Winter Tyres
In addition to testing car tyres ahead of this year’s colder months, three European motoring clubs have taken a close look at winter rubber for mid-sized SUVs and vans. The 13 brands of 235/55 R17 V tyre participating in this joint comparative evaluation from Germany association ADAC, Austria’s ÖAMTC and Switzerland’s TCS performed well overall, with results ranging from highly recommended/good to conditionally recommended/adequate.
Three leading European motoring associations have published the results of their joint 2020 winter car tyre test. The ADAC from Germany, Austria’s ÖAMTC and Swiss club TCS looked at 15 brands of tyre. While they didn’t award any of the evaluated products their top ratings of ‘very good’ (ADAC) or ‘excellent’ (ÖAMTC, TCS), the clubs noted that overall test results were positive. In addition to five strong performers, seven further tyres were recommended and one conditionally recommended. Only two tyres failed to make the grade.
Marangoni has enlarged its range of pre-cure rings and treads for winter applications with a new product, the Ringtread Blackline ICE202. This 3PMSF drive tyre pattern was developed with long-haul use and “severe winter conditions” in mind, such as those encountered in Nordic countries. The ICE202 is already available in size 315/70R22.5, with 275/70R22.5 and 295/80R22.5 to follow soon.
As reported earlier this month, Hankook Tire has released its latest winter products for motorists and Western and Central Europe. And the new tyre line is off to a promising start, with Auto Bild awarding the new tyre its top ‘exemplary’ rating in its winter 2020 comparative evaluation.
The latest issue of Auto Bild warns motorists not to buy a pig in a poke. Instead of trusting in blind luck, test results should guide tyre purchases. To help in this area the motoring publication has now shared the outcome of its 2020 winter tyre test. This evaluation of size 245/45 R18 tyres for executive cars (Auto Bild used a BMW 5 Series for testing) compares the 20 best performers from an initial field of 51 tyre brands subjected to wet and snow braking tests. Six of the brands received Auto Bild’s top ‘exemplary’ rating.
Falken Tyre Europe has launched its 2020 “Falken says Tanke” promotional campaign in Germany, Austria and other European core markets. From 15 September to 30 November, customers will receive a 20-euro prepaid card for refueling and shopping when buying Falken winter or all-season tyres in participating retailers. In addition, participants from Germany have the chance to win one of 25 Shell fuel vouchers worth 100 euros. There are also 100 opportunities to win the Shell V-Power Smart Deal, worth 119.99 euros, allowing winners to fill up with V-Power fuels at the price of standard fuels. Falken is also giving away a total of 17 pairs of Dalbello ski boots in the Benelux countries, Germany, Austria, and Poland. These boots come with a co-polymer sole named “GripWalk”, providing extra snow grip – an analogy to winter tyres’ performance on snow.
Without making a fuss about it, Hankook has quietly introduced a new winter tyre into the market. At least the “Winter I* Cept Evo³” is listed as a new entry on the German website of the Korean tyre manufacturer as well as leading tyre comparison sites, according to our colleagues at our German sister publication.
GRI has developed what is purportedly Sri Lanka and the company’s first winter off-the-road (OTR) tyre for the Japanese market. Designed in collaboration with its Japanese partner, the Gripex Snow tyre is designed to withstand the winter weather and distinct terrain of Hokkaido prefecture in northern Japan. The new tyre is fitted on vehicles used in sub-zero temperatures in order to offer “optimal traction and higher stability on snow”.
Kumho has introduced two new patterns in 2020, the all-season Solus 4S HA32 and WinterCraft WP72. It said the range updates are a response to increasing demand for such products. The Kumho Solus 4S HA32 joins the HA31 this autumn, bringing the total size range to 70. The manufacturer will add an HA32 SUV range in 2021.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has made 2020 an annus horribilis for the UK car tyre market, with a near quarter-long lockdown slashing miles driven, original equipment sales due to prolonged factory closures, and reducing sales opportunities further with the government’s MOT exemption. However, tyre businesses have begun ramping up again in response to the reopening of business sectors, people returning to work, and the possibility that private car usage could become increasingly popular as commuters avoid public transport – though the trend for working from home could create more than a headwind for any growth in miles driven. Perhaps the greatest driver of UK car tyre sales growth in 2020 could be the projected spike in MOTs in the autumn, as the period of exemption expires for many pandemic affected motorists. Halfords Autocentres estimates that there could be an 85 per cent jump in demand for MOTs in October – click here for Tyrepress’s own analysis of the MOT situation. Why is this important in a feature about all-season and winter tyres? As we are about to see, the all-season tyre segment continued its impressive growth over April 2019 – March 2020.
Pirelli is set to capitalise on the rising consumer interest in all-season tyres across Europe with an expansion to its range to cover more than 90 per cent of the market. Pirelli will introduce 22 new sizes between 16 and 19 inches in the Cinturato All Season Plus and Scorpion Verde All Season SF product ranges. All of these products are also available with Pirelli’s Seal Inside technology – a puncture protection layer added to the inside of the tyre to help extend mobility in case of damage. Pirelli adds that the new generation of premium all-season tyres has supported growth in the all-season tyre market, which in turn has seen more tyre manufacturers bring out a wider range of products. Tyres & Accessories asked Pirelli UK chairman and CEO Dominic Sandivasci about the latest European market trends, starting with the relationship between winter and all-seaosn tyres.
Michelin introduced the first CrossClimate tyre in 2015 in a move that saw the manufacturer shift from its long-held position of being broadly opposed to all-season tyres on the basis that best seasonal performance is achieved by either summer or winter tyres. However, arguing that the CrossClimate is a summer tyre with year-round capabilities, Michelin pioneered a new category of tyre. The initial CrossClimate was followed by the CrossClimate + and the CrossClimate SUV variants 2017 and now there is the news that a completely revised version – the CrossClimate 2 – is on its way.
Petlas is to launch its first all-season car tyre, the PT565 MultiAction. The leading Turkish brand says the new tyre has targeted both performance in all weather conditions and sustainability. Its R&D engineers developed the PT565 with lower rolling resistance to help reduce emissions. The tyre has a V-shaped block patten with its optimised sipe density to offer better grip and traction on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces. The manufacturer said the tyre represents the distillation of its manufacturing expertise accumulated over more than 40 years.
ZC Rubber is launching its second generation of Westlake WSA2LT, WAS2, WDA2LT, WDA2, WSM2 and WDM2 all-steel truck and light truck tyres into the European market effective 1 July 2020. According to the company, the range is designed for “European fleets who seek both tyre performance and cost saving”.
ZC Rubber will add 68 new sizes to its Z-series winter tyre lines. The Chinese manufacturer, based in Hangzhou, says the new sizes aim to meet the diverse demands of European customers. They are designed for the wet and snowy road conditions typical of the continent’s winters. The new sizes will be available across its All Elite Season Z-401, Zupersnow Z-507, and Icemaster Spike Z-506 products. The tyres will be available for the 2020/21 winter season. ZC Rubber launched the Z-401 all-season tyre, the Z-507 winter tyre, and the studded winter tyre Z-506 in Europe last year. It tells Tyres & Accessories that the three Z-series lines “have gained great popularity with sales exceeding expectations.”
Hankook
GRI
Kumho
Yokohama
Pirelli
Michelin
Petlas
ZC Rubber
ZC Rubber