Brief Tire History
On 10 June, 1846 an application was sent to a patent office. It said: “The essence of my invention lies in the application of elastic supporting surfaces around rims of the carriage wheels. The technology will allow to spend less energy to make them move as well as reduce the level of noise that they create.”
Robert William Thomson marked the era of tires by this invention. Since those times the tire has continued its victorious procession on the planet. In spite of the remoteness Thomson described the essence of his invention on an extremely high technical level. He not only described the design but also clearly determined the production technology.
Initially the tire rested upon the wooden rim with wooden spokes. The rim was reinforced by metal insertion. The tire itself consisted of layers of cloth drenched in rubber. The pieces of leather reinforced by metal rivets contacted with the road surface. The first specimens of tires showed substantial decrease of energy spent on the moving of carriages. The great plus was excellent comfort and high noiselessness of riding. All this determined further vector of the development of wheels for vehicles. Since then the design of the tires has been constantly changing.
Unfortunately after the death of the inventor in 1873 the design of Thomson was almost forgotten. In 1888 a common Scottish veterinarian John Dunlop applied pieces of garden hose and wide hoops for the three-wheel bicycle of his son. The result exceeded all expectations – the shaky carriage turned into reliable and comfortable vehicle.
The success inspired the inventor and 1890 he founded a company that manufactured rubber products. However, Dunlop forgot about the patent owners. The court made him leave the business. The small reward was the preservation of the company’s name.
Pirelli Yielded to Hankook On The European Market?
Will Hankook push out Pirelli from the top five tire manufacturers of Europe?
The market research conducted by Hankook showed that the Michelin company remains an absolute leader on the tire market (both in segments of passenger and truck tires). At the same time a new player appeared in the previously stable top five – namely Hankook.
Why did Hankook decided to publish its research now, after one of the most difficult periods in the history of the market? It can be explained by the fact that 2009 was an extremely successful year for the Korean company. The peculiar combination of factors has changed the state of affairs during last 12 months. The major question now – will Hankook be able to retain its positions in Europe in the following years?
Here is the forecast of Hankook for the end of 2009 (passenger tires market): Michelin will remain the leader with the market stake of 20%, the second place goes to Goodyear Dunlop (18%), the third – to Bridgestone (12%), Pirelli has 8%. The most interesting fact here is that Hankook holds the 7th place with 7%. It means that its lagging behind Pirelli is not so big.
What concerns truck tires the first place again goes to Michelin (32%), the second place – Goodyear Dunlop (18%), Continental holds 16% of the market, Bridgestone – 13%. According to Hankook, it performs even better in this segment and holds the 5th place thus having overtaken Pirelli.
Since December has just begun the data can be regarded only as a forecast. At the same time Hankook gives 18% to other companies what means that its research is based on the analysis of the whole market. It also cannot be the result of companies that are members of ERMC Europool because the stake of Cooper and Trelleborg would be much higher in this case. Thus, there may be doubts regarding the correctness of the data in respect of sales volumes of Cooper, Kumho, GTRadial, Nexen, Nokian, Toyo, Yokohama etc. The rise of their stake will inevitably lead to the reduction of that of the five major companies. Anyway, only time can eliminate the doubts.
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.
SP Winter Response – New Tire By Dunlop
The Dunlop company has always been popular among the most choosy drivers. New SP Winter Response tire has been designed exclusively for this consumer segment.
Asymmetric tread pattern divided into three functional areas ensures not only exceptional driving performance but also the highest hydroplaning resistance level thanks to derange channels that remind turbine blades. The tread was designed to minimize noise level and provide maximum driving comfort. All this makes Dunlop SP Winter Response modern, safe and reliable winter tire that is ideal for compact-class vehicles.
The main objectives of the Dunlop engineers were steering accuracy and steering response. A special technology of siping was applied to meet these objectives. As a matter of fact, two different types of sipes are used in the tread. The sipes situated at shoulder area provide outstanding driving force and extremely short braking distance. The sipes at the central area are high-amplitude and ensure optimal lateral skid.
The newest research enabled the Dunlop engineers to develop a rubber compound that preserves high elasticity even at extremely low temperatures. The tread remains elastic guaranteeing excellent traction in any weather conditions. At the same time it allows to retain ultimate braking performance without sacrificing durability and rolling resistance increase. Moreover, the improved rubber compound that is used for the manufacture of SP Winter Response facilitates decrease of rolling resistance what results in reduction of CO2 exhaust.
The steering accuracy blended with high comfort level is gained through the special construction of the tire carcass. First time in the history of tire manufacture the nylon bands at the shoulder area are situated more densely than at the center of the tread. This allowed to stabilize the tire’s shoulders and ensure elasticity at the central area.
Dunlop SP Winter Response is ideal for city conditions and is not afraid of snow, ice and water.
