J.D.Power: Japanese Consumers are Ready to Pay More for Fuel-Efficient Tires
J.D. Power has lately published the results of their research into consumer perception of the state of the Japanese Original Equipment tire market. The survey is carried out for the tenth time already and now it is mini car, compact passenger car and minivan drivers who were its target audience.
The tires were evaluated according to the following criteria: handling/ traction, comfort/ noise, durability/ safety and appearance.
One of the findings of the research concerns fuel-efficient tires. Nowadays more and more drivers tend to like fuel-efficient tires, which means that tire-makers’ efforts to enhance eco-friendliness of their products weren’t in vain.
Passenger car owners liked tires with low rolling resistance most as well as mini car and compact car owners are likely to decide for them. Moreover, about 30 per cent of drivers are ready to pay more for fuel-efficient tire.
Bridgestone holds the top place in mini car, compact car and minivan segments. Their tires appeared to be the best in four criteria while for a minivan category they are slightly weak in safety/ durability terms. Michelin tires are stable leaders for passenger cars.
The results were made on the base of a survey among 5,419 Japanese who own a new car from 7 to 18 month. The research was conducted in September 2011.
Goodyear Safety Rules Concerning Tires
Goodyear Tire & Rubber experts claim that you can totally count on your vehicle to deliver excellent maneuverability and traction in tough situation only by using a set of new tires every time you have to replace worn ones while changing only for a new pair won’t do you any good.
The research conducted by the company revealed the fact that nearly one third of car owners prefer to mount just two tires instead of four. However, you’ll get much more balanced traction and handling with both front and rear axles being equipped with new tires.
Goodyear states that traction depends on the type of tires we use and, moreover, one shouldn’t mount different front and rear tire pairs on one and the same vehicle. Winter tires deliver performance different from that of all-season tires. Some drivers, for instance, buy two new tires for the front wheels only to increase traction but still it leads to lateral skidding during cornering.
The company recommends you to change tire positions every 6000 miles of driving for it provides for even abrasion and helps the tire retain balanced traction. If you do this more rarely, it causes untimely wear and reduces the tire mileage almost by one third. In addition, new tires, and new winter tires in particular, should be mounted on four wheels at a time to optimize handling and ensure a firm grip in any situation.
Hankook Gets the Prestigious iF Design Award for Its Ventus S1 evo2 Tire
Hankook innovative tire, the Ventus S1 evo2, has been lately granted the prestigious iF Design award. The reason for such high honor appeared an excellent blend of wet and dry traction the tire offers alongside with its fuel-efficient performance.
The iF Design Award was instituted in 1953. Now it is the most important one for industrial design with 4300 products from 48 countries having aspired for it this year.
The tires participating in the competition are strictly evaluated and graded. The awarders take into account several major factors that comprise tire work, namely its safety, the materials used for its development, fuel efficiency and the way it complies with modern technologies.
What helped the Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 win in such a high-level contest? It is several innovative decisions that brought the tire such success. Firstly, it is new groove design that allows for air turbulence in the contact patch area to reduce heat build-up. Secondly, a three-layer construction of tread block enhances grip and stabilizes contact patch shape as the tire wears.
And, thirdly, high-stirol polymer in its rubber compound considerably reduces the tire’s rolling resistance, which helps lower your car’s fuel consumption as well as minimize CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Hankook has been already given this award for its eco-friendly Hankook enfren and Hankook Optimo 4S tires. It happened in 2009.
ACE and GTU Winter Tire Testing – Premium Class Segment
Winter tires are gradually becoming a must for more and more European countries since the Old World faced two severe winters in succession. The tire-makers, in turn, do their best to satisfy growing demand and launch numerous new models. But the main thing is to define how these new tires behave in the wet, on snow and slush.
In this post you’ll find the results of winter tire tests conducted by Automotive Club Europe (ACE) and German Technical Control Society (GTU). They compared eight premium-class tires on a special testing field in the Alps.
The first price was taken by Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 that a bit outperformed the Semperit Speed Grip2 tire. The “Highly Recommended” marking was given to Continental Winter Contact TS 830, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and Pirelli Snow Control Series 3 tires while Nokian WR D3 and MichelinAlpin A4 were granted the “Recommended” sign. The poorest performer was Fulda Kristall Control HP.
Goodyear and Dunlop showed the best snow traction while the others also did well except for a Fulda. In terms on braking on snow it was Continental that outperformed Goodyear while the safest handling was delivered by Goodyear, Dunlop и Pirelli. The real disappointment became the Fulda tire.
When braking distance in the wet was counted, the best tire became the Semperit while the worst one was again Fulda. On a dry road it was Goodyear that won the first price.
In conclusion it should be said that the difference among premium-class tires tends to be smaller than earlier. At the same time one should congratulate Goodyear on the success of their UltraGrip 8 tire.
