Tyre News

Avon Tyres for Formula 1 Cars in New PF1 club
New WRAP Campaign Promote Use of Retreads on Light Commercial Vehicles
Vellco and NTA in Waste Management Partnership
Continental Help Church Make Smart Move
Third year of British GT Action with Avon Tyres
Hankook Tyres OE on new VW Tiguan
Yorkshire Farmer to cross Bering Straits - in a Land Rover on Cooper Tyres
Lives of Motorists Endangered as too many Potholes are Ignored
Continental Extends Exclusive Uniroyal Partnership
North Eastern Takes Gold
Bridgestone Sponsors Mercy Ships with Tyres

Avon Tyres for Formula 1 Cars in New PF1 club

Using Avon Tyres on its vehicles, a new company called Club PF1 will market and maintain post-2000 Formula 1 racing cars for wealthy motorsport enthusiasts.

Club PF1 has been set up by Paul Osborn and Jonathan Kaiser, owners of prestige sports and racing car dealership, Cars International Kensington, and aims to bring down the price of owning and maintaining modern F1 machinery to the same level as owning a top-end supercar.

Avon has long supplied rubber for historic F1 cars and was the sole tyre supplier to the Grand Prix-supporting International Formula 3000 Championship until its demise in 2004. It will be joined by engine technology expert, Cosworth, in supporting PF1. Members of the new organisation will be able to choose from a fleet of late-model Jordans, Jaguars and Super Aguris, and drive them on bespoke Avon slick racing tyres at four events per year at tracks like Donington Park and Spa.

Club PF1 was launched at Silverstone on Wednesday, 12 December, when ITV F1 commentator Martin Brundle tested a 2004 Jaguar R5.

"The Cosworth V10 power and torque, along with the grippy and driver-friendly Avon racing slicks, was a fast and confidence-inspiring combination," he said.

New WRAP Campaign Promote Use of Retreads on Light Commercial Vehicles

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is launching a new campaign, promoting the use of retread tyres as a safe, durable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to new tyres. As Corporate Social Responsibility managers look for new ways to reinforce the all-round environmental performance of their businesses and fleet managers look at ways to run greener fleets, the use of retread tyres provides a sustainable and easily accessible solution.

The campaign will focus on promoting the use of retread tyres on Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) typically using tyres up to 19.5" diameter, such as those used for home and local business deliveries. Retread tyres are manufactured from similar compounds to new tyres and are required by law to be manufactured to the same stringent performance criteria. They can therefore be considered to offer comparable levels of performance, durability and safety to their new tyre equivalents. A recent study conducted by WRAP also found them to be, on average, 10% cheaper than new budget tyres.

Jacks Guinness, Marketing Project Manager at WRAP, explains: "The use of retread tyres on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) is already well-established in the UK but WRAP has identified a significant opportunity for encouraging their increased specification by those with responsibility for fleets of LCVs. By highlighting the benefits of retreads and tackling the misconceptions attached to their use, we can bring the opinions of key decision-makers up to date and persuade them to look at retreads in a new way".

David Wilson, Director of the Retread Manufacturer's Association, the industry body supporting WRAP's campaign, added: "The limiting factor in the product life of a tyre is the amount of tread depth that it is technically possible to incorporate. Too much tread can cause instability, rapid wear and overheating of the tyre. The casing of a tyre on the other hand is a robust piece of engineering that can last significantly longer than the tread, making it ideally suited to retreading. Retreads are a safe, reliable and green solution as well as being good value for money. I'm sure they will be seen as an excellent option for decision-makers once they become aware of their performance and benefits."

WRAP will be proactively contacting fleet managers and CSR managers to offer them information and advice on specifying or trialling retreads for their LCV fleets. The WRAP website will also be updated with an information sheet and case studies illustrating the experiences of fleet managers who are already using retread tyres.

Vellco and NTA in Waste Management Partnership

Following a series of one-year agreements over recent years, Vellco Limited has announced a two year Total Waste Management Agreement with National Tyres & Autocare. The new deal will launch a number of innovative program initiatives covering a wide variety of automotive waste streams that have been recently agreed between the two Companies. The new arrangements take immediate effect and will provide significant operational savings for National Tyres & Autocare over the next two years.

As well as conventional waste stream management, Vellco has undertaken to provide National Tyres & Autocare with an innovative environmental analysis, which will enable NTA to track its carbon footprint, and to strive to become carbon neutral within a defined target period.

NTA Director Gary Pugh said "We have utilised the services of Vellco for some years now, and are very pleased with the outcome of these latest discussions. Vellco has always been at the forefront of waste management issues and we welcome the partnership approach which Vellco delivers to our business".

Vellco's Business Development Director John Campbell said, "Here at Vellco we have an extensive team who are dedicated to our customers' needs and requirements, therefore we are absolutely delighted that NTA, whom we have worked with for nearly ten years, has given Vellco Ltd this superb vote of confidence".

VELLCO, who won the TAFF Environmental Award in 2007, have once again been nominated in that sector for the 2008 award, which will be announced at the NTDA's annual Dinner in April to be held in Birmingham.

Continental Help Church Make Smart Move

When the villagers of Heuersdorf in Germany faced a 12km move to the nearby town of Borna, they didn't even leave the village church behind, let alone the kitchen sink. The village's 700 tonne, solid stone Emmaus church, which had been standing for over 700 years, was moved to Borna on a special transport vehicle, using 160 Continental IC40 Extra Deep industrial pneumatic tyres.

The complex project, involving high-precision manoeuvring into the centre of Borna, was made possible by individually-steered wheel axles, which could support a 40 tonne weigt and turn 360 degrees wile stationary. Continental's IC40 Extra Deep tyres were selected in a special 355/65-15 size so that they could withstand the enormous forces necessary. These super-strong tyres are specifically designed for heavy duty tasks - their ultra stiff design offering minimum lateral flexing for increased stability, which means they can support extremely heavy loads with no swaying.

The slow and painstaking journey took the church over two rivers and a level crossing and attracted thousands of people who turned out for the special farewell.

Third year of British GT Action with Avon Tyres

Avon Tyres is heading into its third year of title sponsorship of the UK's premier sports car racing championship, the British GT Championship. Since 2006, iconic cars including the Aston Martin DBRS9, Ferrari 430 and Dodge Viper have battled it out for the British GT Championship, with 500bhp machines racing at the UK's top circuits on Avon tyres. This year, an exciting new category - GT4 - has been introduced, which features sports cars based more closely on production models than the race-bred GT3 machines which spearhead the series.

"Last year's championship was fantastic as it went down to the final round, and 2008 looks set to be even better," said Julian Baldwin, Managing Director of Cooper Tire Europe.

"As well as a good entry of GT3 cars already signed up to fight for the overall title, there has been a lot of interest in the GT4 category, both from new and existing teams. It all helps to add even more evocative sports cars to the grid and showcase our products in the most spectacular way."

The 2007 championship was won by Bradley Ellis and Alex Mortimer, whose Team RPM Dodge Viper narrowly beat the bio-ethanol-powered DBRS9 of Barwell Motorsport's Jonny Cocker and Paul Drayson. Ellis and Mortimer have confirmed they will return to defend their title.

Hankook Tyres OE on New VW Tiguan

Hankook Tire has reached an agreement with Volkswagen for the yearly delivery of 70.000 tyres to be used as Original Equipment for the all-new model VW Tiguan. Effective immediately the new compact VW SUV will leave the assembly line equipped with, among other, the Hankook Dynapro HP tyre in the size 215/65 R 16 H.

The Hankook Dynapro HP is a High-Performance-Tyre for predominant, but not exclusive, on-road use and was developed especially for modern and powerful vehicles like the VW Tiguan. The fashionable appeal of the tyre's side wall further supports the character of this sports oriented but multifunctional vehicle class.

In some dimensions the Hankook Dynapro HP tyre will be manufactured at Hankook Tire's brand new European facility in Hungary.

Yorkshire Farmer to cross Bering Straits - in a Land Rover on Cooper Tyres

Some of the world's biggest motor companies have attempted it, so have famous millionaire explorers. Now Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe is supporting a Yorkshire farmer as he tries to succeed where the big boys have failed, by becoming the first person to cross the infamous Bering Strait in a land vehicle.

Steve Burgess, 50, and his partner, Nicky Spinks, will set off on a mammoth 30,000-mile journey from England to South America revently. For most of the route their Land Rover Defender will travel on Cooper Discoverer STT tyres, the same kind as are fitted to thousands of 4 x 4s around the world. But once they get to Eastern Russia they'll add floats to their machine before "driving" it across the water and the International Date Line into Alaska and the record books. They'll then get back on the Cooper tyres through North and South America before arriving at Cape Horn towards the end of 2008.

"I came specifically to Cooper because I'd been looking for reliable and durable tyres to run on, bearing in mind I will have a lot of winter driving in Russia and also a lot of driving in Europe and in America," said Burgess. "As well as the STT's exceptional off-road performance, the tyres are also studdable to give extra traction."

The Ford Motor Company, along with explorer Richard Creasey, attempted to traverse the Bering Strait in 1993 only for its vehicles to sink, while a similar effort from Fiat foundered in 1996. The challenge has also defeated Sir Ranulph Fiennes and British explorers Steve Brooks and Graham Stratford, whose attempt had to be aborted in 2001 after damage to their Snowbird 5 vehicle. Burgess and Spinks have spent the last seven years planning the trip.

"The main things have been finding funding and dealing with Russian bureaucracy," explained Burgess. "We're doing something that's never been done before, so you can't just get a form and fill it out. I needed permission from the army and the police to travel in the Far East. Most significantly, I needed permission to leave Russia in an amphibious vehicle from a non-existent port in the Far East - we're just going to drive off a beach!"

Lives of Motorists Endangered as too Many Potholes are Ignored

Further to a damning report last year which revealed damage to vehicles from potholes and bad road surfaces amounted to £320 million in 2006, 2007 showed little improvement according to figures released by the AA motoring organisation recently. The latest statistics show that 12% or 120,000 out of all of the UK's one million potholes are not being filled by local councils, which means that repair bills are now soaring every year because of the lack of maintenance by government authorities.

Since 1996, the number of claims has soared by 78% in London alone, by 42% in England and by 70% in Wales. This presents a worrying situation for motorists says TyreSafe as there are signs that a turnaround in the level of maintenance of the UK's roads is still a long way off. It is estimated by the Local Government Association that it would need another £200m a year to reach the target the government has set for filling in potholes by 2010.

Motorists are most at risk from potholes in hours of darkness or in periods of reduced visibility, with added dangers for those who are more exposed on motorcycles. Frequently, damage to the tyre is not immediately visible, and therefore motorists may be unaware of this until a potentially catastrophic failure occurs, thus putting the vehicle occupants and other road users at risk.

Furthermore, at high speed, alignment of the wheel may be affected, thereby promoting uneven tyre wear and the potential for a tyre blow-out. Whilst it should be common practice for motorists, TyreSafe says that one method of reducing damage to tyres caused by potholes is to maintain them at the levels of pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. If any level of damage is suspected, motorists should visit their nearest dealer or tyre retailer for their tyres to be examined for any faults.

Continental Extends Exclusive Uniroyal Partnership

A highly successful partnership set up in 2000 between Continental Tyre Group (CTG) and Uniroyal Truck Tyres UK, giving them exclusive rights to distribute Uniroyal brand truck tyres in the UK & Ireland, has been extended by a further five years.

With CTG's renowned technical expertise behind it, the Uniroyal brand has established itself as a range of highly durable, competitively priced tyres to meet a wide variety of applications. These include light and medium urban delivery trucks, long-distance heavy trucks and trailers, urban buses and long-distance coaches, and mixed on-off road uses such as tippers.

This has enabled Uniroyal Truck Tyres UK, a subsidiary of leading national tyre company Kings Road Tyres (KRT) to build a strong following for the brand in the commercial vehicle sector. To support future growth, CTG, is investing in a new range of Uniroyal products to be introduced into the UK and Ireland in 2008.

Commenting on the renewal of the agreement, David Smith, Continental Tyre Group's managing director, said: "Kings Road Tyres is one of the largest and most professional tyre wholesalers in the UK and Ireland. Over the last five years we have been delighted at the way in which they have grown the Uniroyal truck brand. Their customer base and strategy complement ours to give the widest possible coverage both in geographical and application terms. We look forward to working even closer with them in the future.

" Peter Gaster, Group Managing Director of Kings Road Tyres, said: "Uniroyal Truck Tyres has been a successful contribution to the KRT Group but is an entirely independent subsidiary providing complete brand support and marketing. This reflects in the loyalty that has been built up between supplier and customer and the Uniroyal team will continue to promote the qualities that make Uniroyal Truck Tyres such a good investment. The new contract between us and CTG underlines the success of our partnership and the decision we took in 2000 which will now continue for at least another five years."

North Eastern Takes Gold

North Eastern Tyre and Exhausts has pipped competition at the post and has taken the Gold in an industry wide audit. Both its York and Middlesbrough depots have been awarded one of the highest accolades by Pirelli and are now named as one of just a few Pirelli Performance Centres across the UK. The outlets underwent stringent judging to land the title.

Ray Darcy, part of the senior management team for North Eastern Tyre and Exhausts, said: "Pirelli really put us through our paces to win this title and I would like to say a huge well done to the team at the York and Middlesbrough depots.

"This badge is not easily earned as it stands for an unrivalled level of expertise when it comes to recommending, fitting and balancing high performance tyres. The level of customer care and attention that accompanies the service also have to be first class.

"Now we have won the status, we still cannot rest on our laurels - rigorous ongoing training and examination continues to take place to ensure that we are maintaining the exacting level of service Pirelli customers expect world wide."

Bridgestone Sponsors Mercy Ships with Tyres

Bridgestone has donated a consignment of tyres to Mercy Ships, the international charity that operates hospital ships, providing health care in some of the poorest countries in the world. The tyres are used on vehicles that travel into remote areas of the bush, across difficult terrain and dirt tracks to reach sick people that otherwise could not be treated. Bridgestone supplied a selection of its toughest 4x4 Dueller tyres for this application.

For Des Collins, Vice President Public Relations - Bridgestone Europe, this donation makes sense in several ways: "Bridgestone has a sister company in Liberia, Firestone Natural Rubber Company, which employs more than 6,000 people in the production of natural rubber. As a part of its commitment to employees and their families in Liberia, Firestone operates its own schools and hospitals there, and consequently knows well the local need for health care. Therefore, Bridgestone was attracted to helping Mercy Ships in their efforts in West Africa and we are confident that the Dueller 4x4 tyres will help them in their great work."

Mercy Ships is a global charity providing developing countries with free medical and surgical services. It also helps local communities develop sustainable water, sanitation and education programmes. The charity operates the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship - staffed with volunteer doctors, nurses, engineers and agriculturists - that visits ports in some of the world's poorest countries. The massive need for help in West Africa has also led to the establishment of permanent land-based clinics and programmes, whose operation depends on reliable vehicle access.

"Our vehicles in Africa face some of the most difficult terrain on earth" says Steve Cook, Procurement Manager (Gifts in Kind) Mercy Ships UK, "and they are only as good as the tyres they are fitted with."