Product News

Interstate Range now Available
Michelin Latitude Tour HP and Latitude Sport
Goodyear Launches DuraGrip
New Avon Storm - ST

Interstate Range now Available

Visitors to the Tyres-Online website are now able to source the Interstate range of car tyres, thanks to a deal struck by Blackcircles, our tyre sales partner, with Interstate Tires of Delft in the Netherlands, which sees Blackcircles operating as Interstate's agent for the UK market.

Interstate, founded in 1972, represents a group of five companies and has developed its own unique private branded car tyre range. The range is manufactured in Asia using European technology and incorporates 27 sizes, in two different patterns; the Interstate Touring IST-1 and the Interstate Sport IXT-1.

The Interstate Touring IST-1 is a modern directional passenger car tyre, available in all popular OE sizes. The directional pattern is designed to disperse water from the heart of the contact patch to help prevent aquaplaning in wet weather conditions, as well as cornering stability. The special silica tread compound is developed to optimise wet and dry grip and give exceptional handling in these conditions. All tread elements are sequentially positioned for optimum reduction in noise generation. The Touring IST-1 is available in S, T, H and V speed ratings.

The Interstate Sport IXT-1 is a Ultra High Performance tyre for enthusiastic drivers. The Sport IXT-1 boasts a special performance compound and tread pattern, which is claimed to offer incredible road holding in all conditions, especially in wet. The V-shaped grooves in the tread pump water away, allowing the rubber to grip the road.

The newly designed and patented Flange Protector protects alloy rims from accidental kerb damage. The central rib of the tread pattern provides directional stability and rapid steering response. Also the shoulder blocks are designed for maximum lateral stability and sweeping elements promote excellent wet and dry handling characteristics. These blocks are bounded by circumferential grooves, which allows the SPORT IXT-1 to give even better wet grip whilst being quieter and longer lasting as well. Whilst practical, these design elements also makes the tyre look spectacular on any car. The SPORT IXT-1 is available in fitments ranging from 14 to 17-inch (W and Y speed ratings).

Michelin Latitude Tour HP and Latitude Sport

Michelin has announced the introduction of the Michelin Latitude Tour HP and Michelin Latitude Sport, two new tyres aimed at the fast growing crossover and SUV market. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP has been designed to address the three key concerns of SUV drivers, namely ride comfort, tread life and safety, particularly with regard to handling on wet roads.

To achieve an optimum balance between durability, comfortable ride, safety and rolling resistance, the Michelin Latitude Tour HP combines three major technological innovations.

Innovation No. 1: The Terrain-Proof Compound, an abrasion-resistant rubber compound used in earthmover tyres, for greater endurance

For the first time, Michelin has developed an SUV tyre whose tread compound incorporates a polymer used in earthmover tyres. These are designed to resist the additional abrasion caused by rough terrain that would usually shorten the tyre's tread life. Engineered for maximum on-road performance, the Terrain-Proof Compound also makes the tyre suitable for off-road driving. More importantly, its stronger rubber offers superior abrasion resistance by countering the extra wear caused by rough terrain or heavy use. It is this technological innovation that enables the Michelin Latitude HP to offer longer mileage, whether it is used on high-stress terrain (off-road or on gravel, for example), in sporty driving or even when heavily loaded.

Innovation No. 2: StabiliGrip sipes for a quieter ride and safer handling on wet roads

Extensively siping the tread has two advantages. It makes for a quieter ride because the sipes generate different pitches that "jam" tread noise and it provides superior grip on slippery surfaces. When braking on wet surfaces, for example, sipes help to slice through the sheet of water. They also improve traction and braking on snow. However, because they lead to more deformation in the contact patch, conventional sipes can cause the car to feel looser and make steering less precise. On the other hand, the new StabiliGrip sipes used on the Michelin Latitude Tour HP are especially designed to be self-locking. All of the sipes lock into one another to add rigidity to the tread pattern inside the contact patch, resulting in more precise steering control. This means the Michelin Latitude Tour HP helps to deliver safe, reassuring handling, even in high-performance applications, while keeping passengers as comfortable as in a saloon car.

Innovation No. 3: A supple, yet rigid construction, for enhanced safety on wet roads and longer tread life

First introduced on the Michelin Primacy HP in 2006, the third innovation combines a rigid tread pattern with a construction that easily deforms to maximize the contact patch. In addition to improving grip, particularly on wet roads, the greater rigidity improves steering precision and ensures that every square millimetre of the contact patch consistently distributes pressure in exactly the same way. The result is perfectly even wear, which is essential to longer tread life.

The new Michelin Latitude Tour HP has already been approved as original equipment on the latest generation SUVs including, as at January 1, 2007:

The Audi Q7 235/60 R 18
The new BMW X5 255/55 R 18 ZP - 255/50 R 19 ZP
The restyled Kia Sorento 245/70 R 16 - 245/65 R 17
The new Land Rover Freelander 235/65 R 17
The new Mercedes ML & R-Class 235/65 R 17 - 255/55 R 18 - 255/50 R 19
The new Mercedes GL 265/60 R 18
The second-generation Porsche Cayenne 255/55 R 18 - 275/45 R 19
The new Volkswagen Touareg 255/55 R 18 - 275/45 R 19

The Michelin Latitude Tour HP has also been approved as original equipment on the following forthcoming models:

The Citroën C-Crosser
The Peugeot 4007
The Volvo XC 70
The Volkswagen Tiguan

As well as the standard version, the Michelin Latitude Tour HP is available in the ZP run-flat version.

Michelin's second new tyre, the Michelin Latitude Sport addresses the trend for carmakers to continuously push their SUVs towards higher performance, as illustrated by a large number of recently introduced models like the new-generation Porsche Cayenne. This market mutation is also driving a change in the way SUV tyres are designed. This is why the new Michelin Latitude Sport was developed in close partnership with Porsche. It is now original equipment on the new Cayenne, whilst also being approved for use on all other high-performance crossover SUVs on the market.

The Michelin Latitude Sport has been engineered with two fundamental strengths: Michelin's unique expertise in motor racing and a purpose-designed construction. Firstly, the new tyre has the same track-inspired tread pattern and rubber compounds as Michelin's benchmark sports tyre, the Pilot Sport 2. Secondly, to deliver high performance on an SUV, the Michelin Latitude Sport had to be more than just a larger version of the Pilot Sport 2. It is larger, heavier, and has a greater load capacity than a car tyre, but nevertheless holds the road at high speeds as well as tyres designed for the fastest sports saloons on the market.

Achieving this performance meant that a number of major technological challenges had to be addressed. The heavier the tyre, the more centrifugal force is exerted on the tread, causing it to deform and reduce the size of the contact patch. Eventually, the car begins to lose stability. To avoid this phenomenon, which is especially noticeable on SUV sports tyres, the Michelin Latitude Sport uses a specially designed architecture, restrained by a highly innovative zero-degree belt with shoulder overlay.

First unique technology: the zero-degree belt with shoulder overlay

The Latitude Sport's tread is reinforced by a nylon belt that is bound at zero degrees to the tyre's rotation. It extends significantly over the shoulders, where the tyre experiences the most deformation, to maintain perfect control over the contact patch at high speed

Second unique technology: the variable pitch zero-degree belt

The centrifugal forces generated in a rapidly rotating tyre are not exerted evenly across the entire tread width. Instead, they vary depending on the tread's blocks and grooves. By reinforcing the tyre with a zero-degree belt incorporating a variable pitch across the tread width, deformations can be selectively resisted with pinpoint accuracy. The variable pitch zero-degree belt represents a new innovation in the Michelin production process, applied for the first time on the Michelin Latitude Sport.

The Michelin Latitude Sport is already being fitted as original equipment on the following SUVs:

The Audi Q7 295/35 R 21
The second generation Porsche Cayenne 255/55 R 18 - 275/45 R 19 - 295/35 R 21
The new Volkswagen Touareg 255/55 R 18 - 275/45 R 19
The new BMW X5 (approval in progress) 255/50 R 19 - 285/45 R 19 The

Michelin Latitude Sport is already available in all of the sizes approved as original equipment on new SUVs: 255/55 R 18 109 Y XL N0, 275/45 R 19 108 Y XL N0, 295/35 R 21 107 Y XL, 295/35 R 21 107 Y XL N0. It is also offered in two sizes for extreme sports SUV tuning: 295/40 R 20 110 W XL and 315/25 R 23 102 W XL

Goodyear Launches DuraGrip

Goodyear has announced the introduction of DuraGrip, a new tyre which has been specifically developed to cope with the pressures that constant stopping and starting in city traffic causes to both the vehicle and the tyres.

Incorporating innovative technologies used in Goodyear's test-winning tyres HydraGrip, UltraGrip 7 and Excellence, DuraGrip delivers high mileage, without sacrificing on any of the performance and safety qualities associated with Goodyear. As cities have become more and more crowded, the demand for smaller cars that facilitate affordable, safe city driving has also grown exponentially. The consumer's expectations regarding small cars have not lagged behind either. Today's city driver demands outstanding design, quality and safety from his/her city car. Goodyear's DuraGrip has been developed specifically to cope with the hundreds of stopping and starting manoeuvres of driving in the city - in dry and wet weather conditions.

Goodyear's DuraGrip features a new silica compound that improves mileage, strengthens the tyre's wet performance and provides shorter braking distances. The tyre also features an asymmetric tread pattern with closed outside design and two continuous outside ribs to facilitate improved dry handling by maximizing traction on dry surfaces . The tyre's open design and circumferential grooves ensure better wet handling and aquaplaning performance. Stiff outside shoulder blocks also ensure optimal lateral stability on high speed manoeuvres, while progressive 3D-BIS blades ensure excellent handling by providing increased tread stiffness under pressure and maximum braking efficiency.

Goodyear's patented Three Dimensional Block Interlocking System (3D-BIS), well-known from the successful Goodyear HydraGrip tyre, significantly improves the tyre's wet and dry handling performance because it allows an increased number of blades in the tyre compared with traditional bladed tyres. This technology equips the tyre with as many biting edges as possible to provide excellent resistance to aquaplaning while at the same time preserving the precise and dynamic handling characteristics of a high performance tyre with its stiff solid tread blocks.

As with all Goodyear products, DuraGrip has been extensively tested, both at the company's own testing facilities as well as on public roads and independent proving tracks, prior to its launch. Tests against competitive products show that DuraGrip performs exceptionally well in tests that measure numerous different city-driving parameters such as braking, tread-wear, aquaplaning and noise emission.

New Avon Storm - ST

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd has announced the launch of the Avon Storm-ST, a new sports-touring tyre to take over the mantle from their highly-rated and popular Azaro-ST product.

Taking into account today's unpredictable weather, the ever-rising performance of bikes and motorcyclists wishing to use their machines in a far more diverse manner than ever, Avon started with a blank canvas for Storm-ST. Implementing new manufacturing and development processes at their Melksham factory in England, Avon built on the qualities cherished by Azaro-ST users whilst improving in other areas. The result is a tyre that allows a rider to get the most from their machine, all year round and no matter the conditions.

A contact patch that grows

Avon's Advanced-Variable Belt Density (A-VBD) construction features Aramid fibres that are wound round the tyre densely in the centre section and then progressively spaced out as it reaches the edges. This negates the use for dual compounds as essentially the whole tyre is hard in the centre and softer at the edges. Aside from long life and increased stability, Reactive Footprint (RF) allows the tyre's contact patch to 'grow' depending on the bike's lean angle, for the full life of the tyre.

Rain won't spoil play

Storm-ST benefits from an Enhanced Aqua Flow (EAF) pattern. The tread is computer-designed to clear the maximum amount of water from the tyre's contact patch. Coupled with the Super Rich Silica (SRS) compound and Inverted Front Grooves (IFG), the return equates to vastly improved grip and all important feel to the rider in adverse conditions.

Grips from cold

The inclusion of silica into the compound of a tyre has been proven to not only improve wet weather performance, but also the levels of grip from cold - reducing the time needed to reach optimum working temperatures. To suit the wide range of parameters demanded by a sports touring tyre, Avon has increased the amount of silica to create a Super Rich Silica compound [SRS] for Storm-ST.

Stable and able

All components of Storm-ST are fine-tuned by Avon's Enhanced Stability System [ES-System] to deliver a tyre in which the carcass, sidewalls and tread pattern work together to reduce localised flexing within the tyre structure to optimise grip, durability and warm-up capabilities.

Consistent performance - from beginning to end

A tyre shouldn't just work at its best when new. Lifetime Profile Engineering (LPE) works in tandem with Avon's Advanced Tread Arc Combination - Tri Arc (ATAC-TA). This characteristic, originally developed for Avon's sports tyres, varies the tread profile across the tyre. This provides the ultimate in handling and stability - whatever the lean angle and throughout the tyre's life.

Storm-ST is available in 15 sizes: Fronts - AV55 - 110/70ZR17, 110/80ZR18, 120/60ZR17, 120/70ZR17, 120/70ZR18, 130/70ZR17 Rears - AV56 -150/70ZR17, 150/70ZR18, 160/60ZR17, 160/70ZR17, 160/60ZR18, 170/60ZR17, 180/55ZR17, 190/50ZR17, 200/50ZR17.