Rubber Manufacturers Have Repealed Export Restrictions
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, the major states-manufacturers of rubber in the world, repealed export restrictions due to the rise of demand and cost of raw materials, reports Bloomberg.
“The prices have risen considerably and the market has begun to revive while shipments and stock volumes are remaining on the low level”, - said Abdul Rasip Latiff, the general manager of International Rubber Consortium Ltd. The decision on the repeal of the export restrictions was taken last week at the meeting of the International Trilateral Council of Rubber Manufacturers.
The cost of the natural rubber has risen by 81% this year as it has been expected that the growth of prices for raw oil and rapid development of the car market in China (which is now the major consumer of rubber in the world) will increase the demand on this raw material. The growth of the Chinese economy has amounted to 8,9% during the third quarter of 2009, and the price for oil has grown by 70% this year what has made the natural rubber more attractive than its analogues made from oil products.
“We had a program on the price growth, and we reached our objectives”, - noted Abdul Rasip Latiff during his telephone interview.
The rates of may futures fell by 9,1 yen to 244 yen per kilo ($2,838 per ton) at the Tokyo Commodity Exchange. Within a few recent months the price has been falling due to the growth of yen exchange rate what has weakened the interest to contracts denominated in yen.
The total yield of rubber in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia amounts to around 7 million tons per year, three countries restricted the export of rubber to 690 000 tons for the period from January to July, and to 700 000 tons in December to prevent the rapid fall of prices.
Heavy rain in south provinces of Thailand, where major rubber plantations are situated, can damage the production, confirmed Abdul Rasip Latiff.
Goodyear Eco-tires Became One Of “100 Most Innovative Goods Of The Year”
The editorial staff of Popular Science magazine put Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tire in the list of “100 most innovative goods of the year”.
“We are very glad that the editors of Popular Science highly appraised the innovative technologies that are applied in the production of Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, - said Steve McClellan, the president of consumer tires department of North-American subdivision of Goodyear. – Our process of new products development is based primarily on the market research – at first we find out which tires need our buyers, after that we develop innovative solutions that have new advantages”.
Goodyear works hard so that its technologies can correspond to the needs and preferences of the buyers. The award like this as well as high consumer demand on our tires proves that we are moving in the right direction”.
Mark Jannot, chief editor of Popular Science, said that “The best from the new” award is the main award of the magazine and 100 winners chosen from thousands of participants represent achievements of the highest level in their branches. “For 22 years we have been awarding innovations that impress and delight us – innovations that can positively influence the today’s world and change our opinion about its future.”
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max features special fuel-efficient compound that allows to decrease the loss of energy when rolling what in its turn decreases fuel consumption level. The tire reduces fuel consumption by 4%, i.e. during its service life the tire allows to make 3000 miles more spending the same amount of fuel.
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max has also been chosen for the equipment of the most fuel-efficient cars such as 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2010 Ford Fusion S, 2010 Toyota Prius.
The tire is also available on the secondary market, and the consumers have already appraised its exceptional traction throughout the whole year as well as the wide range of sizes that make the tire suitable for 80% of passenger cars.
Continental: Pseudowinter Tires With M+S Mark Overflowed The Market
Continental experts warn that one shouldn’t buy so-called winter tires in spite of the presence of M+S (Mud & Snow) mark as they are not suitable for winter conditions.
The reason is that the directive of the European Union doesn’t describe in detail the features that M+S tires must have. It means that the mark can be put according to the will of the manufacturer. The fact that the standard equipment of American cars includes all-season tires means that even summer tires produced in Asia are marked M+S. Of course, such tires are not intended for winter conditions.
The experts of Continental warn the consumers that they should be sure about the winter properties of the chosen tires.
Austrian motorcycle, automobile and tourist club OAMTC has recently tested summer tires with M+S mark. “The braking distance on the snow-covered surface at 30mph speed is two times longer if to compare with normal winter tires” – says Friedrich Eppel, the expert of OAMTC. “When the car equipped with winter tires had already stopped, the car equipped with low-quality tires continued to move at 25mph speed”.
Tests of haul capability at the beginning of the ride also showed alarming results – any driver who starts riding on snow-covered parking area or slippery road will threaten the safety of other road traffic participants due to the use of such tires. The tested car equipped with the tires needed twice as much time to pass a sprint from 0 to 20mph on snow.
Start from the crossing or slope will depend more on the luck that on the driving skills. Mr. Eppel concluded that one should buy exclusively winter tires and consult with experts instead of choosing the tire by the price. “If You buy cheap tires, You can face sad consequences later.”
Continental recommends to buy real winter tires marked with snowflake symbol and minimal tread depth of 0,15 inches.
Winter Set For Aston Martin
Cargrpaphic studio presented wheel/tire sets for the owners of Aston Martin who want to preserve showy looks of their cars in winter.
One of the disadvantages of sport cars is that the summer tires become rigid and unstable with the advent of winter and fall of the temperature. As a result their performance worsens to a great extent.
Besides this, salt and road garbage begin to leave spots on the polished wheels. That’s why German tuning studio Cargraphic presented a set of wheels/tires for Aston Martin (V8 Vantage and DB9) that not only makes the looks of the car more attractive in any time of the year but also provides optimal traction performance. The set consists of solid Cargrpahic IS-ONE wheels developed exclusively for low temperatures and Dunlop Wintersport M3 and Dunlop Wintersport 3D tires.
The unique manufacturing process guarantees outstanding performance of IS-ONE forged wheels. The blank is straightened at high temperature and then shaped. All the wheels are produced solely in Germany what guarantees excellent quality of Cargraphic. The elegant design of bifurcated spokes perfectly combines with the design of Aston Martin and emphasizes the sport spirit of the British car.
To make the looks of Aston Martin attractive in the winter period the wheels were covered with colorless lacquer that protects the surface from salt and negative influence of winter conditions. Cargraphic IS-ONE are available both separately and in combination with winter tires of different sizes. The first set consist of 8.5×19” wheels at the front and 9.5×19” wheels at the back, as well as Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires (sizes 235/40R19 and 275/35R19). There is one more set that can be ordered – 9.5×19” wheels at the front, 11.5×19” wheels at the back, plus Dunlop Wintersport 3D tires (255/35R19 and 295/30R19).
If the owner of Aston Martin doesn’t want to mount old wheels with the advent of spring, Cargraphic offers similar sets for the summer period.
