Michelin Latitude Tour Accentuates Crossover Benefits
Despite rising fuel costs and a trend towards smaller cars, crossover SUV vehicles remain particularly popular in North America. Aware of this, Michelin has produced a tyre specifically for this unique class of vehicle. The Michelin Latitude Tour tyre is specifically designed for crossover vehicles, and the tyre major states the tyre is intended to accentuate the features that make these vehicles so popular, providing the strength of a truck tyre with the ride and comfort of a passenger car tyre.
Continue ReadingBoughey Distribution Chooses Michelin
Michelin’s X One MaxiTrailer tyre has been chosen by Wardle-based Boughey Distribution to be fitted exclusively across 100 Montracon and 30 Schmitz Cargobull tri-axle trailers. The trailers are currently being delivered to the company, becoming a significant proportion of Boughey’s fleet. Designed to deliver up to 50 per cent more mileage than standard 385/65 R 22.5 XTE2, each new 455/45 R 22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyre benefits from Infinicoil architecture, one of the key innovations of Michelin Durable Technologies. The Infinicoil consists of a single, 400 m-long steel cord wrapped around the crown, delivering unrivalled robustness, greater longevity and very even wear. Compared to a 385/65 R 22.5, the tread band is also 120 millimetres wider and has 35 per cent more rubber in the compound, the feature which allows the tyre to claim such an advantage over the XTE2.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Trial Single Wet F1 Tyre
Bridgestone have revealed that they are in the process of developing a single wet tyre for Formula One cars, to replace the current choice of standard and extreme wets. The tyre is to be based on the single wet rubber used in the GP2 Series, also supplied by the Japanese giant. It possesses a sloping block tread profile, which is designed to wear down when the track begins to dry, allowing an in-use transformation from an extreme-wet tyre to showing the characteristics of a standard wet.
Continue ReadingConti Secures Sponsorship Deal for World Cup Qualifiers
As an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Continental AG has secured significant television coverage for itself during the 260 qualification group matches to be played in Europe. Continental will appear on four of the advertising hoardings in the stadiums used for more than 170 matches, and the television images broadcasted around the world will extend Conti’s presence to millions of TV screens.
Continue ReadingPirelli Develops New Premium “Gommoncino”
Pirelli continues to aspire to innovation in the area of truck tyres, while also acknowledging its desire to tap into new and emerging markets. Now it has developed the Gommoncino, a new 385/55R22.5 size, premium-tread FH85 Amaranto, which the manufacturer claims is able to sustain superior loads and return greater mileage. Simultaneously, the company announces that it continues to strengthen its position in emerging markets, especially in China and South America, through OE alliances with some of the world’s largest industrial vehicle manufacturers.
Continue ReadingHunters Win Barum Take a Break Promotion
Viking International has announced that Hunters of Linlithgow are the winners of the company’s recent mini-break promotion for Barum Tyres. All Barum dealers took part in the promotion which ran from 2 June and 25 July. John and Mari Hunter, owners of Hunters of Linlithgow, were the proud winners and received £500 of holiday vouchers towards a short break of their choice. With a great deal of experience in the motor trade, John and Mari established Hunters of Linlithgow six years ago. They now have twenty-two employees and are the largest Viking International Barum dealer in the UK. John Hunter commented: “Barum is a quality brand and we get a lot of repeat business from it. We plan to use the vouchers to get away to the sun during the winter, thanks to Viking International.”
Continue ReadingTyre Safety Month is on its Way
This year’s Tyre Safety Month (October 2008) will focus on the importance of tyre pressure in vehicle safety, with the campaign being designed to help motorists understand the dangers of under and over-inflated tyres, as well as raising awareness of how, where and when to check tyre pressure. And according to the organisers, there are plenty of opportunities for the trade to get involved: Promotional materials TyreSafe has developed a number of promotional support materials, available for free from its website. Posters advertising free tyre checks can be downloaded, along with leaflets for consumers explaining the importance of tyre pressure and tread in vehicle safety, and press release templates that you can use to send your local press. All you have to do is fill in your company’s details and send the article to your paper. A limited amount of printed material is also available by calling 020 7457 5040.
Continue ReadingRough [Shred] Diamond?
When Sapphire Energy Recovery announced it was redeveloping a brownfield site in Trafford into a bespoke end-of-life tyre (ELT) reprocessing centre back in 2006, the company’s 100,000 tonnes a year target may have sounded ambitious. Two years later the Manchester site is looking better than ever and is now equipped to de-rim tyre/wheel fitments and accept rough shred. And what’s more, thanks to the development of similar sites near arterial routes all over the UK, last year Sapphire broke the 50 million tyre barrier - something that is particularly impressive when you consider that the company was only founded in 2000. When Tyres & Accessories first visited Sapphire’s Manchester site (located in Greater Manchester’s Partington, Trafford area) two years ago, the facility had only just received the might Colombus McKinnon shredder that forms the centre of the site’s works. Now that this is fully up to speed, the company aims to raise the bar 20 per cent from its 2006 target and process 120,000 tonnes of ELTs this year. Any further expansion is expected to depend on further cement industry growth.
Continue ReadingPneu-Logic and EDP Plan Major Growth For End of 2008
Pneu-Logic, the UK-based subsidiary of leading RFID developer Advanced ID Corporation has completed a “major growth plan” in cooperation with the company’s French strategic marketing partner EDP. This agreement, based on EDP’s rapidly growing customer base, more than doubles the company’s original 2008 forecast and is expected to exceed US$500,000 in product sales for Advanced ID. With expanding sales in France, Spain, Turkey and Israel, and a large order from China, EDP is set for massive expansion with its Tyre Parc Fleet Management software. With EDP selling Advanced ID probes, RFID tags and patches and the new OTR probe in 2009, the company expects sales to reach US$750,000 next year. “We are very pleased with our sales performance, particularly in new markets such as China, Israel and Turkey,” said EDP Managing Director Jean Luc Guisti. Mr. Guisti continued: “Our Tyre Parc software with the Pneu-Logic system has been widely accepted as the industry leading solution for companies who understand the importance of good tyre management to reduce fleet operating costs.”
Continue ReadingMichelin to Raise Prices in Europe
Continuing cost increases in the raw material, energy and transportation sectors mean manufacturers’ price rises are also inevitable, and following the increases on July 1 for earthmover tyres and from August 1 for agricultural tyres, Michelin will raise its passenger car, light truck and truck and bus tyre prices as of October 1, 2008. These new prices will be implemented in most European countries, says Michelin, with increases on average ranging from three to five per cent.
Continue ReadingMichelin’s MaxiTrailer Ideal for Low Trailers
Back in April this year, Michelin utilised the occasion of the Commercial Vehicle Show 2008 to launch its new 255/60 R 19.5 X MaxiTrailer. Michelin are confident that the tyre will win over the marketplace by providing innovative features in terms of both the tyre’s applications – mainly as a result of its relatively compact dimensions – and its safety features. It is specifically designed for low-height trailers as it takes up no more space than a 17.5-inch tyre, following requests from the market to increase the load carrying capacity of the traditional 205/65 R17.5 tyre. The French manufacturer claims that the tyre is ideal for fitment to low loaders being used to transport extra-heavy loads, as well as low-height mega trailers, car transporters and livestock trailers. The new tyre offers a 10 centimetre increase in available space for goods being carried in comparison with regular 19.5-inch tyres.
Continue ReadingRetail Director Leaves Goodyear Dunlop
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced that retail director Neil Burrows has left the company. The departure comes following the company’s decision to pursue a franchise-based strategy for the expansion of its HiQ retail business. In March this year Goodyear Dunlop announced growth plans for HiQ via an “area zone” Accelerated Franchise Programme, adding that Burrows was to lead a management buyout bid covering all of the company’s owned stores. The bid process was significantly over-subscribed and, after careful consideration of all offers, the company announced that they had chosen to accelerate the growth of the nationwide vehicle servicing network through franchising rather than via management buyout.
Continue ReadingBridgestone to Better Service Peru OTR Market with New Company
Peru has become a key location for the sale of OTR tyres in recent times, and to better serve this market Bridgestone Corporation opened a newly established sales company there on September 1. Called “Bridgestone Off-The-Road Tire Peru S.A.C.”, the company is to specialise in tyres for mining and construction equipment.
Continue ReadingUK Launch for Latest Eibach Multipro Kits Imminent
After months and miles of exhaustive testing, Eibach report it is about to launch its two latest ‘Multipro’ Coilover kits onto the European market. The first two UK specific fitments from the firm’s US R&D facility are the Volkswagen Golf 5 and BMW’s E92 3 series. Many others vehicles are in the pipeline, Eibach promises. Whilst coilovers have formed part of Eibach’s product line up for many years now, the new range raises the bar for the industry in terms of price, performance and componentry. Multipro uses state-of-the-art remote reservoir damping and adjustable height platforms to endow the recipient vehicle with what Eibach describes as “phenomenal levels of handling”, whilst still maintaining a compliant and comfortable ride quality.
Continue ReadingApollo Factory Lockout Over
The lockout at the Apollo Tyres facility in the Indian state of Kerala is reportedly over, with employees resuming work as of September 3. Troubles at the company’s Perambra cross-ply truck and bus tyre factory began on August 16 following a strike staged by workers two days earlier. Apollo, who experienced a daily production loss of Rs 50 million (£618,000) as a result of the lockout, had earlier requested local government intervention to resolve the standoff.
Continue Reading
