New Pirelli Winter Tyres Ready for the Swedish Rally
The only snow event in this years FIA World Rally Championship commences in Karlstad, Sweden on February 7. When the teams get underway they will receive their first competitive taste of Pirelli’s new Sottozero studded tyres. The 145/85 R16 size tyres feature 2cm long studs that protrude 7mm out of the tyre’s tread, inserted during the vulcanisation process – these are tyres obviously not designed for racing on gravel, but the local weather forecasts for Thursday predict sufficient snow and ice to make this years Swedish Rally another thrilling event.
Continue ReadingOTR Company Declines Acquisition Offer
American Tire Corporation (ATC), the company that recently appeared on the tyre industry’s radar screens after disclosing its astonishing intention to build a half billion dollar OTR tyre factory in the US, reported on February 6 that it has declined an acquisition offer made by a “multi-billion US company.” According to an ATC press statement, the company received a letter of intent that ATC says “clearly expresses, the investors strong interest in ATC and its OTR tyre business, in addition to its new project in Washington.” Furthermore, reports ATC, the un-named company included a “big” offer for the 100 per cent acquisition of ATC.
Continue ReadingLeader Tread – More than Just Retreads
The success of South Africa’s Leader Tread is a testament to the determination of its joint-managing directors, Mark and Brett Sproson. Despite an uncertain political climate in Africa and changing market demands in the UK seriously threatening the business’s wellbeing on at least two occasions, the pair persisted developing Leader Tread, and today the company has grown from being simply a regional supplier to one with footholds in retreading facilities around the major South African cities of Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.
Continue ReadingAll This And Good Looks Too…
Pirellis Diablo Rosso is aimed at bikers who not only want their machines to perform flawlessly at all speeds, but to look good as well. Todays bikes are more powerful than ever and all this power passes through the tyres contact patch – improve the contact patchs behaviour, says Pirelli, and the benefits to the rider are enormous. Hence Pirellis EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology), which affects every aspect of the tyres design – tread pattern, structure, compound etc. – to ensure maximum performance in all conditions.
Continue ReadingCzech Republic Proposes Winter Tyre Sign
Czech transport Minister Aleš Řebíček has proposed a white-on-blue winter tyre sign. The idea is to warn drivers that they can only proceed on a particular if they have winter-tyres fitted to their cars. Drivers with summer-tyres will apparently be “obliged” to find an alternative route. At present, the proposed law only requires the signature of the Transport Minister to come into effect, and is set to appear on roads from March onwards. This means it is likely to be on display from the 1 November 2008 until 30 April 2009. According to local media reports, the proposal underscores recent government initiatives to increase road-safety in the face of Czech Republic’s traffic accident and fatalities rate. Official preliminary figures show the Czech Republic had around 1111 road fatalities in 2007, despite the recent introduction of a penalty points system for Czech drivers.
Continue ReadingTyreSafe Welcomes Toyo to its Ranks
Toyo Tyres (UK) has become the latest tyre company in the UK to pledge support to TyreSafe. The company adds its name to a growing list of organisations from both within and outside the tyre industry to sign up to support the organisation’s tyre safety activities. “We have been impressed with the impact that TyreSafe has had in the area of tyre safety – an area important to the Toyo sales & marketing programme. And so we felt that we should offer our own help and support to raising the awareness of this vital road safety subject”, said Martin Sutherland, Toyo Tyre’s general manager - Sales.
Continue ReadingStudents Invited to Become Bridgestone E-Reporters
Once again Bridgestone is offering students throughout Europe the opportunity to have their budding journalistic talents noticed. The 2008 Bridgestone e-reporter competition is open to all full-time students in Europe who are aged between 18 and 30, and submissions are being sought by those who wish to, in the tyre major’s own words, “help launch their reporting career.” Entry into the competition is as simple as penning a 300 word article (and interview questions) on a newsworthy story, and completed pieces can be submitted online at www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter. A panel of highly respected media personalities and international journalists will critique the respective merits of each received entry, and eight finalists will be selected. Each will attend a European Formula One Grand Prix weekend, where their skills will be honed as they report upon the Bridgestone backed GP2 Series. All eight finalists will also be invited to the first European Grand Prix of the 2008 season, in Barcelona (25 – 27 April), to launch and celebrate the Bridgestone e-reporter competition’s fifth year.
Continue ReadingCTNA Sells, Leases Back Headquarters Site
The sprawling Continental Tire North America headquarters site in Charlotte, North Carolina will soon be re-born as a business complex following its sale to a developer. Philadelphia based Patriot Equities, a company specialising in the purchasing and leasing back of corporate buildings, has agreed to acquire the tyre manufacturer’s offices and former factory for US$29.4 million. CTNA has taken out a ten-year lease on a portion of the site, and will continue its tenancy there in a reduced capacity. Of the 1.7 million square feet of commercial space contained in the site, the company will now lease and occupy 600,000 square feet. During the month of January 2008 CTNA made the significant disclosure that its North American operations, in the red for several years, seem likely to have broken even in 2007. It is not clear if, or to what extent, the proceeds from the headquarters sale have contributed towards this return to the black.
Continue ReadingConsumer Info Kiosks at Goodyear Gemini Stores
After a successful test marketing trial last year, Goodyear has decided to place interactive consumer information kiosks in some 2,000 Gemini Automotive Center locations across the US, Goodyear made the announcement last week at its North American dealer meeting in Dallas. The freestanding kiosks feature a touch screen and were developed to simplify sometimes-complicated automotive systems for a consumer to understand.
Continue ReadingTyreSafe to Run Bike Tyre Safety Month
For the first time, TyreSafe is mounting a tyre safety campaign throughout the month of March to highlight the dangers of defective or badly worn tyres on motorcycles and scooters. TyreSafe has already received support for its initiative from BikeSafe, the UK police force road safety campaign, which will culminate in a major bike safety show to be held at the police training centre in Hendon, North London, during the last week of March. TyreSafe is also hoping to gain support for the campaign from trade associations within the motorcycle industry.
Continue ReadingNero Adds Style
New to its tuning range, Italian auto accessory company MOMO has introduced the Nero collection; a brooding new line-up of steering wheel, gearshift knob, pedal set and harness pad set, inspired by the Italian definition of the collections name…black. Already well renowned for its range of steering wheels, MOMOs 350mm Nero model is finished in leather and features black suede grip inserts, satin silver detail rings, a moulded black satin centre pad and a sculpted base section.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Launches Battlax BT-016
Bridgestone recently launched its Battlax BT-016 on Cambrian Tyres’ Motorcyle Trade Expo stand. An advanced hypersport tyre seen for the first time at the EICMA 2007 in Milan, it is designed to give “maximum performance to riders who are passionate about sport bikes” and features Bridgestone’s MotoGP multi-layer compound technology. Compared to the BT-014 it will progressively replace, the new BT-016 is said to provide total handling improvement in all riding modes – with noticeably better contact feel, feedback, stability and grip – as well as longer wear life and lower noise levels. One of the focuses of development in the new tyre has been in its compound. Bridgestone has combined its top MotoGP construction technology with its latest multi-compound technology from SACT (Straight And Cornering Technology) and says this produce a sport tyre that gives high-level grip performance in braking, cornering and acceleration.
Continue ReadingConti to Supply General Lines to Canadian Tire
Continental Tire North America announced a business relationship with mega-retailer Canadian Tire, which will take on two new General tyre lines later this year. The products will be unique to Canadian Tire, CTNA officials said, and will provide coverage for some 70 per cent of the prevailing passenger tyre market in Canada. CTNA said the deal is “one of the largest agreements in the history of both corporations.” The deal covers some 464 Canadian Tire locations from coast to coast. “As the countrys leading automotive retailer, and given our status as Canada’s tyre experts, we are excited to add these innovative tyres from CTNA to our broad assortment of national brand tyres,” said Tony Kuczynski, vice president of Canadian Tire. “Continental has shown a true commitment to the General brand with the introduction of several new and exciting product lines, and we’re happy to bring two of these lines into our stores.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Investing $6.8 Million to Lower Rolling Resistance
Legislation, environmental concerns and the spiralling cost of fuel is placing an ever-increasing pressure on vehicle and components manufacturers to make their products less polluting and more fuel efficient. Tyre manufacturers are not exempt from this broad-based demand, and to keep ahead of the game Michelin is investing US$6.8 million into a research and development project focusing on further improving vehicle fuel economy by reducing tyre rolling resistance. The funds will support the companys US based research efforts in South Carolina and include a $1.9 million research contract with Clemson University and its International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The work, says Michelin, will begin immediately and have a three-year duration.
Continue ReadingPro-Align Launches HawkEye Digital Imaging Wheel Aligner
Pro-Align has launched Hunter’s new third generation digital imaging alignment system - HawkEye. The new technology combines the features of the popular DSP600 imaging system with the new High-Definition (HD) digital imaging sensors. According to Pro-Align, Hawkeye will provide precise, high-speed alignment service and greater productivity, while taking up a minimum amount of shop space. The HawkEye system comes in two versions – the Hunter 100 aligner with Hawkeye digital imaging sensors; and the Hunter WA aligner with Hawkeye HD digital imaging Sensors. The Hunter 100 aligner is a kind of ‘mini’ version that operates on the new low cost Hunter100 console, with standard hexagonal targets, to provide the benefits of rapid imaging alignment at a price that, in the past, has been associated with aligners with conventional sensors. This news is said to close the ‘affordability’ gap, offering more tyre shops the opportunity to make that move away from hang-on tracking gauges.
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