Reifen 06 – First Choice for Tyre Professionals
With 440 exhibitors from 42 nations, Reifen 2006 – the 24th International tyre exhibition - will register a new record number of participants and will thus confirm its position as the leading global fair in the sector. Being held at Essen from May 23 to 26, the range of products and services on offer will be wider than ever before: an exhibition area of around 43,000 m² in seven halls will act as a showcase for the world premiere of the latest innovations in the sector.
Continue ReadingToyo Sponsors Drag and Rock Crawling Series
(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tire USA Corp. will sponsor both the NOPI Drag Racing Association (NDRA) and the Xtreme Rock race Association (XRRA) in 2006. NDRA includes an array of competitions, including burnout contests, car shows, dyno contests, db drags and bikini contests. NDRA will hold 12 events this year. The XRRA title sponsorship includes the series being featured on Speed Channel’s “Lucas Oil Presents” programme. XRRA events, unlike conventional rock crawling, are timed races.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Summer Tyres Top German Tyre Tests
Bridgestone tyres have topped a number of comparative tests in some of Germany’s leading automotive publications. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A was one of just two models to receive the top ‘highly recommendable’ rating in its category from ‘ADAC Motorwelt’. The respected journal of Germany’s automobile association compared a line-up of 17 225/45 R17 Y/W tyres running on a Mercedes C-Class 230 – with dry handling evaluated at the Nürburgring; and wet performance, comfort, noise and rolling resistance measured at the Contidrom complex near Hamburg.
Continue ReadingMannino and Turner on Discussion Panel
Gaetano Mannino, president of Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA), was one of the participants in a panel discussion on “Views from Italian and US Business Leaders” at Emory University earlier this week. Also on the panel was Ted Turner, CNN Founder and philanthropist, David Abney, president of UPS International, and Giancarlo Fantappie, president and CEO of Ansaldobreda, Inc.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Fleet Survey Shows Neglect
A survey of fleet decision makers and company car drivers, carried out by Kwik-Fit Fleet, has revealed a lack of basic maintenance among car drivers. The survey questioned 183 company car drivers nationwide and found that one third checked their tyre pressures and tread depths only quarterly, while 21 per cent never undertook checks. 45 per cent checked tread and pressures monthly.
Continue ReadingFord Fiesta Turns 30
The Ford Focus might be Britain’s most popular vehicle, but the smaller Fiesta is still one of Britain’s best-loved drives. And today is the small car’s not so small 30th birthday. More than 3.2 million Fiestas – enough to stretch bumper to bumper from London to New York and back – have been sold in the UK since the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1976. The £1,856 entry-level model featured then state-of-the-art extras such as a folding rear seat, rubber floor mats and two-speed windscreen wipers. It was all a world away from the 2006 model, which offers motorists high-tech technology like voice recognition, satellite navigation, MP3 capability and Bluetooth capability.
Continue ReadingSuccessful Debut For IQPC “Intelligent Tire Technology“Conference
At the end of last year the International Quality & Productivity Center (IQPC) organised its first conference dedicated to tyre related topics. As the name of the event suggests, it mainly dealt with intelligent tyre technologies - meaning run-flat tyres and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Participants were invited to take part in a day-long workshop immediately before the two-day conference with the first day completely focusing on new developments. The second conference day featured information about a wide range of different topics like for example tyre/road noise, chassis control and the design of alloy wheels.
Continue ReadingDinan Tuner Cars to Ride on Advan Neova Tyres
(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corp.’s Advan Neova tyre brand has been named the exclusive tyre for Dinan’s modified BMWs and Minis. Dinan, which featured Advan Neova tyres on its cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January, will offer Advan tyres exclusively, according to Yokohama. More than 130 Dinan-authorised BMW/MINI Performance Centres will offer the tyres.
Continue ReadingMatador Supports British Off-Road Championship
Matador (UK) Ltd has become the headline sponsor of the 2006 MSA British Off Road Championship. Company representatives are obviously pleased to have taken on the position, and commented: “2006 looks like it may be a defining year for off-road motorsport in the UK.” “Ultimately we want people to enjoy themselves watching and participating in 4x4 competition,” explained Matador Tyre Sport UK MD, Graham Middleton, adding: “At the same time it brings a different angle to Matador’s sporting portfolio. We competed in the ‘clubman’ section of the championship last year, and were impressed with the way that the organisers listened to the competitors.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone Concept Tyres Exhibited in Detroit
Bridgestone Corporation has equipped two concept vehicles with custom-made Bridgestone Potenza tyres for an exhibition stand at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The one-off Bridgestone brand tyres were built in cooperation with Mazda and Infiniti, the original equipment automotive manufacturers’ vehicles on which they will be featured.
Continue ReadingAlcoa Provides Wheels for Honda Ridgeline
Alcoa Wheel Products announced today that its 17-inch Alcoa cast aluminium wheels are used on the new 2006 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, recently selected by Motor Trend magazine as the 2006 truck of the year. The Alcoa wheels are featured on Ridgelines upgraded EX-L and EX-L Navi trim packages.
Continue ReadingGoodway’s Simplex Programme Makes Waves
(India/Rubber Asia) Simplex is a new and exciting franchise programme for overseas investors to get a head start in the profitable and challenging tyre retreading business. It comes from the stable of Goodway Rubber Industries Sdn Bhd (“Goodway”) which claims to be a market leader and one of the fastest growing rubber technology and rubber compound providers in the world.
Continue ReadingTweel Takes Wins Popular Science Award
(Akron/Tire Review) Groupe Michelin’s Tweel, the non-pneumatic tyre and wheel assembly that debuted at the North American International Auto Show earlier this year, has been named one of the “100 Most Innovative Products of the Year” by Popular Science magazine.
Continue ReadingAmtel-Vredestein Launches “Premium” Vredestein Brand in Russia
(Akron/Tire Review) Since its formation in the aftermath of communism in Russia, Amtel has had its eye on greater things. Once a collection of low-tech, Soviet-era tyre factories, bought up by founder and India native Sudhir Gupta, Amtel has invested heavily in modernising its plants and improving its tyre technology. Steady growth gave the company the capital to make a bold move, which it completed in April with the acquisition of Dutch tyremaker Vredestein Banden. Now, it has unleased that top-shelf tyre brand on the Russian market.
Continue ReadingAftermarket Visitor Attractions
The Aftermarket Show is putting the finishing touches to its visitor attractions. The Live Action Arena, will be presented by Fulda Tyres, and will offer a 5,500 seater indoor arena for the duration of the event. An interactive driving experience will also be featured to the exhibition.
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