Tire Tracker November: Fitments, testing, innovations

Latest news on fitments, testing and related innovations from the global tire industry:

South Korea: Hankook Tire is continuing its partnership with Nissan, supplying the company's “next-generation 2024 Frontier” with two fitments: the all-terrain Dynapro AT2 in size 265/70R17 and the premium all-season Dynapro HT in size P265/70R16. Both fitments will be produced at Hankook's manufacturing plant in Tennessee, US. Hankook has been an OE supplier for the Nissan Frontier since 2015 and the current generation Frontier since 2021. The two companies have collaborated since 2013, providing fitments for models such as the Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Rogue.

Germany: Italian manufacturer of commercial vehicles Iveco has selected Continental as the exclusive tire supplier for its eDaily 42S van. The tire manufacturer will equip the all-electric van with matching VanContact Ultra and VanContact Eco summer tires, VanContact 4 Season all-season tires and VanContact Winter tires.

Japan: Bridgestone received the Airbus supplier award in the sustainability category by Airbus, during a supplier conference in Toulouse, France, last month. The award, said Bridgestone, recognises Bridgestone's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from manufacturing; value natural resources through recycling and retreading; and working with Airbus to reduce environmental impact across entire lifecycle of aircraft.

Finland: Nokian Tyres has joined the Swedish “Polestar 0” electric vehicle project to create a climate-neutral car by 2030. The project aims to eliminate “all greenhouse gas emissions” from the production and end-of-life of the car. Nokian will contribute to the project by developing “climate-neutral premium tires”. The Finnish tire maker aims to leverage its R&D expertise, and its currently under-construction plant in Romania which is claimed to be “world’s first zero CO2 emission tire factory” for the project.

Japan: Yokohama Rubber is supplying its flagship Advan V35 tires as OE to Porsche AG for the facelift model of the Cayenne premium SUV. The tires are supplied in sizes 285/40R22 110V for the front and 315/35R22 111V for rear. The Cayenne SUVs are also being fitted with Advan Sport V107 ultra-high-performance tires. The Advan V35, according to Yokohama Rubber, has been developed for a “wide range of road conditions” from dry to wet or snowy and bears the “M+S (mud & snow)” marking. The tire is also claimed to enhance fuel efficiency and delivery “superior” drivability.

UK: The National Tyre Distributors Association (NDTA) named Continental as 'tire manufacturer of the year' during a ceremony 19 Oct. The German-basd manufacturer beat off competition from Bridgestone, Hankook, Pirelli and Prometeon Tyres to win the UK industry award. Continental, said NTDA CEO Stefan Hay, demonstrated “excellence and innovation” in product development as well as “across every single aspect of the business”.

Italy: For the current generation of Maserati GranTurismo (GT) vehicles – recently introduced in two versions, with traditional and electric powertrains – Pirelli has developed three specific tire sets, each with different sizes for the front (20") and rear (21"). For warm weather driving, the ICE variant features the Pirelli P Zero, while the GranTurismo Folgore offers the P Zero with an Elect marking, indicating specific technologies for electric cars. To provide control and handling even in cold weather, the GT can be equipped with the Pirelli P Zero Winter, approved by Maserati for winter conditions for both powertrains. The P Zero is produced using advanced virtual modelling and simulation to tailor the tire to each car's characteristics. Maserati asked for tires that provide a high level of driving comfort and low noise, especially regarding the P Zero Elect tires on the Folgore, which underwent additional development to achieve the desired level of quietness. “State-of-the-art compounds also allow for high lateral and longitudinal accelerations typical of a grand touring car,” added Pirelli.

Japan: Sumitomo Rubber Industries has started supplying high-performance Falken “Ziex ZE001 A/S” all-season tires to Subaru as OE fitment for the latest Levorg Layback model, unveiled in September. The tires are claimed to provide "all-around high performance", combining "outstanding steering stability" with "excellent fuel efficiency" on both dry roads and snow. 

More to follow...