Michelin Aircraft Tire Company has launched a new promotion intended to tempt aircraft tyre buyers over to the Michelin brand. The “Upgrade to Michelin” programme began on April 1 in the United States, offering customers a 20 per cent instant rebate if they choose to convert the main landing gear tyres on their aircraft to the Michelin brand.

A 25 per cent discount on the purchase price of Michelin Aircraft tyres is being offered to those who convert all main and nose landing gear tyres on their aircraft from a competitors to the Michelin brand. The promotion was launched through Michelin’s Authorised Service Centres and is a State-side campaign to tempt aircraft tyre buyers over to the French brand.

The director of general aviation sales for the Michelin Aircraft Tire Company, Terry Schultz, commented on the two-way benefit of the promotional program, stating that: “[the program] challenges existing centres to utilise the tools and resources we have designed to expand their sales and receive rewards in return.” The offer extends to the purchase of Michelin Air, Michelin Air X, and Michelin Aviator products.

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Goodyear has launched an informative radio campaign to promote tyre safety and maintenance awareness. The campaign corresponds to the company’s website, MyGoodyear.co.uk, which was recently launched to offer safety and preventative maintenance advice as well as suggestions for ‘Good Days Out’ across the U.K. The Goodyear website launch has been broadcast along with interviews on air across nineteen local and regional radio stations this week, reaching a potential audience of over 1.4 million.

The Goodyear ‘Good Days Out’ feature is designed with the May Bank holidays and the better weather in mind. As James Bailey, Communications Manager, states: “it is the perfect time to start thinking about places to go across the UK. MyGoodyear.co.uk, in conjunction with our DriveHomeSafely partnership, offers advice on where to go, but also on how to get there safely”.

Bailey emphasises that “preventative tyre maintenance can mean the difference between a brilliant bank holiday and a potentially tragic weekend, and we are urging drivers to carry out simple pressure and tread depth checks before setting out.” The website aims for diversity, providing “inspiration for people looking for a fun bank holiday weekend with an eclectic range of suggestions from organic food markets to a sheep and goat Grand National!”

The Goodyear radio press conference reached a wide audience, targeting listeners across the U.K, from Cornwall to Aberdeenshire, with live broadcasts on four of the nineteen stations. The campaign pre-empts the UN Global Road Safety Week, which runs from April 23rd to 29th and aims to reduce the number of fatal road accidents on the world’s roads and decrease the 1.2 million traffic-accident death toll. During the UN Global Road Safety Week, a coordinated programme of training and awareness campaigns will be running throughout the country.

Goodyear prides itself on its commitment to road safety, and is a founding member of TyreSafe as well as a partner of the Institute of Advanced Motorists to promote driver training and tyre safety.

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An independent tyre test has found the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 to be Australia’s top choice tyre for large cars. Goodyear Dunlop’s Australian and New Zealand operation, South Pacific Tyres, also received merit for the Dunlop Sport Maxx as the best tyre for medium to small cars.

The tyre tests were conducted by Wheels Magazine, a leading Australian motoring publication that was the first of its kind for the country when it hit newsagents in 1953. Wheels Magazine released its Tyre Test 2007 issue in March, promising readers that its research was “exhaustive”. The six brands that were represented at the Wheels Magazine tyre test were Bridgestone, Goodyear, Pirelli, Dunlop, Hankook and Falken. The magazine claims that other leading brands were “invited to take part, but declined”.

The Wheels’ Tyre Test was adapted in 2007 from the previous year in order to create two separate categories for tyre testing. While in 2006 the tests were conducted on 17-inch tyres alone, this year’s tests were run on 245/45R 18 tyres and 205/55R 16 tyres. The tyres were mounted on a 6 litre V8 Holden Commodore SS and a turbo diesel VW Golf respectively, which were driven by professional rally and race drivers who tested cornering, braking and hot laps on wet and dry roads.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tyre beat the Bridgestone Potenza to win the 18-inch category, leaving testers particularly impressed with the Eagle F1’s wet breaking and wet hot lap abilities. In the 16-inch category, the Dunlop Sport Maxx on the VW Golf made an impression in the categories of dry breaking and wet hot lap, beating the Pirelli Zero Nero OE tyre.

South Pacific Tyres New Zealand’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Frank Hughes, stated: “Tyre design and construction involves trade-offs in different performance factors. For example, handling, cornering and braking in the wet or the dry can all be altered by the design and construction of the tyre, the tread pattern and the rubber compounds used.”

“These tests show that the Eagle F1 in the large size and the Dunlop Sport Maxx in the smaller size offer the best package for the average driver in a wide range of conditions,” added Mr Hughes, going on to announce on behalf of the company that he was “especially pleased with the critical wet braking performance which was over three percent better for the Eagle F1 GS-D3 than the Bridgestone Potenza which is the original equipment fitment on the Commodore.” Mr Hughes went on to state that “the Eagle F1 is a massive seven percent better than the worst tyre in the class. At the point when the Goodyear tyre had stopped the car, when fitted with the worst tyre, it would still be travelling and potentially crashing at 16 km/h,” he eagerly concluded.

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Following the trend of big brand tyre companies forced to increase tyre prices owing to the escalated costs of raw material, Continental had inflated its commercial tyre prices. Continental Tire North America (CTNA) announced that it would increase its prices by up to 5 per cent on all Continental, Semperit, General and private brand truck tyres, and that the said increase would take effect on May 1.

As with many of the tyre companies who have instigated a price increase, Continental claims to be apologetic for the price adjustment, stating that increased prices for the customer are the unavoidable result of inflation within the tyre market. Despite Continental’s sophisticated new advertising campaign, launched in March 2007, economists claim that automotive sales have little to no effect on the rising tyre prices because of fluctuations in sales throughout the year.

However, many officials are optimistic about the effect of increased tyre prices on the environment, believing that the price adjustments will encourage more tyre-recycling. For an insight into the Etyres Green Policy, visit: http://www.etyres.co.uk/green-policy

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Michelin has announced that its Primacy high performance tyre proved to be a popular choice for car manufacturers in the year following its initial production. The company claims that the Michelin Primacy tyre has been approved as OE for 13 new vehicles, with OE agreements covering a diverse range of automotive vehicles. Michelin claims that its tyres are featured on at least one model in every vehicle category of the 2007 car market, including saloons, minivans and sports coupes.

Some of the cars sporting Michelin Primacy high performance tyres in 2007 include the Audi A3, A4 and TT, the Ford Galaxy and Mondeo, the Citro? Picasso, the Kia Cee’d and Opirus, the Lexus GS, the Toyota Auris, the Peugeot 607, the Volvo S80 and the Renault Laguna.

As well as its pleasing popularity with car manufacturers, the Michelin Primacy tyre has attracted a satisfying amount of media attention. The tyre was introduced to the market with a bold claim from Michelin, who advertised it as having a 25 per cent longer tread life than its competitors in the premium range. This statistic was provided in 2005 by the German firm, T? S? Automotive, after tyre tests were conducted and found the Michelin Primacy to stand out from other leading brand tyres.

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Having claimed victory in the opening two rounds of the 2007 British Superbike Championship, Dunlop has continued its winning streak by scoring top place in an independent test of superbike tyres. One of the UK’s leading monthly magazines, ‘Superbike’, conducted tyre tests in order to assess the leading fast-read and track day tyres on the market. The magazine tested only road-legal tyres, but concentrated on the needs of a fast-growing track day market. The tests were centred upon the increasing amount of bike owners who frequent race tracks, and as a result, require tyres that are suitable for everyday use as well as being capable of handling top speeds at various intervals.

The tyre test consisted of eight different brands of tyre and was conducted at the challenging Albacete circuit in Spain. Both subjective feedback and measured lap times were collaborated to form the results, with three expert riders exerting the powers of a Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike on the tough track. The Dunlop GP Racer achieved the fastest average lap time of the eight tested brands, claiming a dual first place overall. Jon Pearson, a member of the ‘Superbike’ staff, commented on the effect that the Dunlop GP Racer tyres had on the Suzuki superbike, stating that the bike felt “planted at full lean, especially on the faster, longer corners.”

Dunlop Motorcycle Sales and Marketing Manager, Lisa Faulkner, stated: “The lessons learned in our MotoGP and championship winning British Superbike campaigns translate directly into fast road and track tyres such as the Dunlop GP Racer. The tyre shares its compound technology and construction with many of our race winning tyres.”

Dunlop has designed its GP Racer to be the ultimate fast road and track tyre in its extensive Dunlop road tyre range, which also includes the latest Sportmax Qualifier (road) and Sportmax Qualifier RR (road and track) tyres. Along with the GP Racer, the Sportmax Qualifier has already attracted its share of attention, scoring the highest marks in ‘Ride’ magazine’s reader survey.

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Goodyear will be exclusively supplying the tyres for the right hand drive versions of the GM Hummer H3. Production of the new right hand drive H3 is set to begin in mid-April at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and all vehicles – including those intended for the UK market – will be shod with Goodyear Wrangler tyres. Production of the left-hand drive version of the Hummer H3 has been in motion since last year, for which Goodyear has also supplied the tyres. The US built Hummer is fitted with tyres manufactured by Goodyear North America.

For the South American sector of the Goodyear Company, the production contract for the right-hand drive Hummer H3 is a sign of enthusiasm for the locally produced P256/R16 Wrangler RT/S. The tyre is a new addition to the plant’s production range, and is only manufactured by one other facility in the world. Significant investment has gone into production of the Goodyear Wrangler tyre, including both equipment costs and staff training expenses.

The National Manager of Goodyear Equipment, Norman Newcombe, stated that he was “thrilled” by the decision to make the Uitenhage factory the supplier for the Hummer H3. Mr Newcombe also emphasised the all-round benefit to Goodyear South Africa in being chosen as a supplier for the Hummer, stating that: “the decision is a vote of confidence in Goodyear SA‘s capabilities and facilities”.

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In a bid to reduce costs, Goodyear Tyre and Rubber’s Chairman has announced the company’s plans to begin buying more of its equipment, tyres and raw materials from China. At the annual Goodyear shareholder’s meeting the increasing prices of raw materials was hot on the agenda, and executives pitched ideas on how to relieve the pressure of inflation within the market. Robert Keegan, the Chairman and CEO for Goodyear, emphasised that the company is exploring different ways to quell the rising production costs, claiming that the “initiative will accelerate over the next two years”.

Responding to Keegan’s determined aim, Goodyear Spokesman Keith Price referred to the $35 million that Goodyear saved in 2006 by buying its equipment, raw material and low-end tyres from third parties in China. The company decided that this money-saving initiative was to be continued and increased, while other proposals such as expanded tyre production in China or additional plants in the Dalian facility were not added to Goodyear’s immediate plans.

Goodyear is one of the first companies to announce plans in response to the recent rise of raw material costs which has affected the majority of major-brand tyre manufacturers. Adding to the companies defensive manoeuvre is the effect of recent closures in the US, Canada, England, New Zealand and Morocco which, along with increased raw material prices, has led Goodyear to the resolution that a global initiative to cut costs is necessary. The announcements at the shareholder’s meeting did not include any plans to reduce employment or close production facilities, although Mr Keegan was eager to assert that Goodyear would continue to review cost-reducing opportunities within the next two years.

Despite the import given to reducing costs for the company, the initiatives announced at the shareholder’s meeting do not suggest that Goodyear is in a compromising situation. In fact, Mr Keegan underlined the company’s plans as pre-emptory and ongoing rather than reactive and immediate. He suggested that Goodyear is in a strong position in 2007, stating: “When you combine our core business focus with strong top line growth, a better cost structure and a stronger balance sheet, you have an organisation that is capable of moving forward at a much quicker pace than anything you have seen from Goodyear to date.” Mr Keegan added that “the market is presenting Goodyear with significant opportunities in 2007” and that the company plans “to aggressively capitalise on those opportunities.”

The Chairman summarised Goodyear’s achievements in the last year, referring to the company’s strong product leadership, the improved revenue per tyre and the lower cost structures that have helped Goodyear to excel. Mr Keegan had a positive message for shareholders concerning the company’s increasing strength, stating that: “While there are still plenty of challenges ahead, we now have a proven track record and much stronger business platforms than when our journey began four years ago.”

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Goodyear has announced plans to increase the price of its commercial tyres by up to 5 per cent. The price increase is set to affect Goodyear, Kelly and Dunlop brands of medium truck tyres. Goodyear also plans to hike the price of its OTR tyre tread rubber by up to 5 per cent. The price alterations will take effect on April 2nd 2007.

By announcing price alterations, Goodyear joins a host of top tyre companies increasing costs in the run up to summer. Many of the companies have declared that the price readjustments are a responsive action to an increase in the cost of raw materials.

As tyre rubber becomes more expensive, the effect on the tyre market has been made clear by the recent announcements from premium tyre companies such as Yokohama, Pirelli and Toyo. After a strain of price alteration announcements, the pressure on tyre companies from the shifting cost of materials is apparent.

The affect on Goodyear, which is considered the largest tyre company in the world, indicates that the bulk of the tyre market has felt the pinch from the rising price of raw materials and inflated production costs.

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Tyre-makers frequently look to F1 technology in the development of road car tyres, often using the connection as the unique selling point of their own products. In a reversal of the situation however, it is road tyre technology that will be the secret weapon of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Bridgestone has adapted winter road tyre designs to create a Snow Tyre suitable for racing in extreme conditions. The result is the Potenza F1 extreme weather tyre; a winter tyre partially inspired by the Bridgestone Noranza studded tyre.

Bridgestone Motorsport has created a special, limited edition, F1 Potenza Snow tyre following a request from the BMW Sauber F1 Team. The F1 Team are set to hold a demonstration at the prestigious White Turf horse racing event held in St. Mortiz, Switzerland, and require special tyres for the extreme Swiss weather conditions that the BMW Sauber F1.06 will have to face.

The F1 Snow Tyres are produced by the Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Centre in Tokyo and come specially adapted with 420 studs on the front tyres and 588 studs on the rear tyres. The studs are manually inserted by Bridgestone technicians, taking over 16 hours of labour time to carefully affix the 2,016 total studs into the double layer of tread compound on a single set of tyres.

The tyre studs, which are formed from tungsten and encased with aluminium, are specially designed to provide enhanced grip on icy and snow-compacted surfaces. Experts anticipate that the Swiss resort of St. Mortiz, where the BMW Sauber will be demonstrated by the F1 team, will be susceptible to the severe conditions for which the Snow Tyres are designed. Recent weather reports have indicated a decrease in temperature, with overnight conditions dropping to approximately minus 15 degrees Celsius in the St. Mortiz resort.

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