Recently in Tyres Category

Mmmmmmmm.....KitKat....which is the last thing I b%$&dy well need when I've just given up chocolate (AND salted snacks too) for Lent. Cue heavenly choir music and beatification of 'St Biglorryblog'....anyway even if he can't have any chockywocky, BLB likes the clever bit of wordplay on the back of the trailer "Caution:breaking frequently"....braking/breaking/take a break/KitKat....geddit? Anyroadup if you want to find out what this story is REALLY about (and see some nice photos too) click through here now!

Paul Hodgkinson has an interesting problem and he needs the help of Biglorryblog's anorak army! Paul e-mails me to say: "I have a 4x4 Mercedes 914AK-31 which was Dutch Nato and had Michelin M+S4 tyres on when new. Michelin does not make this tyre now and I need a serious winter tyre to use in the mountains of Norway on VERY SLIPPERY rural mountain roads. Would need studs/spikes also as last wintertime the roads in some areas were undrivable in new Vredestein Snowtrac 2 (Friction Tyres) on a VW T4 SYNCRO with a locking back axle. Local Norwegians said we were brave/foolish to attempt the roads without studs/spikes!! I would like to purchase six rims and have them fitted with tyres in England. (Changing wheels/tyres at Immingham Port before going on the ship to Brevik) I'm told 10R x 22.5 is oddball size now but 11R x 22.5 should fit onto 7.50 rims.Regards Paul."

Perhaps Young James K knows someone at Michelin who might help? Or what about my man at Conti?

"There's nothing's new under the sun  Horatio...!" (Or whatever it was the great Bard said). And to prove it here's a pretty good example. Another ad from Commercial Motor in 1966 extolling the virture of wide single tyres on a tractor's drive axle..i.e lower weight, improved brake cooling, no trapped stones between the tyres....yadda-yadda-yadda. And it was Goodyear who came up with the name 'Super Single' which like many things quickly became the accepted industry generic term for a wide single tyre. Yet it wasn't for at least another 35 years before operators began to take them seriously on a tractors--and then mainly on the Continent.....now click through here to see what I mean.

Hello, what's going on here? Well I can tell you that 'the Boss' is back on Biglorryblog with new of some new trailer tyres he's been trying out. "BLB, is this the missing link? Charles, whose trailer I pull, has just purchased and had fitted on my rig 6x 'Carlos Fandango Fats' or if you really prefer 6 x Michelin X One Maxitrailer 455 x 45 R 22.5s. These to my knowledge have just come on the market and Michelin are selling the Fats on supposedly 50% more mileage at 20% more cost which should fluctuate depending on the value of the £ pound.

Having run with these tyres for a week Michelin would do well to consider changing its' sales pitch.these tyres should be sold as offering stability with a capital 'S'" What's this? Our loveable old curmudgeon has found something he atually likes... Surely not? But yes, it's indeed true... So and click through here to read what else he thinks about them...

Now on more than one occasion I've mentioned that it isn't easy taking photos of a truck tyre--and especially to make it look interesting. But fair-go to the snapper with this one which is a great 'stock' shot too which can be used to illustrate a story on tyre fitting, tyre replacement, tyre safe working etc. And you can see the Michelin name clearly on the sidewall too. No easy job with a black tyre! About the only thing I'd have done was photoshop out the powerlines too. But nobody's perfect! Now click through here to see what the story is actually all about.

Calling all Scania owners (or would-be buyers) word reaches Biglorryblog that as from May 2009, Alcoa's Dura-Flange wheels are now available as an option on your favourite Swedish in the following sizes: 22.5 x 8.25, 22.5 x 9.00 and 22.5 x 11.75 (135 mm offset). Apparently the Alcoa Dura-Flange wheels has a patented treatment that provides a protective shield to prevent rim wear. "This treatment makes Dura-Flange wheels most appropriate for transport where loads are heavy and prone to shifting, causing tyre walls to rub against the wheel rims.," says Alcoa, adding: "Alcoa Dura-Flange wheels are the only wheels on the market that are protected from this type of wear, giving them at least double the life time of other aluminium wheels and four times the life time of steel wheels under the same conditions." Meanwhile, click through here for more... And the type of trucks best suited to Dura-Flange wheels...

Who's that strangling a goat? Biglorryblog has certainly never before seen Bibendum (AKA the Michelin Man) being subjected to such torture! Apparently it happened at the recent opening of the new ATS Euromaster flagship fast-fit centre in Huddersfield Street, Galashiels, following an investment of more than £800,000. The new centre is located just 200 yards from the previous site, which is being demolished to make way for the A7 trunk road extension! Now click through here for more (though thankfully no more bagpipes...)

I'm much obliged to Jens Hoffman at Continental Tyres in Germany for sending me these classic 'Conti' tyre ads from his powerpoint presentation I sat through this morning. These thre are from the 60s...

And for a quick pie...what are the trucks featured in the three ads? And take a look at those tread patterns...are things that different in 2009?

That's one tough-looking off-road tyre. Now click through here for more..

How would you like 260kg more payload on your eight-legger? And I'm talking, mixers, tankers, bulkers too. 'How so Biglorryblog?' I hear you ask. Well I'll tell you now if you stop fidgeting... Goodyear has launched a new 495/45R22.5 Omnitrac MSD super single truck tyre for use in mixed service applications to increase the vehicle's payload capacity."

And here's one I pumped up earlier... The 495/45R22.5 Omnitrac MSD wide drive tyre has been specially-designed for use in mixed service applications. And if you were to use 495/45R22.5 Omnitrac MSD super single truck tyres on alloy rims instead of eight 315/80R22.5 MSD tyres the totral weight saving would be an impressive 260kg.

Goodyear says: "Vehicle types that will typically benefit the most are concrete mixers, bulk transport trucks, and other models where every kilo saved on the empty vehicle is a kilo gained on the payload. Used for the shuttle service in a major building project, the additional 260kg payload offered by the new Goodyear super single drive tyres will reduce substantially the overall number of trips required, and thus the fleet's total cost. Fewer drive cycles will also reduce the overall fuel consumption, reduce CO2 emissions and the overall impact of the construction works too.

Interesingly enough the eidea of wide singles on tippers and mixers is nothing new. I can recall a Leyland Constructor 30.30 eight-legger being punted up for test with Commercial Motor a good 18 years ago with wide singes... They never really caught on. But will they now? Click through here for more...

We all know just how much damage a truck or trailer tyre can do when it decides to let go... Now word reaches Biglorryblog that in a bid to reduce problems with punctures and the subsequent damage caused as major blow-out Bitumen manufacturer Nynas UK has recently installed a Monityre tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) on one of its vehicles, with a view to fitting such kit on all its UK distribution fleet. And you can read all about it by clicking on this link www.safeeu.com.

Meanwhile, Nynas UK distribution manager Ernie Dixon tells BLB: "On average we've between 25 and 30 punctures a year from tyre failures, so this is a potentially serious problem for us, especially if the incident takes place on a motorway. We were specifically interested in using an in-cab system that provides advanced notice of potential tyre problems. On looking at the various alternatives systems currently available, we felt that Monityre fitted the bill for us."

Prior to fitting the Monityre system, a typical recent example of a tyre incident was when one of the Nynas vehicles had a blow-out on the M5, resulting not only in costly vehicle damage but also in terms of late delivery of the load being carried, with the vehicle missing its original delivery time. Ernie adds: "With damaged air suspension and blown mudguards being the least damage you can expect from a puncture, then the true cost of an incident, in terms of downtime and added operating costs that result, makes the installation of a system as good as Monityre well worth it. It will certainly help improve our service levels to our customers." Now click through here for more...

Now as a fromer snapper myself Biglorryblog freely admits that making truck tyre look interesting in a photo isn't easy. Especially on a dull day when you can hardly maker anything look attractive. But whoever snapped this baby (and I suspect I know who it is) clearly had his head screwed on the right way. And just to digress the story concerns the fact that Lancashire-based haulier, Smiths of Bury, has taken delivery of two new DAF XF105 4x2 tractors with Michelin XDN2 Grip tyres as original kit. There now, that's got the 'message from out sponsors' out the way for the moment and back to the picture. This says it all doesn't it? It's about tyres, but you can clearly see the make, and type, and it even gets the owner's name in too so everyone's happy. Top job, perfect lighting, close up on the tyre in the foreground with the truck in the background to give it context. And as I'm always saying I could use this type of picture on all kinds of stories--so it has real 'shelf-life'...now before I gush any more click through here to find out WHY Smith's went for XDN2 grippers!

I now what you're thinking...what's a truck and pot plant on a box doing on Biglorryblog? Well stick with it...and click through here to find out (and see a rather smart Scania too)...go on you know you want to.....

Feeling a bit 'tyred' Biglorryblog is going to have to 'tread' a bit carefully...anyway I'm here to tell you that Stoke is home to the darkest museum in the country. And not alot of people know that. In the furthest flung corner of Michelin's Campbell Road site is museum which is home to the blackest collection of potentially deadly artefacts in the country. If misused (which they regularly are) such dark items can cause considerable damage, which is why these examples are assembled together in an educational exhibition.

So, what is this house of horrors Biglorryblog I hear you ask? The Michelin Black Museum is an automotive anthology of the damage that can be caused to a vehicle's tyres. There are around 200 examples in what's believed to be the most comprehensive compilation of the potentially devastating causes and effects of mistreated and broken tyres in the UK. And if you fancy 'casing' the joint, click through here for more....

Some people just don't realise that trucks are serious industrial tools, which need to be taken seriously. Take this chap, for instance:

His truck control is frankly laughable - how will he ever get decent fuel economy and tyre life in that fashion?

Still, what I really like about this video is the use of the word "barnaut" - at first I though it might be the Italian for "doughnut", but then realised that it was a phonetic Italian version of "burnout".

PS The Italian for doughnuts is actually zeppoli or sfingi.

Should you be passing Eden Tyre Sales on Farndon Road, Newark you might be forgiven for thinking you had one too many the night before having spotted Bidendum 'in the flesh' standing on the forecourt. However, this particular life-size Michelin man is a free airline service available to any passing motorist.

"I had seen a picture of the Michelin Man airline and thought that would be just right to offer a new service to our customers in Newark," Matt Eden, retail manager for Eden Tyre Sales. tells Bigloryblog. "But I never expected the reaction we have been getting since he arrived a couple of weeks ago. Drivers slow down and stop just to look, parents and children are walking to the site to have their photo taken with him and more and more drivers are taking advantage of the free airline service and the accurate pressure gauge."

The Michelin Man airline is placed on the forecourt each morning as the depot opens and is taken inside at night (probably just as well considering how desirable a life-size Michelin man is). Meanwhile, Eden should be congratulated as in recent years the availability of free airlines at garages has virtually ceased. And BLB does object to paying for air.... 

I'm also reminded of the time when the mighty 'Clutchslip' engaged in an impromptu gut-barging competition at the Hanover Show in one of the aisles. Talk about a clash of the Titans! Who do you think won? Well I'll simply say the Michelin man came off a poor second......now if only I can find that picture.....