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US President Trump urges party supporters not to buy Goodyear tyres

Generally, companies avoid being involved in politics and prefer to remain neutral, minding their own business. Of course, in a democracy, each citizen has the right to choose which political party they want to support but that’s personal and the company they work for would not influence them one way or another. At the same time, to keep things neutral within the company, actions associated with any political parties would be forbidden in the workplace and in policies.

That’s what someone in Goodyear probably wanted to remind people at a training event recently and it came to the attention of Donald Trump, the US President. He had learnt that a presentation slide at the event in one of the tyremaker’s factories was about company policy which does not permit political attire in the workplace, giving the red caps that carry the ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) slogan of Trump’s Republican party as an example.

Caps with the company’s brand name or logo would obviously be permitted but Goodyear does not permit its employees to wear caps with political slogans like the red ones used by Trump’s party supporters (inset).

Under normal circumstances, the controversial President would probably just be angry but with his re-election campaign underway, he is even more furious about such ‘discrimination’. For Trump, not showing support for his policies and his administration are already bad enough, so forbidding people from wearing his party’s caps is deemed ‘unfair’. More so when the company is okay with issues relating to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ and LGBT movements, and allows its employees to wear apparel relating to these issues.

This led to him sending out a message to his supporters on Twitter to boycott Goodyear and not buy its tyres. “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES – They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!),” he urged.

Goodyear was quick to respond with a statement (via Twitter as well) that clarified that the training slide ‘was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate’. The statement, however, reminded employees to ‘refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues’.

Goodyear is not the only company that has received such an attack by Trump. He has also called for a boycott of Harley-Davidson because it wanted to move its production out of America. Other companies and products that he has targeted include Apple, CNN, a scotch whisky company – and even Oreos (yes, those biscuits)! And with his war against China, Huawei and TikTok have also come under attack by Trump, who has been President since January 2017.

*Goodyear joins a long list of companies and products that Trump dislikes because they do things against his policies or don’t show support for his administration.*

*The US President’s limousine, nicknamed ‘The Beast’, runs on tyres that Goodyear specially developed.*

Whether Trump’s call to boycott Goodyear will have any noticeable effect on its tyre sales remains to be seen (he does have many supporters) but on his part, he might even ask for the tyres on ‘The Beast’ – the nickname for his huge limousine – to be made by someone else. The tyres were specially developed by Goodyear for the official car which is made by General Motors.

‘Talking’ tyres for future vehicles will improve motoring safety

The world is extensively connected today and wherever you are on the planet, you can almost easily connect to someone else in another location. In recent years, there’s also been another type of connectivity taking place in cars where development is underway for cars to be able to ‘talk’ to each other.

This is not only useful for improving driving safety today but also tomorrow when autonomous vehicles are moving around. By communicating their position, other vehicles can avoid them if they are not visible or have been immobilised due to an accident.

Now Goodyear is also working on connected tyres which can communicate with the vehicle. With sensors embedded in the tyres, the tyre and road condition can be relayed to the vehicle’s ‘brain’. initial studies have shown that such connected tyres can reduce stopping distance lost between a new and worn tyre by 30%.

With the evolution to electric and autonomous vehicles, connected tyres and the impact they can have on stopping distance, communication with the vehicle will only increase in importance. The connected and intelligent tyre system continuously measures and records tyre-derived information, which is paired with other vehicle data and connected to Goodyear’s cloud-based proprietary algorithms.

Goodyear has been conducting road tests and field trials and its test fleet has covered 4.8 million kilometres, collecting valuable data to refine and improve the concept. The intelligent tyres can measure tyre wear, load, inflation and temperature, along with road surface conditions, in real time, allowing the vehicle to adjust and respond to these measurements and optimise vehicle performance.

“Consider someone driving on a slick, curvy road in wet conditions. The driver adjusts his movements by slowing down, tapping the brakes or avoiding sudden steering,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s Chief Technology Officer. “But what happens when nobody is behind the wheel? The tyre is the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground and it can communicate vital information to the vehicle, enhancing safety and performance.”

There’s no time-frame for the introduction of connected tyres but Goodyear is continuously testing them extensively with automakers, start-ups and other groups.

Goodyear reCharge tyre creates its own treads when needed (w/VIDEO)

You can’t see pollution from tyres but it is frighteningly high!

Motor vehicles are blamed for pollution, the exhaust gases from the internal combustion process sending toxic elements into the air. Since the 1970s, carmakers have been addressing this, pushed by government regulations that became more stringent to protect the environment. The shift to electric cars is partly due to the regulations being too tough for the internal combustion engine to meet, although today’s engines are certainly much cleaner than those of 20 years ago.

Then there’s noise pollution. Studies in 2012 found that 50,000 deaths and approaching a quarter of a million cases of cardiovascular disease every year in Europe were linked to traffic noise. This type of ‘invisible’ pollution is one of the most widespread environmental problems in the European Union and there are regulations that limit noise levels.

And then there is, believe it or not, pollution from tyre wear which can be 1,000 times worse than what comes out of a car’s exhaust, according to Emissions Analytics, an independent global testing and data specialist for the scientific measurement of real-world emissions.

Harmful particle matter from tyres – and also the brakes – is a very serious and growing environmental problem, one that is worsened by the increasing number of larger, heavier vehicles such as SUVs. Electric vehicles (EVs) may have lighter bodies but they carry heavy battery packs, which also contributes to the problem.

*SUVs can generate more particles from tyre wear due to their greater weight.*

So far, perhaps because legislators have not realised it, vehicle tyre wear pollution is completely unregulated. However, there is growing concern around ‘non-exhaust emissions’ (NEE) which are particles released into the air from brake wear, tyre wear, road surface wear and resuspension of road dust during on-road vehicle usage.

NEEs are currently believed to constitute the majority of primary particulate matter from road transport, 60% of PM2.5 and 73% of PM10. In its 2019 report – Non-Exhaust Emissions from Road Traffic – by the UK Government’s Air Quality Expert Group, it recommended that NEEs are immediately recognised as a source of ambient concentrations of airborne particulate matter, even for vehicles with zero exhaust emissions of particles – such as EVs.

To understand the scale of the problem, Emissions Analytics performed some initial tyre wear testing. Using a popular family hatchback running on brand new, correctly inflated tyres, it was found that the car emitted particles amounting to 5.8 gms per km.

Traffic jam — *Test have found that a car can emit 5.8 gms of particles from its tyres for every km it travels – imagine the amount of pollution from millions of vehicles daily!*

Compared with regulated exhaust emission limits of 4.5 milligrams per km, the completely unregulated tyre wear emission is higher by a factor of over 1,000! Emissions Analytics notes that this could be even higher if the vehicle had tyres were under-inflated, or the road surfaces used for the test were rougher, or the tyres used were from a budget range – all very recognisable scenarios in real-world motoring.

“The challenge to the industry and regulators is an almost complete ‘black hole’ of consumer information, undone by frankly out-of-date regulations still preoccupied with exhaust emissions. In the short term, fitting higher quality tyres is one way to reduce these NEEs and to always have tyres inflated to the correct level,” suggests Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics.

“Ultimately, though, the car industry may have to find ways to reduce vehicle weight too. What is without doubt on the horizon is much-needed regulation to combat this problem. Whether that leads to specific types of low emission, harder wearing tyres is not for us to say – but change has to come,” he urged.

Pirelli to be sole tyre-supplier for FIA World Rally Championship

Pirelli has been the tyre-supplier to Formula 1 teams since 2011 and from 2021, the tyremaker has also been chosen by the FIA as the sole supplier for the World Rally Championship (WRC). Taking over from Michelin, the supply contract is to run until the end of 2024.

Pirelli will supply all the 4WD cars that compete on the championship, from the WRC category that fights for the overall title, to the R5-specification WRC2 class, which is also the headlining category on regional and national championships throughout the world.

*Pirelli will supply tyres to all classes in the WRC.*

Commitment to supporting young drivers as well
“Our return to the top level of rallying is something that we were considering for a while, and it’s particularly fitting that this appointment from the FIA comes in the year that Ott Tanak – a graduate of the Pirelli Star Driver programme – was crowned World Champion. Supplying the WRC alongside F1 will enable us to improve our products still further by putting them against some of the most varied and demanding conditions seen in motorsport,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Head of F1 and car racing.

Pirelli’s commitment to supporting the careers of young drivers is set to continue as well. Alongside the continued supply to the Junior WRC, Pirelli will also carry on equipping the Junior ERC3 class on the European Rally Championship.

Pirelli F1 WRC — *Pirelli has been sole tyre-supplier to F1 since 2011 but its involvement in the WRC goes back longer.*

25 world titles and 181 wins
The tyremaker has long experience in WRC, having been involved since 1973 and being the tyres used by teams that won 25 world titles and 181 WRC events. It was sole supplier to the WRC from 2008 to 2010 and since 2018, it has supplied tyres for drivers in the WRC2 category.

“Technology and passion are two key elements that Pirelli bring to motorsport, and these have allowed us to secure the single tyre supply for the World Rally Championship. We’ve supported young drivers in the Junior category for many years and now we’re returning to the top class as well,” said Giovanni Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s Senior Vice-President of Prestige and Motorsport.

He added that rallying has always been a perfect open-air laboratory for Pirelli’s engineers to test out new technologies that are eventually destined for road use, thanks to the extreme conditions that characterise the sport.

Tyres to be supplied
Pirelli will supply the WRC teams with tyres that have already successfully been seen on different rally championships throughout the world. The P Zero RA is for asphalt, with different compounds available to suit the terrain and weather conditions. The Sottozero Snow (with or without studs) is used for snowy conditions, the Sottozero Ice J1 is specifically designed for Rally Sweden, while on gravel, the reinforced Scorpion K can cope with a wide variety of loose surface conditions.

Goodyear returns to international sportscar racing

Teams from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) recently took the track for the pre-season ‘Prologue’ at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. This event is a prelude to the start of a new championship season and this year, the public test session saw the return of Goodyear to international motorsport competition.

The tyre company has announced its global racing comeback earlier, confirming that it will develop tyres for the 2019/2020 WEC season which begins at Silverstone on September 1. Goodyear has a proud history in motorsport. In addition to 14 wins in the Le Mans 24 hours, Goodyear tyres were on the racing cars that won 368 Formula One GPs – a record that stands unbeaten.

*Goodyear was involved in F1 as a tyre supplier up till 1997.*

New tyres for Le Mans Prototypes
Goodyear has been developing a new range of tyres for Le Mans Prototypes for over a year at their innovation centres in Germany) and Luxembourg. The first phase of this development plan is to introduce 5 new specifications of tyre for the highly-competitive LMP2 class in WEC.

This class, for 600-bhp prototypes, is one of the most demanding in WEC as it features a battle between tyre manufacturers. At the Prologue, the Jota Sport, Jackie Chan DC Racing, High Class Racing and TDS teams will try Goodyear’s latest development tyres. The WEC regulations allow tyre manufacturers to supply a range of 3 dry weather, one intermediate and one wet weather tyre to racing teams.

Goodyear will use the Prologue, followed by a 3-day private test session, to evaluate different tyre options. They will then reveal their 2019/2020 WEC tyre range at the Silverstone season-opener.

“The nature of the races (varying from 4 hours to 24 hours) mean tyre choice and strategy are critical and it provides a motivating challenge for our technology team in our European innovation centres ahead of exploring other racing opportunities for the brand.”

Ben Crawley – Director Goodyear Racing EMEA

To deliver high performance to teams
“For the Goodyear comeback, we are aiming high to deliver performance for our teams. The 2018/2019 WEC season featured an intense battle between the tyre manufacturers. Our priority has been to offer driveability and consistency that provides the teams with a significant step forward. These test sessions will allow us to evaluate the all-new range options against the competition before we define our range at Silverstone,” said Ben Crawley, Director Goodyear Racing EMEA, explaining the objectives.

“For the forthcoming season, Goodyear will focus on delivering success in LMP2 whilst evaluating other racing options for 2020 and beyond. These could be in other WEC classes or in other international racing categories,” he added.

The 2019/20 WEC season will feature 8 races on circuits of varying lengths, concluding at Le Mans in June 2020. The season also includes two 4-hour races (Silverstone and Shanghai), three 6-Hour races (Fuji, Sao Paulo and Spa-Francorchamps) and two 8-hour races (Bahrain and Sebring). The Toyota GAZOO Racing team won the 2018/2019 season.

*The Toyota GAZOO Racing team won the 2018/2019 season and will contest again in the new championship season.*

The tyres on your car may generate electricity in future!

Our older readers will remember the dynamo which was a small device rotated by the bicycle wheel. As it rotated, sufficient electricity was generated to light up the lamp. That simple idea of using the tyres to indirectly generate electricity is being revived with a new technology being developed by engineers in Japan.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, together with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University, have developed the ‘Energy Harvester’ that takes advantage of the build-up of static electricity. Known as ‘frictional charging’, it can produce power efficiently as the tyre turns. However, where the dynamo used a magnet and coil to generate electricity, the Energy Harvester has a much more sophisticated approach.

Inside are two layers of rubber each covered in an electrode, along with a negatively-charged film that interfaces with a positively-charged film. When fixed to the inside of a conventional tyre carcass, it generates electricity as the tyre deforms during each rotation.

Eliminate reliance on car’s battery
The engineers believe the Energy Harvester could lead to practical applications as a power source for sensors used in Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems and other small automotive devices without drawing on electricity from the vehicle’s battery or electrical system.

The Energy Harvester is being developed as part of Sumitomo’s R&D programme to come up with technologies that target improvements in safety and environmental performance. The research project has now been selected by the Japan Science and Technology Agency as a Type FS Seed Project under A-STEP (Adaptable and Seamless Technology Transfer Program through Target-Driven R&D). Sumitomo Rubber Industries will now advance this research with support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Michelin & PETRON Join Forces In Road Safety Programme For Universities

Michelin has joined Petron in its effort to communicate and impart road safety advocacy in universities around Malaysia. The objective of the ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM for Michelin is to educate and create awareness amongst the younger generation, as tyres are the first line of defence on the road, it is very important to ensure that these tyres are in good condition for better safety on the road. Other partners for this program include Road Transport Department (JPJ), Road Safety Department Malaysia (JKJR) and other private companies.

University students with Miss Nora Guitet, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication Director (Michelin – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam) at the Petron Road Safety Program with Michelin Malaysia as one of its partners

“Michelin has always been a strong advocate of safety – we place the utmost priority in ensuring our tyres are the safest on the road, in all conditions. The team is very pleased to be a part of this program as it is in line with our own road safety campaign,” shared Miss Nora Guitet, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication Director (Michelin – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam).

She further added, “Being at UMP and UNISZA these past two weekends gave us first-hand opportunity to raise awareness that tyres are an essential part of road safety. Our aim during this program is to educate students on tyre care and maintenance to ensure they know the steps and precautions to take to be safe on the road.”

Michelin and Petron together with other partners have successfully completed the ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM in Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Terengganu (UNISZA) and Universiti Selangor (UNISEL). The program will continue at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) Seremban, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Selangor and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai Johor from October through December.

#Live2Drive With Continental Tyre Malaysia Adventure Across Two Continents A Success!

How’s this for a journey of a lifetime? The #Live2Drive team of local professionals who made an adventure of a lifetime travelling from Malaysia to Europe in classic Volkswagen (VW) vehicles using Continental tyres made it safely back to Malaysia after clocking over 52,000 kilometres of road travel. At a press conference recently at its premises in Petaling Jaya, Continental Tyre Malaysia (“CTM”) shared that the #Live2Drive team covered 30 countries over eight months and around 607 hours of driving on the road.

CTM’s Managing Director and Head of Continental’s ASEAN Region for BU PLT Replacement APAC, Cameron Wilson said, “We are delighted to welcome the #Live2Drive team back to Malaysia and are proud of how the team managed to inspire those they meet as well as their contribution to the community along the way.”
“CTM is also pleased that the robustness and durability of Continental tyres have successfully took the #Live2Drive team safely across various terrains and roads which can get rough at places. Along the way, fans who recognised the Continental brand as well as those who are keen on classic cars came along to meet and cheer the team along. This reaffirms the premise that Continental tyres are trusted the world over for quality, performance and its German Technology,” Wilson added.

One of the #Live2Drive team member, Cliften Nathaniel shared about his experience on the ride, “Driving through what was a ‘cold summer’ in summer tyres was beyond my expectations. Cold summer is like driving up really high altitudes with cold temperatures, rough hard-off roads, as well as through snow and on some parts of icy roads. Despite all that, the tyres performed fantastically and made us wanting to keep driving. I used two different sets of Continental tyres: 185/65/15 and 215/55/17 for my Kombi – apart from the comfort, they also handled well in wet conditions and allowed me more confidence when driving through the continents in a classic car.”

ComfortContact™ 6 (CC6) and UltraContact™ 6 (UC6) tyres were used throughout the journey by the #Live2Drive team who were driving three VW Combi and a VW Beetle.

MICHELIN Showcases Its Range Of All-Terrain Tyres At Its First Off-Road Days Event

MICHELIN Malaysia kicked-off 2018 with the MICHELIN OFF-ROAD DAYS event from 20 to 23 March to showcase MICHELIN’s range of SUV and 4 x 4 tyres, including its latest innovation in on- and off-road tyres – the MICHELIN LTX FORCE.

L-R: 1. Mr. Kuang Boon Keat, Customer Engineering Support, Michelin Malaysia 2. Mr. Pascal Nouvellon, Managing Director, Michelin Malaysia 3. Mr. Duy Pham, Marketing Manager, Michelin Malaysia 4. The Michelin Man, aka Bibendum, Michelin’s Mascot

The MICHELIN LTX FORCE features both on-road and off-road capabilities and toughness – from asphalt highways, concrete roads, to unpaved, gravel, sand, and wet mud path. The week-long event saw a diverse group of tyre and car enthusiasts test drive and experience first-hand the adaptability of the MICHELIN LTX FORCE tyres at on- and off-road terrains in the Sepang Circuit.

Consumers were able to experience the tyres’ full potential on various vehicles, including the Toyota Hilux and Toyota Fortuner, as well as witness on-site comparison against other tyres in the market. Themed “By Passion, By Necessity”, the event was aimed at the SUV and 4×4 market segment which is a growing market globally. The theme also addresses the need of today’s drivers who travel for work and leisure, from the daily worker to the avid adventurer.

In Malaysia, the SUV / 4×4 segment accounts for almost 12% of total Passenger Vehicles sold in 2017 – or 61,275 units – according to the Malaysian Automotive Association. Global Insights estimates that the SUV market is expected to grow at a rate of 9.7% by the year 2022, while the Malaysia Tire Forecast and Opportunity Report projects tyre sales to increase by 6.6% the same period.

MICHELIN Malaysia’s Managing Director, Mr. Pascal Nouvellon (above) revealed: “Over the past two years, the SUV tyre segment has outgrown the passenger car tyre segment globally; and will continue to do so for the next five years as more people are seeking safety and versatility in vehicles and would expect the same from their tyres. At MICHELIN, we strive to deliver tyre safety that people deserve – simply.”

The MICHELIN LTX FORCE’s on-road capabilities are enabled by CompacTread Technology, whereby reinforcement between tread blocks increases the contact area with the ground, for better braking and safety; BevelTread Technology, whereby a rounded sloping edge cuts the peaks of noise power at the frequency which is sensitive to human ears, thus providing a peaceful ride; and CushionGuard Technology, which absorbs road imperfections for a more comfortable drive.

Its off-road toughness is enabled by Extended Sidewall Biting Edge, which improves the sidewall’s cut-chip resistance; plus Deep and Open Shoulder Design for off-road traction. True to its tagline “Whatever The Terrain, One Tyre Handles It”, the MICHELIN LTX FORCE is the best option for drivers who seek the best driving experience on all types of roads.

“Off-road technologies behind the MICHELIN LTX FORCE are derived from the World Rally Championship (WRC), one of the world’s most demanding rallies – thus, providing another example of MICHELIN’s “From Track to Street” philosophy. At the same time, on-road technologies improve braking performance on both wet and dry roads, as well as increases durability. Through a series of tests held at the event, consumers could witness the MICHELIN LTX FORCE braking to an average distance of 2 meters shorter versus its competitors on-road, which is a crucial safety feature. Third party studies also revealed that the tyre delivers 35% more mileage” added Mr. Nouvellon.

With the MICHELIN LTX FORCE, customers can be ensured of safety and versatility with excellent on-road grip and great off-road traction, as well as of longevity and durability with better mileage and a tougher design.

MICHELIN LTX FORCE is available in a wide range of fitments – from 15 to 18 inches – at TYREPLUS car service outlets, MICHELIN EXPERT CENTRE and authorized dealers across the nation.

Michelin Festive Promo Offers Air Asia E-Vouchers

Motorists can look forward to great promotional deals offered by Michelin Malaysia before they hit the road for the journey back to their hometowns this Chinese New Year.

In conjunction with the ‘balik kampung’ rush this upcoming festivity, Michelin is going the distance to help families reach their destination safely with its Safe with Michelin campaign. The objective of the campaign is to get closer to the heart and lives of Malaysians with the key message that Michelin tyres are built with safety in mind, and there is nothing more important to Michelin than the safety of its customers.

As part of the campaign, Michelin is running The Travel Home with Michelin promotion from January 8 to March 2, 2018. Through the promotion, Michelin is offering an Air Asia e-voucher worth RM88 along with an exclusive Michelin luggage tag to customers who purchase four Michelin tyres at any of their dealer outlets.

Upon making a purchase of four Michelin tyres at the participating outlets, customers will receive the Michelin luggage tag and instructions on how to redeem their Air Asia e-voucher. They are then required to WhatsApp a snapshot of the receipt with following details to 017-2576849:

Name as per NRIC
NRIC number
Email address

Customers will then receive their Air Asia e-voucher via email within 14 working days. Meanwhile, customers who purchase two tyres will also be rewarded with a Michelin branded luggage tag.

“The Safe with Michelin campaign features treasured moments from the lives of people travelling with those they love in their cars on their journeys home; trusting Michelin tyres to get them there safely this festive season,” said Michelin Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Pascal Nouvellon.

“As Malaysians take time off from their busy schedule to enjoy good times with their family and friends this Chinese New Year, we encourage them to take advantage of the promotion. We are thankful and appreciative of our customers’ support throughout the years and through the promotion, consumers can rest assured that they travel long distances safely as Michelin tyres are designed to deliver safety and long-lasting performance. They can also travel further with Air Asia e-vouchers and double up the happiness in this joyous festive season,” Nouvellon added.

So, what are you waiting for? Visit your nearest Michelin authorised dealers and you are one step closer to receiving your rewards this Chinese New Year!