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Technology, Practicality Moving Us Closer to Fewer Speed Ratings

(Akron/Tire Review) For too many years, we’ve been explaining to our customers why they need speed-rated tyres. It’s the right choice, for example, if the vehicle came OE with a V-rated UHP radial. To make that rating, the tyre must be able to run at sustained speeds of up to 149 mph.

“But I don’t drive 149 mph,” the customer tells us. And, common sense says they’re right. If you drive that fast, your clothes will go out of style before you get out of jail.

About 30 years ago, speed-rated tyres seemed like a darned good idea. They arrived via Europe, where sporty performance cars and speed-rated tyres were all the rage. The tyres were so good that U.S. tyremakers, who were literally not yet up to speed, were embarrassed.

24th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Shares Plans to ‘Get There’ at Dealer Meeting

(Akron/Tire Review) Last year was “turbulent, dramatic,” said Robert Keegan, Goodyear chairman and CEO, in front of more than 2,000 attendees at the tyremaker’s annual dealer meeting, held Feb. 3-5 in Orlando, Fla. “About the only thing that didn’t hit you and I in 2006 was plague and pestilence.” Reflecting on one of the longest work stoppages in Goodyear history, Keegan said the company’s relationship with dealers was put to the test late last year.

“We needed your support more than at any time in many decades,” Keegan told dealers. He thanked dealers and even credited them with the strike’s successful resolution. “You supported us in a way that, frankly, drove for us a better agreement with the union that we could not have had without that support,” he said.

19th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

NZ Government to Test Safety of Winter Tyres

Winter tyres are to be subjected to official testing in New Zealand following numerous allegations that they have contributed to fatal accidents. The tyres will be jointly tested by the New Zealand Police serious crash unit and Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ), the government body responsible for vehicle and driver standards.

Coroners’ reports into several fatal accidents have called into question the suitability of winter tyres, known as snow tyres in New Zealand, for highway driving conditions. Various reports have referred to the tyres as a “matter which required urgent consideration” and products that “did not appear to be suitable for routine highway driving.”

19th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA Debuts First General Winter Tyre

(Akron/Tire Review) A good powerline covers as many applications as possible with quality, solid tyres and profit-delivering pricing. Continental Tire North America (CTNA) put a new twist on its new General Altimax powerline – a winter tyre.

CTNA unveiled the Altimax powerline at last year’s SEMA Show, touting the H- and V-rated Altimax HP and the Altimax RT touring lines – a total of 80 sizes covering 13- through 18-inch diameters – that will hit the market shortly. In January, meanwhile, CTNA took the wraps off the Altimax Arctic, part of the new powerline and the very first General branded winter tyre, according to CTNA.

The tyre was introduced as part of a frosty, two-day program at Big Sky ski resort in Montana attended by tyre and enthusiast media as well as key CTNA dealers.

17th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cold Weather Handling

Yokohama is already looking ahead to the next cold season – March, a month in which people began to pack away their winter coats and winter tyres, saw the launch of their new W.drive, a high performance tyre designed to provide confident roadholding in all winter conditions. With speed ratings up to V, the new Yokohama tyre is clearly not intended only for jaunts to the supermarket on a frosty morning – indeed its target market is very broad, encompassing everything from compact cars right through to performance vehicles.

11th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Iran’s Yazd to Benefit from IDB Loan

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is preparing to grant a 10 million euro loan to Yazd Rubber Industries in central Iran. The company will use the loan to acquire raw materials.

Yazd Rubber Industries specialises in the manufacture of tyres and inner tubes for bicycles, motorcycles, passenger cars and light trucks, and – according to the company – produce ranges of both summer and winter tyres.

10th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Matador’s New Generation Winter Tyres – A Stronger Focus on Safety

When the decision was made to produce a third generation of passenger car winter tyre, Matador gave its design team the brief of coming up with a tyre specifically suited to the challenging driving conditions encountered during the European winter. The team set out to create a product possessing what they considered the optimal shape – and the end result was the MP59 Nordicca.

Compared with its predecessors, the MP59 Nordicca has been developed with a stronger emphasis on driving safety, particularly in the most demanding conditions. Matador believes the enhanced traction and braking properties on snow and ice surfaces afforded by the new tyre are strong factors that contribute to a more rewarding and comfortable driving experience. In addition to increased grip on snow and ice, the 3-D lamellas on the MP59 Nordicca’s tread pattern blocks allow for greater stability and rigidity in the blocks during dry surface transfers of load.

5th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Private Brands and More

Five short years after its inception, Shanghai Durotyre International, whose main business is the contract manufacture of private brands, has offices in China, the UK, South Africa, Lebanon and the USA. At this year’s Brityrex the company will be promoting its private brands Pace, Duration and Agrostar.

Pace, manufactured by Cooper Chengshan, is available in over 100 passenger car and truck sizes. Further UHP and SUV additions to the range will be introduced later in the year, with a winter range also planned for 2008. Duration is an extensive bias OTR range, and in the near future production of radials will commence, with 2700R49, 3300R51, 3600R51, 3700R57 and 4000R57 sizes available. Agrostar is a comprehensive range of mainly agricultural tyres.

2nd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Ultra High Performance

Attending the Geneva Motor Show is a great opportunity to see the newest vehicles around close-up, not to mention a good chance to check-out which tyres car manufacturers are brandishing on the latest concepts and releases. So when, after visiting the motor show, Tyres & Accessories was given the opportunity to drive a beautiful Ferrari F430 from Geneva back to London on Pirelli Sotto Zero cold weather tyres, we jumped at the chance.

Put the car through its paces, they said. Drive it on snow and take the tyres to the limit, they said. And we would have done, had there have been any. But in March even the Alps are short on snow and ice. There were, however, plenty of mountain roads; more than a sprinkle of rain; and cold temperatures consistently below seven degrees. So while the sight of the F430 sports coupe sticking to sheet ice was out of the question, driving on wet “snow-chain only” Alpine roads in March was definitely on the menu. And the truth is these conditions are probably more akin to what the drivers experience during the majority of the cold weather season.

30th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear launches DuraGrip City Tyre

City driving, with its constant starting and stopping, places its own unique pressures upon a vehicle’s mechanicals, and also its tyres. With so many drivers undertaking most or all or their motoring in these conditions, it stands to reason that a demand exists for tyres specifically designed for city traffic. One such product is Goodyear’s DuraGrip, released in March 2007, a tyre its maker promotes as designed especially to cope with constant stopping and starting in heavy traffic conditions.

This city car tyre features a new silica compound that Goodyear claims improves mileage, strengthens the tyre’s wet performance and provides shorter braking distances. The tread pattern is asymmetrical with a closed outside design and two continuous outside ribs to maximise traction on dry surfaces. Wet weather handling is enhanced through the spaces created by the tread’s open design and circumferential grooves, both of which maximise contact area in situations when aquaplaning is a risk factor. To address the issue of lateral stability Goodyear have built stiff blocks into the DuraGrip’s outside shoulder.

23rd March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Releases 2006 Results

On the evening of March 12 Pirelli & C. Spa disclosed their 2006 full year results, and while the figures reflected well on Pirelli Tyre, the parent company’s stake in Telecom Italia made a sizeable loss for the group as a whole inevitable.

13th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors