Continental’s latest generation of winter tyres, the WinterContact TS 870 and 870 P have received approval from Ford for original fitment on the current Explorer, Fiesta, Focus, Mustang and Puma models. Both tyres are now available from Ford dealers. The current tyres, which were launched onto the aftermarket in 2021 offer precise steering and excellent safety characteristics, backed by a success independent magazine testing season in 2022.
Ford revealed its seventh-generation Mustang today, the first entirely new model since 2014. Sitting at the top of the range is the Mustang Dark Horse, a car Ford calls the “ultimate expression of track capability.” The 5.0-litre V8 wears Pirelli P Zero PZ4 in size 255/40 R19 at the front and 275/40 R19 at the rear.
On Sunday 21 August 2022, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution thanked its partners at Ford UK for the continuation of its “tide tracks” campaign raising awareness of key beach safety advice. For its part, Ford fitted custom tyres onto some lifeguard vehicles in order to leave key water safety messages pressed into the sand via bespoke tyre treads.
Following the return of the in-person day conference on 7 July, TyreSafe announced the winners of the 2022 TyreSafe Awards during the evening’s awards dinner. The awards are TyreSafe’s leading event of the year and highlight “the outstanding work that goes on across the UK to educate the driving public about tyre safety”. After a two-year hiatus, TyreSafe representatives say they were “delighted to once again be able to unite leading names in road safety and tyre safety champions, to celebrate the achievements of our award nominees”.
China’s ZC Rubber, manufacturer of the Westlake, Goodride, Chaoyang, Arisun and Trazano tyre brands, has shared news of its recent activities in the original equipment tyre supply business, a sector where it has been present for more than a decade. In recent months the company added Volkswagen and Ford/Lincoln to its OEM portfolio, joining firms such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Changan Auto, Great Wall Motor and Geely.
Pirelli is supplying original equipment tyres for the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition, the fastest and most powerful version of the first all-electric SUV produced by the Blue Oval. A new technical collaboration between Pirelli and Ford has resulted in a tailored version of the P Zero, which the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition will wear in size 245/45R20 103Y XL. The tyre features the ‘Elect’ marking on the sidewall, which denotes Pirelli tyres dedicated to electric and hybrid vehicles.
Continental shares that it has further improved the rolling resistance properties of a specific OEM EcoContact 6 tyre, and by doing so has set a “new rolling-resistance benchmark for the entire industry.” This rolling resistance properties of this tyre, which Continental supplies to Ford as original equipment, now surpass the EU tyre label’s ‘A’ category by more than 15 per cent.
Continental is supplying tyres to Ford for fitment on the electric version of the latest Mustang. Ford has approved the PremiumContact 6 as an original equipment tyre for the Ford Mustang Mach-E, giving customers in Europe the option of receiving their car with the Continental tyres in sizes 225/60/R18 104V XL or 225/55/R19 103V XL.
The Ford Ranger Raptor is now exclusively fitted with General Grabber AT3 tyres as standard. The high-performance off-road pickup from Ford features a specially developed motorsport-friendly chassis. And its particular performance qualities come to the fore at high speeds away from paved roads.
Like all vehicle manufacturers, Ford defines a wide range of requirements, which Continental (the manufacturer of the General Tire brand) reports the Grabber AT3 “more than met during intensive testing”.
Ford is the latest car manufacturer to embrace an comprehensive electrification strategy. As Tyrepress reported earlier in the week, Ford is transforming its Cologne factory into a hub for electric car manufacturing, with the aim of making all its passenger cars sold in Europe zero emissions capable by mid-2026.
Every Ford passenger vehicle sold in Europe in five years’ time will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, and by 2030 the range will be completely all-electric. Similarly, Ford’s entire commercial vehicle range will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2024, with two-thirds of Ford’s commercial vehicle sales expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.
Ford honoured tyre manufacturers Goodyear and Maxxis as part of its 22nd annual World Excellence Awards. The wards span multiple categories, including sustainability, winning portfolio, propulsion choices, autonomous technology, fitness, special recognition and diversity.
A new variant of the Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-season tyre has been designed specifically for the all-new Ford F-150. According to Pirelli, this new tyre design will be the basis of a range of tyres within the Pirelli Scorpion family that will be released in the coming months.
Ford posted better-than-expected figures for the third quarter, recording a net income of $2.4 billion. However, David Leggett, Automotive Analyst at GlobalData, suggested that the company could be facing tough times ahead. Says Leggett: “Like several other carmakers, Ford is getting a boost from higher demand – especially in the US – after the pandemic-induced low points earlier this year. High margin trucks are selling very well and there are signs of a turnaround, too, in China which has been a disaster area for Ford in recent years.”
TyreSafe usually presents its awards at a Gala ceremony, but the Coronavirus Crisis has made such an event unviable. TyreSafe has instead announced its award winners via social media and video presentation by its chair and chair of judges, Stuart Jackson. Tyrepress previously revealed the winners of the Tyre Manufacturer of the Year Award and the Innovation & Use of Technology Award, but the full list of the winners joining Hankook and Bridgestone is reproduced below. Additionally, you can view the judges’ review of submissions for several of the awards on Tyrepress below, or on TyreSafe’s YouTube channel.
Continental
Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Bridgestone
General Tire
Ford
Pirelli
TyreSafe