By Denna Bowman

Goodyear Dunlop UK has been praised for its “excellent initiative” in exposing the dangers of part worn tyres.

Alan Baldwin, wholesale director at Micheldever Tyre Services, the UK’s leading tyre distributor, highlighted what he called “their excellent initiative in exposing the dangers of part worn tyres to the consumer”.

He continued: “Amongst all the tyre manufacturers, Goodyear has clearly grasped the horrendous dangers of what the almost totally un-policed and dangerous part worn market means to the consumers safety and pockets…Goodyear’s excellent flyer (“The Ugly Truth about Part Worns) is the best information a consumer could be given and should be applauded by the entire industry.”

In addition to Goodyear Dunlop itself, the company’s Goodyear brand ambassador, Quentin Wilson (a well-known motoring journalist in his own right) is also bringing this issue to light.

“Tyresafe has also worked tirelessly with trading standards around the UK to further highlight the issue, and we at MTS have seen it as a duty to our customers to produce tens of thousands of anti–dangerous part worn flyers for distribution around the UK,” Baldwin explained.

Baldwin also challenged the view that the size of the part worn market had grown 50 per cent in recent years to between two and three million tyres a year.

He argued: “UK tyre Retailers are under pressure like never before, recessionary pressures on consumers pockets, reductions in car usage, and massive pressure on retail prices due to national retailer discounting are all causing immense problems, but why should they suffer further sales attrition from the uncontrolled growth in the illegal part worn market which we firmly believe contrary to recent reports is nearer 5 million units a year.”

Baldwin called on all parties involved in the tyre industry to make a concerted effort to raise the profile of this issue.

He said: “The entire UK tyre industry must galvanise with Goodyear’s example to lobby, publicise and expose this disgraceful trade that offers horrendous risks to the consumer…For how much longer will the UK be Europe’s scrap casing dump?”

Brilliant motoring expert Quentin Willson has been extolling the virtues of winter tyres in his Sunday Mirror column this weekend.

Steve emailed in with this question: “I have a 2005 Jaguar S-Tyre Auto, which was absolutely rubbish in last year’s snow. I’ve heard that winter tyres stop you quicker, but do they give more traction?”

To which Quentin replied: “Winter tyres definitely give you more traction. In fit, they make the difference between being able to leave your house or stay at home. Which? magazine has just voted Goodyear UltraGrip 7 Plus one of its best busy - I’ve used them extensively when it’s deep and crisp and even and they’re nothing short of amazing.”

Which? also singled out the Continental WinterContact TS800, Continental WinterContact TS830, Michelin Alpin A4, Dunlop SP Winter Response and the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 for best buy status.

Read the full report in the January 2012 issue or go to www.which.co.uk.

Denna Bowman, Head Officek

By Denna Bowman

Which? has published the results of its winter tyres test after putting six tyres in two of the most popular sizes through their paces.

In size 175/65 R14T the Continental WinterContact TS800 came out tops with the comment: “A really good all rounder with no major weaknesses. It’s the class leader on snow, good in wet and dry conditions and offers the best fuel economy of all the winter tyres in this batch.”

The only downside was: “It is slightly weaker than others for cornering on ice.”

The other Best Buys were the Michelin Alpin A4 and the Dunlop SP Winter Response.

In the 205/55 R16H category the Continental WinterContact TS830 took poll position again and was praised for: “Sound performance in the wet and in snow puts this tyre at the top of the ratings table. It also has a long predicted life, beating most rivals in the wear stakes.”

On the downside Which? added: “It’s not quite so impressive on ice, although it is still a match for any competitor in this batch.”

The two other Best Buys were the Goodyear UltraGrip 7+ and the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3.

Read the full report in the January 2012 issue or go to www.which.co.uk.

By Denna Bowman

Goodyear has received an award for a new innovation which will allow tyres to maintain the correct level of inflation.

The Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) has been selected by Car & Driver magazine as one of “ten most promising future technologies” in its 2012 10Best edition.

It will enable tyres to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. All components of the AMT system, including the miniaturised pump, will be fully contained within the tyre.

Car & Driver editors called AMT an “elegantly simple idea” in their article in the December 2011 issue.

Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear’s chief technical officer, said: “While the technology is complex, the idea behind the AMT system is relatively simple and powered by the tyre itself as it rolls down the road.

“A tyre that can maintain its own inflation is something drivers have wanted for many years. Goodyear has taken on this challenge and the progress we have made is very encouraging.

“This will become the kind of technological breakthrough that people will wonder how they ever lived without.”

AMT is currently under development at Goodyear’s Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg.

Goodyear tyres is celebrating an avalanche of praise for its newly launched UltraGrip 8 tyre after it was awarded top marks and recommended status in a series of independent tests.

Auto Motor und Sport tested Goodyear’s 205/55R16 91H, UltraGrip 8 tyre in a test comparing it to 13 competitors using a Volkswagen Passat. As test winner it received the publications top rating in the category and was quoted as having no real weaknesses, being very good in all snow and wet criteria.

ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), Germany’s largest automobile club, also tested the UltraGrip 8 using a Skoda Octovia on 195/65 R 15 91T sized tyres and on a Ford Fiesta using 175/65 R 14 82T sized tyres.

Both tests gave Goodyear’s winter tyres high marks with the 195/65 R 15 91T sized tyres receiving a “Good”[4] recommendation, with tests revealing good dry handling, aquaplaning and snow traction and the 175/65 R 14 82T sized tyres given a ‘”satisfactory” rating for its solid curved aquaplaning, efficient fuel consumption abilities and solid mileage.

Finally, Austrian Automobile club ÖAMTC also tested the company’s UltraGrip 8 tyres, giving the 195/65R15 91T sized UltraGrip 8 a “Very recommendable” status and the 175/65R14 82T sized tyre a “Recommendable” rating[5].

Fabien Desarcon, Goodyear’s Marketing Manager EMEA for winter tyres, said: “Our UltraGrip 8 winter tyre continues to prove its worth, and not because we think so, but because an increasing number of independent experts continue to discover its strengths, on both wet and snow road surfaces.

“It is a clear recognition that UltraGrip 8 is increasingly being seen as one of the best tyres on the market today”.

The tests support similar conclusions drawn by independent tests earlier this year in Germany’s AutoZeitung and GTÜ magazines.

The UltraGrip 8 was launched in early 2011, and is Goodyear’s first directional tyre to use patented 3D-BIS (Block Interlocking System) Technology throughout the entire tread pattern.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

If you missed top motoring expert Quentin Willson teaming up with Goodyear tyres yesterday for a live Web TV show about prepping your car for the winter, today’s your lucky day!

Follow this link http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/winter-driving-masterclass
to see how winter tyres can be life-savers on British roads and hoover up Quentin’s tips on how to drive safety on snow and ice.

Quentin stresses it is vital that we educate ourselves about how to look after our car in the winter and know how to handle hazardous road conditions.

He demonstrates the braking distance difference between normal summer tyres and winter tyres, which at seven car lengths is ‘life-saving’.

And Kate Rock from Goodyear also urges motorists who are not planning on investing in a new set of winter tyres to make sure their current ones are well maintained with plenty of tread depth (the legal minimum is 1.6mm) and the correct air pressure.

Quentin also gives some basic tips on winter driving techniques, like doing everything in slow motion; don’t punch away at the pedals; stay in as high a gear as possible and leave plenty of distance between yourself and the car in front.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

Motoring expert - and housewives favourite - Quentin Willson teamed up with Goodyear tyres for a Web TV show earlier today to talk about tips to help motorists stay safe this winter.

Obviously tyres featured heavily in the show, which focused on driving on snow and ice and how to navigate your vehicle while skidding around in low visibility.

Quentin joined Goodyear Dunlop PR support manager Kate Rock to take part in the show which was based on a OnePoll survey of 4,000 motorists that our collective phobia of driving in winter conditions.

The research also showed that millions of us continue to drive in terrible British winter conditions without really preparing ourselves for the journey ahead.

Unlike other European countries like Germany where winter driving is almost an artform and regulated by the Government, in the UK most of us don’t change to winter tyres, and most of us have never been given lessons in driving in snow and ice.

Furthermore, with a severe cold snap approaching once more this year, how many of us have started packing an emergency kit to chuck in the boot in case we break down and get stuck in freezing conditions for hours on end?

If you missed the show (which you probably did…..), don’t worry, we’re looking out for a link that will let you watch it at your leisure.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Goodyear Dunlop marked the official inauguration of its new tyres testing centre in Meuspath, which is close to the world-famous Nürburgring racetrack, earlier this month.

The tyres manufacturer announced that the tyre test facility is an important institution both for the ongoing further development of its products and for training and education purposes.

The 600 square metre site contains a range of equipment, including a complete tyre mounting workshop and hydraulic lifts, and will employ up to 15 test personnel during peak periods. The centre’s close proximity to the Nürburgring circuit’s Nordschleife track also counts as a major asset for Goodyear Dunlop, according to a report in Tyres and Accessories.

Jürgen Spielmann, general director at Goodyear Dunlop’s Development Center Hanau, said: “Nowhere are test conditions as ideal as on the Nordschleife: 20.8 kilometres, 73 curves and an altitude variation of almost 300 metres – no other circuit is as demanding as the Nordschleife.

“Hence this course in the Eifel qualifies as a yardstick for upcoming production models and the tyres fitted to them. Every kilometre on the Nordschleife is as hard as ten kilometres on a normal road.”

By Denna Bowman

Air pumps on garage forecourts could become a thing of the past thanks to new self-inflating tyres which are being developed by Goodyear, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

The new tyres will always maintain the correct pressure, automatically adding more air if necessary.

The invention will eliminate the need for drivers to have to manually check their tyre pressure and pump them up if needed.

The breakthrough will not cure or prevent a puncture, but it will increase fuel efficiency and safety, according to Goodyear.

The company believes the invention could prove to be the biggest shake-up the industry has seen since the pneumatic tyre was invented in 1845.

Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear’s chief technology officer, said: “A tyre that can maintain its own inflation is something drivers have wanted for years. This will become the kind of technological breakthrough that people will wonder how they lived without.”

Precise details of how the tyre works are still a closely guarded secret and Goodyear says the system is at least two years away from commercial use.

The Caravan Times has picked up on the story that Goodyear is working on a new innovation that could means their readers would never have to worry about re-inflating their tyres again.

Caravan and motorhome owners know more than most what a pain tyres-related problems can be - which is why our mobile fitting service is so popular with them, because we can replace their worn or damaged tyres at their home so they don’t have to squeeze their vehicle into a tyre depot.

Now Goodyear’s announcement that it is only a matter of time before work is completed on a tyre that automatically reinflates to the right level when required is will make their lives even easier.

The Air Maintenance Technology system will see a small pump included in each tyre that automatically inflates it to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure.

Keeping the correct tyre pressure on both the towcar and the tourer can help caravan owners to be more fuel-efficient - especially on long journeys.

Such technology should also improve safety, as tyre blowouts are one of the most common causes of caravan accidents.

Denna Bowman, Head Office