Hot Winter Wheels
If you’re busy ordering winter tires right now, don’t forget about the wheels. It’s July. It’s hot. You’re about to melt, and it’s time to think about winter wheels? That’s right ®“ winter wheel season will be creeping upon us in a few months. So, why not talk about winter wheels now? Just like winter
A ‘Direct’ Mandate
Since last year, the writers of the rules have been working overtime at what might be D.C.’s most harried agency, NHTSA. It started in August 2003, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit tossed out NHTSA’s call for indirect tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in its final rulemaking on the subject.
Industry Report
Working its way out from under a $728,000 deficit, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) is closing its Louisville, Ky., offices and training center and consolidating all of its operations at the association’s headquarters in Bowie, Md. The move was announced Jan. 12 and is effective as of Feb. 1.
Industry Report
Master contract talks between Bridgestone Americas Holding (BAH) and the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) shattered Nov. 13 after union negotiators walked out of a bargaining meeting claiming the company’s contract proposal was "so far off the mark" and setting the stage for a possible strike at BAH tire plants across North America.
Run-Flat Tires: Growth Slow Amid Cost, Performance and Acceptance Issues
Run-Flat Growth Slow Amid Cost, Performance and Acceptance Issues It seems like it was a long time ago when we first heard that run-flat tires would take over the industry. Drivers saw the added safety potential and never again wanted to change a flat in a driving rainstorm. Because run-flats meant no spare tires, carmakers
Industry Report
With a new three-year labor contract in hand, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. turned its attention to other restructuring issues as it works to right its financial ship. The tiremaker formally announced the closing of its Huntsville, Ala., plant, then laid off about 200 employees from its Tyler, Texas, facility.
Playing to Strengths: Yokohama Looks to Technology to Bolster Its Global Position
As the man ultimately in charge of Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC) tire efforts, Hisao Suzuki is in a unique position to see the global tire industry from multiple perspectives. Suzuki has been instrumental in Yokohama’s recent worldwide successes and growth, and in the recovery of Yokohama Tire Corp. here in the U.S. Suzuki, 63, was
Telematics and Tires: Satellite and Chip Technologies Will Launch a Brave New World
What exactly does the term "telematics" mean? The term has been well used in recent years by commercial vehicle engineers and logistics planners in developing different truck components, data recording and retrieval systems, communications systems and other projects. And it is popping up more and more on the consumer vehicle side, with such services as
Industry Report
RMA Asks NHTSA For Internet OptionLooking to increase the number of tires being registered, the RMA has asked NHTSA for formal permission to allow tire buyers to register to tires via tiremaker Web sites. Allowing "additional, easier choices" would enhance NHTSA’s ability to notify owners in the event of a safety problem with their tires.
Sensing Alternatives
Remember the near-daily news stories about tire-related SUV accidents? And all the finger pointing that tried to pin the cause on the tires or vehicles or, in some cases, even driver error? Well, the dust has settled and the wheels (no pun intended) of the government fix-it-meisters have been turning. The TREAD Act was enacted