Michelin Pilot Super Sport Equips Gumperi, Ferrari and Koenigsegg High-Speed Cars
Although Michelin launched its Pilot Super Sport tire in the beginning of 2011, the tire has already been noticed and praised as one of the best high-speed tires in the world. Moreover, such car makers as Gumperi, Ferrari and Koenigsegg have expressed their wish to use the tire as Original Equipment for their new high-performance vehicles.
The tire is designed for all-wheel drive vehicles and delivers maximum safety in extreme situations. It benefits from three newest technologies, namely the Twaron, the Bi-Compound and the Variable Contact Patch 2.0.
The Twaron technology means the inclusion of highly durable fiber into cord structure to ensure safe high-speed driving, while the Bi-Compound means innovative technology of rubber compounding worked out by Michelin. The Variable Contact Patch 2.0 in its turn optimizes contact patch shape to maximize road-wheel contact.
Ferrari FF will be fitted with the Pilot Super Sport tires sized 245/35 ZR 20 (front axle) and 295/45 ZR 20 (rear axle). Michelin will also equip the new Koenigsegg Agera R powerful car with its new tire to improve the vehicles’ handling on dry and wet roads. Gumpert has also chosen this tire for its new super car called the Tornate that will feature the 265/35 ZR19 tire on a front axle and the 345/30 ZR20 on a rear axle.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport was tested in the company’s test center in France. It allows your car to develop speeds of up to 260 mph, which makes it the world’s highest-speed tire.
Earthquake in Japan Stopped the Work of Yokohama and Falken Plants
The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan not long time ago brought to a stop the work of Falken and Yokohama automotive plants situated on the territory of the country. The plants didn’t suffer that great losses, so the production will be partially resumed in the nearest time.
Yokohama also decided to donate 50 million yen (about 440,000 Euro) to various organizations that deal with aftereffects of the March flood. The company presents their condolences to families of the dead and hopes that the area will be restored soon.
T. Ikeuchi, Falken financial director made a statement that one of their plants ceased everyday production operations due to power cutoffs as well as partially damaged plant buildings and equipment. Now the company estimates the scale of damage and is going to do its best to start working as soon as possible. Mr Ikeuchi also stated that nobody of Sumitomo employees or the members of their families suffered from the disaster.
Falken expresses its gratitude for all the calls and e-mails and states that they work to ensure regular delivery of their production to the customers.
The German Continental company shows their sympathy with the Japanese and is going to donate 250,000 million Euro to help people from destroyed areas. They are concerned about their employees in Japan, so do Michelin, Bridgestone and Toyo companies. The latter didn’t suffer much from the tsunami; however, their plants didn’t work for some time due to power cutoff.
The Biggest Tires in the World
Wheels and tires can be really big exceeding the height of people in some applications. It is dumpers and heavy-duty trucks that are equipped with such giant tires. Can you imagine how much money is needed to make such a tire set only for a dumper? Actually, dumper tires cost more than a passenger cars.
Giant dumpers should be equipped with giant tires, that’s why the size of dumpers depends to a large extent on tire manufacturers rather than on customers’ wishes or market research. In 1959 Michelin tire company launched the first large dumper tire, but for the industry needed durable tires, first giant dumpers appeared only in the 1970-s.
In 1976 Michelin made a real breakthrough in technology by unveiling a 57-inch tire, which opened the way to giantomania in extractive industry. Fifty-seven inches was the biggest tire size possible at that time and it was true for another two decades, but in 1990-s the Caterpillar company created a dumper with unprecedented carrying capacity of 345 tons. It was launched fitted with 63-inch tires made again by Michelin engineers. Each of the six tires was to carry as much as 104 tons of weight. The might of the Caterpillar dumper was surpassed only by the Liebherr T282B that could carry 363 tons of freight.
Nowadays the largest tires measure 59 inches and are put into mass production by Bridgestone and Michelin companies. Michelin 59/80R63 XDR, for instance, features an extra-deep tread picture and hence offers long mileage, which results into its impressive price tag ($60 000). It weighs 5 tons and features 890 kg of iron to ensure 100-ton carrying capacity and excellent durability. Its rubber is enough for making 600 passenger tires.
Many people wonder whether there will be tires bigger than 63-inch ones. The experts give a “No” answer. It is restricted by the possibilities of their transportation. Cargo ships, planes and trains are designed to carry tires measuring 4.3 meters in diameter while the biggest Michelin tires features a 4.03-meter diameter. In theory, the size of tires can be increased, but there’s little practical use while it will costs large sums of money.
The Secret of Airless Tires
New technologies bring us new perception of life. They make it more convenient,easy and stylish. This is the main advantage of contemporary inventions. If we turn our attention to innovations, concerning the sphere of automobile industry, we may notice that new developments are rather creative and useful too.
Michelin Company takes into account the practical improvements of its goods in order to provide a good quality of them. So, lets explore the characteristics of the new intellectual tires, which have been introduced by Michelin.
Tweel is a new technology of manufacturing tires which allows to ride without inflate them. Airless tires is a kind of alternative for inflated regular ones. A tire is put on a wheel, and plastic bands are used instead of the normal sidewall. The material, which is used in their production is polymer, that’s why the tires are rather flexibile and provide support in difficult situations. Thanks to this invention you don’t need to worry that your tire can be punctured or have a flat. Besides, you don’t need to suffer from air valves and air compressors at gas stations.
Of course, airless tires are the tires of future, but they have their drawbacks as well. One of the most serious ones is the vibration of such tires, which appears while driving at high speed. The other difficulties, caused by them, are heating and noise.
It has been decided to use this tires for military purporses of the US, as they rather safe and convenient and have a form of a honeycomb.
