Dandelions Can Replace Natural and Synthetic Caoutchouc in Future
Munster University has just completed a research to make a tremendous discovery that can settle a new trend in a tire-making industry. The scientists have found out that rubber compound made from dandelions doesn’t yield to any rubber compound used nowadays.
This fact can make dandelions a new raw material for tire production. So tire manufacturers, the Continental company in particular, has already got interested in the research and together with other scientific research institutions and manufacturers will strive to transform the idea into a commercial product. By the way, the idea has already been awarded at the Land den Ideen (the Land of Ideas) national competition where the jury pointed out to the great potential it shows.
Continental hopes that dandelions can replace latex derived from caoutchouc trees in future. This can solve a big problem of nowadays connected with the lack of rubber. Rubber comes from the south-eastern Asia and the world demand for it has already exceeded the offer. Moreover, caoutchouc trees are affected by parasitic fungus.
The problem isn’t connected with synthetic rubber that is also used now but since its price depends on oil prices and the prices grow up, dandelion rubber can be an excellent replacement for both natural and synthetic rubber. Still, the idea could be realized no sooner that in five years.
Continental Claims Passenger Tread Pictures Move On to SUV Tires
One of the Continental company departments has come to an interesting conclusion lately. They spotted a diverting tendency in a tire-making industry, namely that fact that visual difference between passenger and all-wheel drive vehicles like SUVs is likely to disappear in the nearest time.
The tendency came into force due to the rapid development of asphalt SUV tire segment. These tires match the requirement of those drivers who need predictable handling, low fuel consumption and acoustic comfort passenger vehicles are known for. That’s why Continental maintains that passenger tire tread pattern will be more and more often used for the tires designed for 4WD vehicles. It is also encouraged by new legislation concerning noise level.
Consumers wish new crossovers had efficient fuel consumption. To achieve it, automotive and tire manufacturers work under the development of tires with low rolling resistance, which often results in “passenger-like” tread picture.
Continental has a good example of this tendency in its own tire line-up, namely the Continental ContiSportContact 5 model that is going to appear in UHP modification as well as in sizes fitting SUVs soon.
On the other hand, there’s a separate niche in the market for true off-road tires that are used by people who drive off the road. All-Terrain and Mud-Terrain tires features excellent off-road capabilities and will be always in demand, so they are not likely to disappear completely. So the main task of tire-makers is to create off-road tires that would show a lower level of noise on a highway while retaining all its off-road capabilities. Continental claims to achieve this goal with its new Continental AT tire line-up.
Renault Creates Its Own Motrio Impulsion and Impulsion + Tires
Renault becomes the first automotive manufacturer to offer British customers its own tires. The tires branded Motrio were put to the market on the 1st of February and are designed to complement with “older” Renault car models. Renault assures the highest quality of its new tire that matches the company’s high-quality cars. The price per set is £36 including mounting.
There’re two models in Renault tire line-up, the Motrio Impulsion and the Motrio Impulsion +. The former ensure comfortable ride on compact cars like Twingo and Clio while the latter is designed for sporty models.
Renault advertizes both tires as those featuring low-noise operation even at high speeds, effective braking as well as providing for steering precision when cornering. The tires are long-lived, so they help reduce your expenses on car maintenance.
Since tire replacement is the most widespread reason for visiting service centers perhaps, after repairs) and tires are the most expensive thing drivers need, the quality of the tire is of highest importance. Renault managed to combine its high-class quality and attractive price tag with this tire, so you get reliable equipment for your car that is moreover praised by one of the leading car makers.
Hankook, Goodyear and Yokohama Become Winner of Tire Technology International Awards Ceremony
This year the Tire Technology International Awards ceremony took place in Koln (Germany). The main award was given to Hankook company who became Tire Manufacturer of the Year. Goodyear was the first in Tire Technology of the Year while Yokohama won the first prize for being Ecological Achievement of the Year.
Jury members were extremely impressed by the development of Hankook company over the latest twelve months, which would likely make it the fifth world’s largest tire manufacturer in a couple of years.
Jin-Wook Choi, the executive manager and the head of European Hankook department said that they are very glad to get such an award for it means the recognition of their philosophy of standing growth. He added that the previous year was a great success for the company, which became thanks to the hard work of their employees.
The second and the third prizes in this category were given to Apollo and Bridgestone companies.
Goodyear was awarded thanks to its high-performance UltraGrip Ice+ frictional winter tire highly praised by the jury. It was called an impressive tire designed to manage the most problematic roads in the world, the ice-covered roads of Scandinavia. Marс Junio, the general director of Goodyear Innovative center in Luxemburg – it is where the tire was worked out – said that they are proud of their tire’s performance and are glad to be the best among winter tire manufacturers.
Speaking about Yokohama company, jury members stressed that the company’s numerous ecological projects weren’t unnoticed while the most impressive one was the one dealing with bio diversity preservation. In the frames of that project Yokohama carried out a profound research on how its activities affect the environment and tried to reduce negative influence on it caused by the use of natural rubber and mineral resources.
