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For its 2018 winter tyre test, German vehicle inspection organisation GTÜ evaluated nine winter tyres together with German motoring organisation ACE and Austrian counterpart ARBÖ. For good measure, it also tested three all-season tyres alongside the winter rubber. The result? An all-season tyre took second place in the winter test.
Pinpointing precisely where a winter tyre comes into contact with an icy road surface is surprisingly difficult. Yokohama Rubber partnered with Kanazawa University in Japan to identify this oft-allusive point of contact, and in a statement reports the development of an “evaluation technology that visualises rubber’s frictional state of contact on an icy surface.” Yokohama Rubber expects this evaluation technology to ultimately result in cold weather tyres with dramatically improved ice performance.
Shandong Linglong Tire’s plans to set up a tyre factory in Serbia gained a further boost on 17 September with the finalisation of an investment framework agreement with the country’s Ministry of Finance. The document was signed by Linglong chairman Wang Feng and Siniša Mali, Serbia’s Minister of Finance, at a ceremony in Beijing also attended by Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia.
Marangoni Tread Latino America has been accredited with INMETRO certification for its RingTread and Unitread pre-cure retreading materials production. Certification came after an independent assessment of Marangoni’s production plant in Brazil by Instituto Falcão Bauer, an accredited certification body in Brazil.
An additional investment is being made in the Sumitomo Rubber do Brasil factory in Fazenda Rio Grande, Brazil, which is scheduled to begin producing truck and bus tyres next March. This investment of BRL 153 million (£28.7 million, US$37.6 million) builds upon the BRL 312 million investment Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) announced in July 2016 for setting up bus and truck tyre production equipment in Fazenda Rio Grande. The extra investment will double the original starting capacity of 500 truck and bus tyres a day – SRI now plans for a daily capacity of 1,000 truck and bus tyres by October 2019.
Engagements in MotoGP, WRC and Formula E are just fine, but let’s face it, many tyre makers participate in motorsport. Yet Michelin need not be downhearted, because as far as Tyrepress.com is aware it is the only tyre firm involved in the art of rock painting.
A new P Zero World – the second Pirelli has set up in Europe and just the third worldwide – has opened a few metres away from Portier corner on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. The outlet’s opening was celebrated by a parade of more than 40 supercars taking part in the first-ever P Zero Road Experience held on public roads, and the inauguration of P Zero World in Monte Carlo also hosted the world debut of the latest creation from MV Agusta and Pirelli Design.
A good concept vehicle shouldn’t just be stuffed full of forward-thinking technologies and ideas, it should also look as if it’s absconded from the future. The CitE – MAN’s vision of the “future of city delivery transport” – ticks both boxes. Currently on display at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the all-electric CitE displays the truck manufacturer’s latest ergonomic and safety concepts. The tyres are also a one-off, made especially for the CitE by Continental. The tyre maker views the concept project as an opportunity to gain experience in electric vehicle tyre development, referring to the Conti e.MotionPro study, as a “starting point for the development of tyres for electric commercial vehicles.”
BMW Motorsport and Dunlop have extended their long-established partnership in the VLN Endurance Championship for at least another two years. The tyre maker will continue to equip all BMW Cup-class cars in the VLN races. These races are run at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and Dunlop will also supply its 265/660 R18 racing tyres for the circuit’s 24-hour race.
This year, Alliance Automotive UK (AAUK) will return as sponsor of the IAAF Annual Awards and Dinner. The event takes place on 6 December, at The DoubleTree by Hilton, Milton Keynes, and is expected to attract around 600 attendees.
Goodyear has introduced what it calls its “most fuel-efficient” truck tyre range to date. Presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 show in Germany, the new Goodyear Fuelmax Performance products are the first Goodyear truck tyres to feature full silica tread compound technology, achieve an EU tyre label grade ‘A’ for fuel efficiency and meet full 3PMSF ‘snowflake’ winter tyre requirements. The tyres anticipate proposed EU legislation to reduce heavy duty vehicle CO2 emissions by 15 per cent in 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.
Trico heads to Dublin for this year’s Auto Trade Expo with plenty to share with visitors, everything from a new slogan and packaging, to a liveried transporter, Ginetta race car and a competition that could see visitors walk away with prizes from a €10,000 bundle.
The range of Hankook tyres for construction site applications has been expanded through the addition of new mixed on/off-road patterns to the SmartWork line. These are the SmartWork AM11 steer axle tyre, DM11 drive axle fitment and TM11 trailer tyre.
After narrowing the starting grid of 51 protagonists down to 20 in a preliminary knockout round, the team at Auto Bild got busy subjecting the survivors to a battery of tests in various conditions. The results of this second, decisive round of winter tyre tests have been announced, and it is a win for Dunlop. Sharing the podium were joint runners-up from Continental and – having delivered a more convincing result than its flagship-brand sibling – Kleber.
Production of truck tyres for the European market has commenced at the Apollo Tyres plant in Gyöngyöshalász, Hungary. The tyre maker shares that the first examples of these tyres, Apollo EnduRace RT HD trailer tyres in size 385/65 R22.5, have been shipped to a transport company in Belgium. British customers will receive their Apollo tyres through Treadsetters, who earlier this year was chosen to sell and distribute the Apollo truck and bus tyre range across England, Scotland and Wales.
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