Pirelli chosen as sole tyre supplier for rally championships

Motor sport's world ruling body said Tuesday that it has chosen Italian manufacturer Pirelli as the sole supplier of tyres for teams cars competing in the World Rally Championship in 2008-2010. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) chose Pirelli ahead of BF Goodrich -- the American branch of French manufacturer Michelin. An FIA statement released after a top level meeting here on Tuesday said: "Pirelli has won the tender to be the official tyre supplier to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 FIA World Rally Championships. "It will now enter into a formal contract to supply tyres in all events of the Championship to all competitors with a four-wheel drive rally car (as defined in the International Sporting Code)." In 2007 BF Goodrich supplied tyres throughout the season to the Citroen, Ford and Subaru official rally teams and two private teams - Stobart-Ford and OMV-Kronos-Citroen.

Gain an Insight in to the Global Market of Automotive Tyres

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c51291) has announced the addition of "Global Market Review of Automotive Tyres - Forecasts to 2013" to their offering. There are many factors shaping the global tyre market. Over the last 20 years, the popularity of sports utility vehicles, minivans and cross-over vehicles has steadily increased, prompting manufacturers to redesign their tyres. Indeed, the increasing segmentation of the car market has led directly to a more complex segmentation of the tyre market. In response, manufacturers have focused on ways in which to improve tyre dimensions, weight, rolling resistance, noise and fuel efficiency. Social environmental awareness and advances in tyre technology will also play an increasingly important role in the definition of tomorrow's tyres. This fourth edition of just-autos automotive tyres report reviews key market drivers, updates market analysis, and provides top level market fitment, volume and value forecasts for both OE and replacement tyres. Report forecasts cover eight world regions, namely the European Union, Eastern and Central Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, South America, Middle East, the Gulf, and the rest of the world through to 2013. The report includes exclusive interviews with executives from major manufacturers, namely Michelin, Continental and Goodyear who comment on the main market and technical trends, as well as pointers on how the European run-flat market is shaping-up. Use this report to find answers to the following questions: Which manufacturer has the biggest share of the global tyre market? What is the world market for replacement tyres? Who is investing in Western Europe, North America and Asia? How is demand for run-flat tyres shaping up in Europe? What improvements can be made to today's tyres? Extract from Report: Another auto executive told us: "I think for sure that SUV tyres and 4x4 tyres have increased considerably. With SUVs, we have seen a recent development where cars like Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg vehicles may never go off-road or at least for 99% of the time are on the road. They therefore require a tyre that occasionally may have to deal with some sand or mud or pulling a boat, but for the most part the vehicle is on the road. Furthermore, these vehicles have a lot of torque. On top of that, drivers want to drive those vehicles very fast, especially on the German Autobahn, so the speed index has to go up. But also the load indexes since these cars typically weigh about two tons. So for these vehicles, special tyres are required." The increasing segmentation of the car market has also affected tyremakers marketing strategies. An auto executive told us: "It has affected our business in two ways. Lets take, for example, an SUV or an MPV. It might actually be a standard tyre size but if it is a four-wheel drive vehicle then that vehicle is heavy meaning that the tyre has to be designed in a specific way to take those loads. And that is something, as tyre manufacturers, we have a responsibility to communicate through to dealers and the public because of the dangers of having the wrong tyres fitted. From a distribution point of view, the actual number of SKUs that we have to stock in the warehouse in order to satisfy the car market has increased. It might be a similar number of total tyres but the number of specific fitments for specific vehicles has increased dramatically. That will only increase. So success in this business is not just about having the right product but also about having the right supply chain in order to get the right tyres to the right dealer at the right time."

Pirelli chosen as sole tyre supplier for rally championships

Motor sport's world ruling body said Tuesday that it has chosen Italian manufacturer Pirelli as the sole supplier of tyres for teams cars competing in the World Rally Championship in 2008-2010. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) chose Pirelli ahead of BF Goodrich -- the American branch of French manufacturer Michelin. An FIA statement released after a top level meeting here on Tuesday said: "Pirelli has won the tender to be the official tyre supplier to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 FIA World Rally Championships. "It will now enter into a formal contract to supply tyres in all events of the Championship to all competitors with a four-wheel drive rally car (as defined in the International Sporting Code)." In 2007 BF Goodrich supplied tyres throughout the season to the Citroen, Ford and Subaru official rally teams and two private teams - Stobart-Ford and OMV-Kronos-Citroen.

Bridgestone produces snow tyre for demo run

Bridgestone Produces Limited Edition F1 Snow Tyre for St. Moritz White Turf Demonstration Run Bridgestone Motorsport has produced a special Limited Edition F1 Potenza Snow Tyre at the request of the BMW Sauber F1 Team which will be conducting a demonstration run of their F1.06 car this Sunday [4 February] at the prestigious White Turf horse racing event in St.Moritz, Switzerland. The BMW Sauber F1 Team is running the car at the request of team sponsor Credit Suisse, who are main sponsors and partners of the event which is this year celebrating 100 years of international horse racing in St.Moritz. Due to the extreme conditions in which the BMW Sauber F1.06 will run, the special F1 snow tyres, produced by Bridgestone Motorsport's Technical Centre in Tokyo, feature 420 studs on each of the front tyres and 588 studs on each of the rear tyres. It took two Bridgestone technicians over 16 hours to manually insert all 2,016 studs into the double layer of tread compound on one set of tyres alone. Similarly, the horses racing on the frozen lake at St. Moritz will also have four studs and a rubber plate attached to each of their front and rear shoes. Made from tungsten and embedded in aluminium casings, Bridgestone's tyre studs have been designed to specifically provide reliable grip on ice and hard-packed snow, exactly the conditions which can be expected at the event where night time temperatures have recently been dropping to approximately -15°Celsius. A similar set of tyres was also recently produced for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team for their pre-season event on the slopes of Madonna di Campiglio in Italy. By utilising the tread design of Bridgestone's Potenza F1 extreme weather tyres, the irregular placement of the studs in the tyre tread blocks is intended to maximise performance of each stud in the harsh conditions. In reverse to the policy of transferring technology from F1 tyre development to road car tyres, Bridgestone has transferred its knowledge of road car winter tyre tread compounds to the F1 snow tyres, using a soft, high-grip compound which will enable the tyres to work at a much lower working temperature range to that normally experienced by an F1 tyre on a race circuit. The Bridgestone Corporation manufactures both studded and studless road tyres for use by the general consumer. The Bridgestone Noranza studded tyre provides exceptional grip on the ice, without sacrificing comfort, handling and quietness and with its irregular placed aluminium studs was instrumental in the philosophy behind the Limited Edition Bridgestone Potenza F1 snow tyre. From Bridgestone's range of studless tyres, and more suited to Continental European winters, is the Blizzak LM20. After comparative tests by a leading European automotive magazine this tyre was "highly recommended" for its outstanding all-round capabilities and described as "a very well-balanced tyre: top- class on dry, very good on wet and ice, with good snow and wear performance". The Blizzak LM20 utilises a compound with high silica content, similar to that used by the Bridgestone Potenza F1 snow tyre. The BMW Sauber F1 Team demonstration run is scheduled to take place with German F1 star Nick Heidfeld behind the wheel at 14:00hrs on Sunday 4 February.

Winter Tires Lauded For Ice, Snow Safety

Many motorists think SUVs or other vehicles with four-wheel drive are the ticket to driving safely on snow, ice or both. But it turns out, they can slip and slide about as much as other vehicles. On The Early Show Wednesday, CBS News correspondent Susan McGinnis got behind the wheel of an SUV and got what she called "alarming" results. But she learned from an expert that winter tires could provide plenty of extra winter driving safety. McGinnis visited the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where instructor Kurt Spitzner told her drivers of SUVs and four-wheel drive vehicles may well be tooling around with a false sense of security. He said many SUV drivers are overconfident on snow and ice, and that can be a dangerous combination. "Whenever there's a big snowstorm up here," Spitzner observed, "it seems like it's mostly sport utilities that are winding up in the ditches." Spitzner took McGinnis out on the school's winter test track in a family SUV. With its high seats and four wheel drive, McGinnis says, she felt safe, only to find out just how easy it is to lose control. McGinnis described conditions that day as "horrible ... nothing but ice and snow." Spitzner pointed out that, while four wheel drive does help you accelerate better on snowy roads, that's actually part of the problem: "Everybody thinks that since we started so well, certainly I can stop as well." But when McGinnis hit the brakes to make an easy curve, at only 20 mph, she plowed right off the "road." She says she was "totally out of control." "And," noted Spitzner, "it was instantaneous. There was no grip there at all." But would four-wheel drive give the grip to avoid a collision? A separate test simulated that kind of maneuver, but when McGinnis braked and swerved to avoid an obstacle in her lane, the SUV lost its traction and skidded into oncoming "traffic," in the form of cones set up on the course. "We hit two rows of cones," McGinnis remarked, "but if that was a real world accident, what would have happened?" "It would have been probably deadly," Spitzner replied. Spitzer said the key to staying safe on winter roads isn't what you drive, but the kind of tires you're driving on. Snow tires largely disappeared from U.S. roads when all-season tires came into fashion, McGinnis said. But now, tires just for winter are back, made with high-tech treads to ride softer on ice and snow, to grip them better. Says Spitzner, "Winter tires will have improved performance in acceleration, braking, and cornering. They don't howl like the old snow tires use to. They're actually quite quiet, and they have a smooth ride." And the difference they made when McGinnis tried them was, in her words, "amazing." An SUV with regular tires was pitted against an identical SUV with winter tires. In a curve on curves, the winter tires took McGinnis right through, while the SUV without them didn't do nearly as well. Ditto for the accident avoidance test. "It really can mean the difference between having an accident and not having an accident?" McGinnis asked. "It could have saved your life, just by using the proper tire" if the accident avoidance test had been real, Spitzner responded. He said the winter tires "absolutely" make a huge safety difference. He says winter tires handle just as well as regular tires on dry roads, and cost about the same. If you have to drive on snow and ice, says Spitzner, they're the safest investment you'll ever make: "You can have the best vehicle possible, but if the tires aren't up to the job, you're still not going to be in control." Experts say even with winter tires, it's easy to lose control on snow and ice if you're going too fast. So, McGinnis urged, you really do need to slow down, and use winter tires for the best control. Experts add that it's not a good idea to use winter tires all year because they wear out a lot more quickly in warm weather. The best thing to do is have a tire shop put them on your car at the start of winter, and take them off at the beginning of spring. If you use them like that, they should last you at least three winters. The reality is, you will have two sets of tires, and will need to store one set in your garage while the other is on your car. Winter tires, McGinnis continued, can be put on any kind of vehicle, from sedans to minivans, trucks and sports cars. No matter what kind of vehicle you drive, experts say you need to install winter tires on all four wheels tog et the maximum benefit on snow and ice. Experts say four-wheel drive does help on snow and ice if you're driving up steep hills or through deep snow; otherwise, a two-wheel drive vehicle with winter tires is probably all you need.

Goodyear settles with families of dead teens

Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America has reached a $1.75 million settlement with the families of two Georgia teenagers who were killed in a wreck seven years ago in Roanoke County. According to court documents, the company agreed to pay the two families $875,000 each. In exchange, the company is released from any claims of liability in the deaths of 17-year-old Christopher Smith and 15-year-old Johnna Hamilton on June 23, 2000. A subsidiary of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Goodyear Dunlop manufactures Dunlop brand tires. Company spokesman Ed Markey declined to comment on the lawsuits. The teenage cousins were riding in the back of a camper-covered truck driven by Smith's father, Garrett T. Smith. Diann Smith, Christopher's mother and Johnna's aunt, was riding in the passenger seat. The pickup truck was headed south on Interstate 81 to Lake James, N.C. Near the Hollins exit, the 1987 Dodge Ram's right rear tire lost its tread and blew out. The truck veered across the median into northbound traffic. The truck overturned and the camper cover flew off. Both teenagers were thrown out of the back of the truck onto the road and killed. Diann Smith was hospitalized, and Garrett Smith suffered minor injuries. In 2002, the families sued Goodyear and its subsidiaries, alleging that the Dunlop tire installed on the truck's right rear wheel was defectively designed. The lawsuits on behalf of the teenagers asked for $2 million.

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