Kumho designed the futuristic all-terrain tyres fitted to the innovative Hyundai Carlino compact SUV unveiled at this month’s Auto Expo 2016 in Delhi. The collaboration between the South Korean tyre manufacturer and Hyundai has resulted in a tyre that that adapts to all manner of surfaces while maintaining optimum grip.

With strong on- and off-road performance, the Kumho-shod Carlino showcases a new level of mobility for compact SUVs aimed at emerging international markets. When designing its tyres, Kumho prioritised safety and versatility. The result is a unique product with broad shoulders for maximum grip and adaptability, and a special tread pattern that speeds the expulsion of dirt and grit. Unlike most such tyres that exhibit quite noisy on-road performance, the sound of those created for the Carlino is minimised by special 3D honeycomb tread blocks.

The tyres for the Carlino are the latest in a long line of concept designs by Kumho, the most recent of which include those for the Kia Nova, which optimised wet weather performance, and the unforgettable super-low aspect ratio Maxplo tyres – these scooped last year’s top honour in the Futuristic class of the much coveted Italian A’ Design Awards for featuring tread blocks that adjust to suit all weather conditions. Kumho tyres are regular winners of other such international accolades as the German iF and Red Dot design awards.

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Kumho Tyre have been working across the globe to try and achieve a more sustainable future for everybody; whether that’s the quest to achieve the perfect green tyre, reducing emissions across our production efforts or working alongside local communities to achieve a better tomorrow.

Over in our hometown of Korea, Kumho Tyre have just been awarded an environment award from the Seoul Metropolitan Government for our corporate social responsibility activities.

“Kumho Tire has continuously carried out various environment events jointly with the SMG as a part of its CSR activities. The company will continue its effort to contribute to introducing a greener and eco-friendlier city to our future generation.” Cho Nam-hwa, Managing Director at Kumho Tyre.

Last April, Kumho Tyre hosted an green activity event, where more than 400 of our employees in Korea joined local residents to plant a total of 1,500 trees to help reduce carbon emissions.

Other efforts include the development of the Kumho Solus ECO KH19.

Based on proprietary technologies including KADAS (tyre structure simulation technology), ESCOT (tyre contour optimisation technology) and TTIA (tyre-terrain interaction analysis), this line of green tires boasts a 35 percent improvement in rolling resistance and a six percent decrease in CO2 emissions to be precise. It is also made of more eco-friendly materials, including low PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) oils and non-petroleum fillers.

That’s a lot of long words, so you know that these tyres are pretty intelligent. UK, watch this space ’til you will get the chance to purchase these greener alternatives.

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Kumho’s return to the UK commercial tyre market one year ago signaled the Korean manufacturer’s intention to become a major player in a sector it temporarily left. Having rejuvenated its distribution, products and personnel, its relaunched truck tyre department has a new sales structure led by ex-Bridgestone and Michelin truck tyre specialist, Steve Miller. His experience has since been put to work on the task of reintroducing the brand to an already crowded sector of the business.

Miller states: “The relaunch is providing an unrivalled chance for us to re-appraise how we promote both the tyres and the company to the truck market. It is also a golden opportunity for the customers to help create a partnership in which they can dictate how they wish to be supported. We are now effectively at the end of second first of four phases of development, and I’m extremely encouraged by the progress made to date.”

But a new company structure would be of little use without competitive products. Fortunately, as Miller told T&A last year, these have been overhauled too: “[Kumho’s truck and bus tyre product range] is far more competitive than before and I can honestly say it’s now as good as any I have encountered.”

He added: “We have maximised casing quality, improved tread compounds and introduced some highly-effective new tread patterns. Along with keen pricing, these upgrades will ensure the lowest cost per kilometre.”

The headline products in the latest Kumho commercial vehicle tyre range are:

The KXS10: Featuring both the snowflake symbol (3PMSF) and M+S marking, Kumho’s latest steer tyre is a genuine all-season product that will provide safe driving in both wet and wintry conditions. The newcomer also offers an extended mileage capability thanks to its notably wide tread and shoulder design, while a special tread compound results in improved handling. Stone ejectors within the groove pattern increase the tyre’s retreading ability. Taking everything into consideration, Kumho says the KXS10 offers savings of up to 15 per cent when compared with its predecessor. Though only initially available in 315/80R22.5 size, it will be offered in other fitments shortly. A corresponding drive axle tyre is also on the horizon.

The KRS04: A purpose-built super single steer tyre, which though particularly well suited to regional work is also being deployed in longer-haul environments, as a result of its low fuel consumption and cool running properties.

The KMA12: This heavily blocked tyre features reinforced construction for optimum cut and damage resistance. Together with a stone ejector bar this makes the KMA12 an ideal product for the forestry and construction industries, by whom it has been enthusiastically welcomed.

The KRS15: A standard regional steer tyre, the KRS15 has been optimised for even running, which results in a low wear rate and strong grip.

Kumho’s new direct distribution strategy has been made possible by the move to a major new DHL-run warehouse facility at Magna Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire. With the M1, M6 and M69 motorways all just minutes away, it is an ideal location for such a national hub, and besides housing thousands of truck, van, 4×4 and car tyres, it is also home to an expanded sales and marketing operation.

Source: Tyrepress

Let’s finish up with one of our favourite commerical vehicle adverts from VW: Why take unnecessary risks at work?

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For many years, Kumho has been a supporter of projects organised by the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), Europe’s largest motor club; not least the road safety-themed ones run by the body’s foundation, ‘Gelber Engel’. This fruitful partnership has now been extended ahead of this year’s ADAC Verkehrswelt, a travelling show that focuses on road safety education for youngsters between the ages of 14 and 17.

The roadshow comprises a series of interactive exhibits featuring such topics as responsibility, tolerance, self-esteem, perception and communication, via which the young people can learn to assess the dangers posed by modern traffic. This year’s ADAC Verkehrswelt tour will visit no less than 30 venues in numerous German cities between March and October, with the first stop scheduled for March 22.

Said Charles Kim, President of Kumho Tire Europe GmbH: “As a tyre manufacturer, traffic safety is of the utmost importance to us.”

“Tyres are the only connection between a car and the road, and only good quality tyres permit a driver to stop quickly in unpredictable conditions, where every fraction of a second counts.”

“For this reason our enginers work tirelessly to improve our products and their contribution to road safety.”

Kim continued: “However, only so much can be achieved by technology alone and educating children about the inherent dangers of road traffic is the aim of every parent and school. For many years the ADAC’s Verkehrswelt project has contributed a great deal to road safety. We applaud this commitment and consider ourselves fortunate to be an ongoing supporter of the organisation’s work.”

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If you’re a fan of an awesome bit of rally racing, you’ve come to the right place. Normally we would finish the blog post with the video but this one is such a good watch; we’ve got to start with it straight away…

What a race, with some seriously gripping footage from Jesse Crosse and team! It was an impressive performance from Crosse and his Ford Escort RS MK2, which could more than handle the challenges from the Donington Rally. I mean, did you see that corner at 2:35?!

Crosse took on the track with the help of his Kumho Ecsta C03 moulded slicks. See the extract below from his blog post:

“Some chose to run intermediates or hand-cut wets, in which the movement of the tread helps generate heat. As the track was just damp, I went for my usual dry tyres, the Kumho Ecsta C03 moulded slicks, but chose the softest K12 compound instead of medium rear and soft front. On a warm day the power would destroy the soft rears but in the freezing conditions, I’d needed all the grip I could get. Like a muppet, I once again had failed to scrub them in.

For a while, I’ve followed the received wisdom amongst drivers of running low tyre pressures to generate heat. After the last post, Kumho’s tech team got in touch to explain that this encourages heating of the sidewalls but not the tread. They recommend higher pressures to support the sidewalls and force the tread to do the work. So I started with 26psi all round and we saw around 32 coming off the stages, which Kumho says is a good place to be. We stayed with that all day and the wear was much more forgiving with less chunking than normal.”

Not only are you getting an insight into a good ol’bit of rally action, but there’s also some specialist knowledge from the experts at Kumho Tyre for any budding rally drivers out there.

Our favourite part of the video has to be when Crosse and his MK2 overtook that Subaru Impreza at 1:46. Shows what a Millington Powered Escort MK2 can overtake on the flat!

Crosse finished 14th from around 78 starters – an improvement from the 27th place he took the last time he was at Donington.

Seriously impressive work Jesse, it’s great to be able to see our tyres in action and driven to such an expert standard. To find out more about the rally and all of the action that took place, be sure to check out Jesse’s blog post by clicking here.

Also, get more info about all of our rally tyres by clicking here.

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Lutterworth, UK – April 7, 2016. Kumho-shod drivers have won the first two rounds of Ireland’s eight-round Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Round 2 – Circuit of Kerry Stages Last weekend (April 3) the rallying cousins Declan and Brian Boyle of Donegal took their Ford Fiesta WRC to a well-judged victory on Round 2 of the championship – the Circuit of Kerry Stages. Making the most of their Kumho C03 tarmac rally tyres, the pair led the event from start to finish, to win by the substantial margin of 44.1 seconds. The Boyles are new to the Kumho fold, so the event marked their first win on the Korean tyres and the second victory for Kumho in the 2016 championship.

Round 1 – Mayo Stages

The first round of the Series, the Mayo Stages, was held on March 6 and fell to the 2013 Irish Tarmac Champion and regular Kumho ambassador Garry Jennings of Fermanagh and his regular co-driver Rory Kennedy in their Subaru WRC.

Jennings used his Kumho tyres to master the wet and slippery conditions and held a 12 second lead after the first stage alone. By the end of the ninth and final one he had pulled a mighty 1 minute and 34.8 seconds ahead of the Subaru of second-placed Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly.

The next round of the Triton Showers Championship is the Carlow Stages event on May 8.

Said Steve Thompson of Kumho Motorsport: “These are great results for us that bode very well for the remaining six rounds. The surfaces encountered on Irish tarmac events are notoriously tricky, but over which our tyres have a long record of success. Long may it continue.”

Press release issued on behalf of Kumho by Gordon Bruce Associates. For further press information and/or a hi res versions of the images below, please email Gordon at gordon.bruce@gordonbruce.com.

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Lutterworth, UK – April 7, 2016. For the fifth year in succession Kumho has been honoured with a prestigious Red Dot Design Award, a feat that’s unmatched by its fellow Korean tyre manufacturers and further endorses the company’s renowned design capabilities. Kumho’s winning entries within the product design category were the K-Silent Tyre and Road Venture MT51.

Held by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany since 1955, the Red Dot Design Award pays tribute to winners in the three categories of product, communication and concept. It is recognised as one of the world’s top three design awards, together with the International Forum Design (iF), also of Germany, and the International Design Award (IDEA) of the United States.

The advanced technology of the K-Silent Tyre that was introduced in certain global markets in June 2015 reduces the noise of air vibration in a tyre. Known as resonance noise, it is caused by friction between the tyre and the ground. Kumho was the first to develop such technology, dubbed the K-Silent system, and has obtained a Korean patent for the design and related noise-absorbing components – patents for the proprietary technology are currently being sought in other countries.

The mud terrain Road Venture MT51 is intended for both on- and off road use and underwent testing on all manner of surfaces in the Australian outback – it has subsequently been well received by SUV and pickup truck owners alike. The zigzag tread blocks have been designed to cope with rocky roads and help prevent stones and mud from becoming stuck in the grooves.

“The Red Dot Award ceremony is one of the world’s largest gatherings for those involved in industrial design. The receipt of the Award for a fifth consecutive year is welcome independent recognition of the competitiveness of our designs,” said Jeong Taek-Gyun, Senior Managing Director of Kumho’s R&D headquarters. “We will continue to build on our capabilities in design and all other areas of tyre technology in order to further enhance our brand image.”

About Red-dot Design Award: Known as one of the world’s top three design awards, the Red-dot Design Award has been conferred since 1955 by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany. It selects winners in in the three categories of product, communication and concept design by evaluating entries for innovativeness, functionality, ergonomic features, quality, ecological compatibility and durability.

About iF Design Award: Launched in 1953, the iF Design Award is organized by the German non-profit concern iF International Forum Design. The annual award recognizes excellent products by evaluating them for design, material, innovativeness, environment friendliness, functionality, convenience, ergonomic features, safety and brand value. A judging panel of internationally-renowned experts reviews entries in the product, packaging and communication categories. The iF label granted to winning entries is widely accepted as a recognition of design excellence.

About IDEA Design Award: Co-organised by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and Businessweek, the IDEA Design Award is an internationally prestigious competition that has been held since 1980. It aims to raise awareness among people and business entities about how excellence in industrial design affects quality of life and business success. Evaluation criteria include creativity, environment friendliness, artistic quality, economic viability and problem-solving capabilities.

Press release issued on behalf of Kumho by Gordon Bruce Associates. For further press information about Kumho please email Gordon at gordon.bruce@gordonbruce.com.

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Watch the team of Marty McCormack & David Moynihan fly around the Circuit of Ireland rally on Stage 3 running Kumho Tyres in their Tigerisk Skoda Fabia S2000!

The post Circuit of Ireland Rally appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

The UHP winter tyre, WinterCraft WP71 to receive its world premiere

We will feature a wide range of products for all manner of vehicles

Our new CEO, Han-Seob Lee, will be attending the fair

In addition to our current range of tyres forpassenger cars, SUVs, off-road vehicles, sports cars, vans and trucks, Kumho’s eye-catching 300 square metre stand at the upcoming REIFEN exhibition at Essen, Germany will feature numerous new products for a variety of tyre segments, including one for electric and hybrid vehicles; all of which are likely to be available to consumers between Autumn this year and Spring 2017.  We will also host the world premiere of the company’s brand new UHP winter tyre, the WinterCraft WP71.

“The REIFEN exhibition in Essen is the most important trade fair in our industry. It will be a great opportunity for us to target the European market, as it is a global event in which all the leading companies participate. I am proud that our company is introducing so many new products to the European market and am looking forward to stimulating conversations with our customers.” Han-Seob Lee, CEO.

The WinterCraft WP71 is intended for medium to large-sized passenger cars and is notable for the V-shaped lateral grooves running from the centre to the shoulder area
of its tread design. These provide enhanced water displacement and excellent handling on wet roads – the braking distance on such surfaces is 14 percent shorter
than those achieved by its predecessor. The new tyre will be available in certain markets in time for the next winter and in all major fitments from 16 to 19 inches.

For further information on all of our products for road and motorsport use, click here.

The post Kumho’s Exciting New Product Range to Exhibit at Reifen appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

America – Are you ready? The creation of our impressive new tyre production facility in Macon, Georgia, USA is now complete and was officially opened this Monday, May 2. Some 300 dignitaries attended the official ceremony including: the Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal; the Mayor of Macon, Robert Reichert; the Korean Consul General of Atlanta, Seong-jin Kim; the Chairman of the Kumho Asiana Group, Sam-gu Park; and the CEO of Kumho Tire, Han-Seob Lee.

Construction of the plant began in May 2008, but was temporarily suspended as a result of the global financial crisis, before being resumed in 2014. All in, we have invested around $450 million dollars in the 80,000 square metre facility, which stands on a site of no less than 530,000 square metres. The initial annual production capacity will be four million tyres, with the option of increasing output to 10 million over time.

The plant is equipped with a cutting edge automated production system to ensure optimum quality and manufacturing efficiency. An advanced tracking system with RFID technology, plus laser-guided and unmanned plant vehicles will allow the fully automated movement of products and real-time production control in accordance with the ‘first-in first-out’ principle.

“North America consumes 22 percent of global tyre production, making it the largest market for such products in the world. A manufacturing base on this continent is a must if we are to succeed in our bid to become a top tyre manufacturer.” Sam-gu Park.

The Macon facility is Kumho’s sixth production base outside of its native South Korea – the others being in China and Vietnam. It will primarily concentrate on the manufacture of regular passenger car, UHP and light commercial vehicle tyres (including run-flat products) in sizes of 17 inches and above. Eighty percent of the production will be for OE fitment, there being manufacturing facilities for such leading car brands as BMW, Daimler, GM, Hyundai and Volkswagen within a 200 mile radius of Macon County. A percentage of the vehicles equipped by tyres from the new Kumho factory will be exported to Europe – the new plant will also allow us to strengthen its position in the replacement tyre market.

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Unless you were living under a rock back in 2012, it’s not likely that you missed PSY and his track ‘Gangnam Style’ take over the world. And let’s admit it… we all had a go at it again and again and again. Okay… maybe just us.

PSY’s achievements are endless; most viewed video online, most ‘liked’ video online, first video to be viewed over one billion times on YouTube, most viewed video online in 24 hours, first video to be viewed over TWO billion times.

It turns out PSY and Kumho Tyre have a lot in common. Great movement. Infectious performance. Incredible turns. Undeniable speed and talent. And of course, we are both globally-successful exports from South Korea. So it made sense for us to collaborate with the South Korean Viral Legend on a project together!

We have released a music video in South Korea, combining PSY’s recent song “Good Day Will Come” from his seventh album with our brand slogan “Better, All-Ways”. If the extent of your grasp of the South Korean language does not go much further than “Oppa” and “Gangnam Style”, we’ve supplied a shorter version of the music video below…

After watching, unless you’re fluent in South Korean (and maybe even if you are) you might be thinking: ‘But what’s the message?’. Well, the message is one of hope for young people caught up in the stresses of life and in demanding, repetitive jobs. The song aims to spread the word that Kumho will continue to deliver better value to its customers and help them to have a better experience.

“We expect the music video will significantly increase our brand recognition. We decided to adopt the branded content approach to share the values with customers and make them feel closer to us. We hope the song and video will inspire and console struggling youths.” Ju Kyung-ta, VP of Marketing, Kumho Tire Korea.

If as a result of reading this you’ve grown a penchant for all things K-Pop, check out the full PSY and Kumho Tyre video by clicking here.

With the video already having had 370,000 views on YouTube and climbing it’s clearly very popular. Time to Dance!

The post Oppa Kumho Style! Kumho Tyre joins forces with PSY appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

What happened when some of the top professional racers in America were asked to test out a selection of the world’s most high performance tyres without knowing the brand?

Hitting the track in a Dodge Viper and an Audi R8 at high speed with top quality tyres… Sounds fun, right?

But here’s the tough bit. After completing the laps, the professional racing drivers were asked to take a guess on which tyres they had been driving. And because of the impressive performance of the tyres, the usual big brand racing tyres were suggested. Let’s just say they were surprised when they found out the actual brand…

Check out a short video of the Tyre Blind Test below:

This wasn’t just an excuse to have a bit of fun in some seriously awesome supercars. The test demonstrates the extreme driveability of both cars when fitted with Kumho’s new supercar tyre, the ECSTA V720, which is standard fit on the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR and has been recently launched on the US replacement market. With no idea of the tyre that they had just been driving, the drivers sure were impressed with the performance of the ECSTA V720. Just some of their comments can be seen below:

“Oh it was a blast! I mean, both cars, tons of power, tons of fun.”

“Very predicatable. Very precise.”

“The tyres were able to communicate with me.”

So what is the aim of this campaign? Well, it’s all about changing your perceptions. You might not think that Kumho Tyre is able to compete with the big brand tyres, but trust us, we will surprise you.

“We are looking to change consumer attitudes and focus on the quality of our products.” Dirk Rockendorf, Marketing Director of Kumho Tyre Europe.

To check out the full video of the Blind Tyre Test, click here. Or if you want to be equally impressed with the performance of our tyres, see our full range by clicking the link here.

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You’re looking for a high-end super-grippy performance tyre for your sports car. You want something which takes the corners at speed, exceptional grip and substantial braking stability. You’ve paid enough for your supercar, so you want to treat it to the best, right?

Well UK, the wait is almost over for the super-tyre for supercars, with super performance at super value comes to our market. Sounds… Super.

The PS91 is positioned as Kumho’s optimum high-performace road product, sitting just above our crowd-pleaser, the Ecsta Le Sport KU39. Our focus is on maximum grip and braking performance, combined with outstanding feel.

We don’t think that any of these qualities have been achieved without being at the expense of other key factors – until now.

So what kind of cars will suit this super-tyre? It’s aimed at supercars, as well as ultra-quick passengers saloons like BMW M models, Mercedes-Benz AMG models and Audi RS makes.

“High performance cars place much greater demands on tyres than regular passenger cars so it’s essential the right rubber is fitted to these thoroughbreds of the road.

“The PS91 is the ultimate choice for high performance cars whether for the track or for everyday use offering a balance between good ride and super high performance capabilities.”

David Basha, Kumho Marketing Manager, Australia.

Using an advanced silica compound, the Ecsta PS91 provides exceptional grip for acceleration, braking and cornering, according to the brand. It also uses stiffer sidewalls and tread blocks compared with some of the rival tyres, which helps to cope with high stress levels.

And here’s something extra special about these tyres. Interestingly, a set of four consists of two distinct, separate tread patterns for the front and rear. While the fronts are made for cornering, the rears are set up for launching/acceleration and cornering. Perfect.

The ECSTA PS91 is only weeks away from being available in the UK. So stay tuned for more updates. UK, are you ready?

Check out some more info about the tyre from when it entered the Australian market below:

The post Super Tyre for the Supercar: The Kumho PS91 appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

So Kumho Tyre are heading Back to the Future? We know what you’re thinking… But there’s no Doc in sight (unfortunately).

Instead, to complement the announcement of new products at the REIFEN exhibition, we have also announced the launch of an innovative, environmentally-friendly concept city car – the ‘Coop-Car 3 for free’.

It’s based on a Kia Picanto and powered by 0.9-litre 3-cylinder, 2-stroke common-rail diesel engine capable of delivering a fuel consumption of just 2.5l/100km. And of course, a car of the future needs the tyres to match. Assisting the achievement of this remarkable figure are the vehicle’s Kumho KH27 ECOWING ES01 environmentally-friendly tyres. They were especially chosen for their low rolling resistance and low noise level, following the achievement of top marks in these disciplines in a tyre test carried out by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), Europe’s largest motor club – the results of which were published in the March 2015 edition of ADAC Motorwelt.

The brains behind the Coop was made up of a consulting company TCU² and co-ordinated by the Friedberg-based Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences. It investigated the benefits of a 2-stroke engine for modern passenger cars and how they could be combined with innovations in regard to engine management, charging, fuel injection, fuel and lubricants in order to achieve the aim of minimal NOx and C0₂ emissions and low noise. A range of renowned industry names are also involved with the project, including Shell and Bosch. All sounds very clever, and it is all going to make a big difference in the future.

The inclusion of ‘3 for free’ in the Coop’s name is a nod to the DKW 3=6 of 1953. This also featured a 3-cylinder, 2-stroke engine which DKW reasoned worked twice as hard as the equivalent four-stroke unit – hence the ‘3=6’ nomenclature for their car and the ‘3 for free’ claim for both that and the exciting new Coop concept vehicle.

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Offenbach is a great city in Germany. Nice views of the Main river, close to Frankfurt and known for its pleasant bike rides!

Bear with us here… Kumho Tyre aren’t diversifying into travel reviews (unfortunately). But if you are liking the sound of Offenbach so far, it gets even better. That’s because Offenbach is actually home to Kumho Tyre’s European HQ.

We’re proud to show off to you our new signage for our head offices. And you thought Offenbach couldn’t look anymore beautiful?

Overlooking the city which also hosts the European headquarters of Honda and Hyundai, the new sign helps to make our offices stand out from the crowd. Nice work, Kumho Tyre Europe!

The post Looking fly in Offenbach appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

The latest round of the British Rally Championship took place last Saturday at the Dumfries. And if there’s one thing the Scots have a reputation for, it’s having some of the toughest courses in the calendar. The fast and flinty Ae forest has a reputation for being a destroyer of tyres, machinery and… driver reputations!

The team at RallyTravel would admit that the unforgiving stages were perhaps not the best choice of event to try out some new tyres on their 270bhp rear wheel drive Ford Escort MK2, but David Hutchinson and co. decided to try out their Kumho R800s. And it paid off. BIG TIME! The team took 2nd in class, 50th overall and 3rd of the classic rear wheel drive cars. Great result.

The competition was stiff. With over 120 cars, including the current top British and Scottish Rally Championship teams combining for the only time this season, and with a top 30 packed full of four wheel drive turbocharged cars. It was a tough race, but RallyTravel were delighted with their result 1st time out with Kumho Tyre!

“We were amazed at the amount of times we passed whole tyre carcasses and pieces of tyre tread out on the stages. The rocky stages were really destroying some of our competitor’s tyres, particularly if you strayed off the line on the exit of the corners. Despite trying to keep the car near and tidy through the bends we couldn’t miss hitting a rock the size of a water-melon on the last stage, but even that didn’t seem to harm our tyres although it didn’t do much for mine and co-driver Jeff Garnett’s nerves in the car!” David Hutchinson @ RallyTravel.

We spoke to David and we were lucky enough to get some more info about the car:

“When we started the project late in 2014 the build brief to the experienced team at Motoscope was for a modern take on the classic 1970’s Mk2 Escort Group 4 ‘Forest’ rally car. I wanted to keep the actual driving experience as close as possible to that which rally heroes such as Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola and Roger Clark enjoyed back in the day, but using modern technology to make an affordable and reliable car for the modern day.  So, instead of the classic Cosworth BDA engine a modern fuel injected 2.3 litre Ford Duratec engine was selected which in it’s current form of tuning gives out 270bhp, even more power than the original engines but for a fraction of the cost and requiring less maintenance. Another benefit to using a modern Ford engine is that there is plenty of torque which makes the car easier to drive, easier to make the car slide through the corners and easier for the amateur driver to demonstrate that iconic ‘Mk2 Escort’ sideways cornering style that looks so good!

Up front there are period ‘Monte Carlo’ AP brakes developed by the Ford rally team back in the 1970s but still more than up to the job of forest rallying even in the 2010s! Modern brake pads developed from Touring Car racing give the Escort some awesome stopping power, without compromising that all important ‘feel’ which is so important when braking heavily on unpredictable dirt surfaces. A narrower version of the Kumho R800 gravel rally tyre is used on the front wheels of the car, nearly always in soft compound form as the team have found the Kumho tyres give plenty of grip, but little wear on the front wheels even in dry conditions.”

A test is planned next month with the technicians from Motoscope to further tune the car to the performance of the Kumho R800 tyres, then it’s the challenge of the legendary Wales Rally GB to look forward to in October. The team are currently in the process of lightening the Escort but even in standard competition form they tend to come in at only around 850kg, which when combined with 270bhp, rear wheel drive and gravel forest tracks makes for a lively driving experience!

Visit the RallyTravel website by clicking here.

The post Team RallyTravel get set with Kumho R800s appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

It’s official!

From the start of the 2016/2017 season, we will become Tottenham Hotspur’s Official Tyre Partner. At Hotspur Way, we were joined by Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, as well as players Heung-Min Son, Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason and Cameron Carter-Vickers for the special announcement.

“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Kumho Tyre. We look forward to collaborating with the company on its brand and business objectives both here in the UK and globally in its key markets.  We also greatly welcome Kumho’s enthusiasm to support and work with our Foundation.” Daniel Levy, Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur.

As part of the partnership, we will be making an appearance at the Club’s home matches, as well as across its digital channels. So keep an eye out for us!

We will also become a presenting partner of the Club’s well-established match day player mascot programme and develop a tailored community initiative with Tottenham Hotspur’s award-winning Foundation.

“We are thrilled to be working with such a prestigious and globally renowned football club, and the partnership will provide us with the ideal platform to communicate with consumers across the world. We are particularly excited about our involvement with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the opportunity to make a difference within the Club’s local community.” Han-Seob Lee, President and CEO of Kumho Tire Co., Inc.

This marks a return to the Premier League for Kumho Tyre and we cannot wait for next season to kick off. Find out more by heading over to the Spurs website by clicking here.

The post Kicking off with Tottenham Hotspur appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

It’s all well and good that you have some premium quality tyres that will keep you safe and comfortable on the road, but a question on many drivers’ minds is “how am I going to keep them in perfect condition?” Well, this post will help you with that by giving some useful tips to help your tyres run smoothly.

It’s important that you regularly maintain your tyres and choose the perfect ones for you, as they are the only link between your vehicle and the road. They also carry the entire weight of your car, a load of up to 50 times their own weight! Furthermore, they respond to driving inputs such as steering, acceleration and braking from the car to the road surface and absorb every obstacle on the road.

Pressure

Whenever you get your tyres replaced or get repaired it’s a good idea to replace the valve, as it will keep an airtight seal to maintain tyre pressure. Valves are cheap and make sure that your tyre pressure stays perfect. Without perfect tyre pressure, your vehicle’s performance will be affected and it will also negatively affect the tyre’s lifespan.  If that wasn’t enough incentive, having the optimum pressure will make your car more fuel efficient and therefore save on fuel costs. Having tyre pressure checked monthly is a relatively inexpensive way to help your tyres, and is also pretty easy!

Tread Depth

Tread depth is an important factor in tyre safety, and it is in fact illegal to drive on tyres if the depth is below the minimum. An easy way to check this is by taking the 20p test. All you have to do is push a 20p into the tread, and if the outer band of it is obscured then it’s safe for the road! If not then it’s below the minimum depth of 1.6mm and as a result you would need to get a new tyre or risk the £2500 (per tyre) fine if checked by the police.

Rotation

Once you’re sure that your tyres are correctly inflated to reduce wear, it’s a good thing to consider rotating your tyres. It’s recommended to rotate your tyres about every 6,000 miles that you drive (or 6 months, whichever comes quicker) to ensure the wear on them is evenly spread as tyres on the front usually wear faster than rear tyres. However it’s important to keep in mind that some tyres are specifically suited for being rear or front tyres, so it’s best to get a specialist to change them unless you know a lot about the tyres that you use.

Replacing

No matter how much care you give to your tyres, they can only last so long. It’s important to think carefully and logically before choosing which tyres suit your car best, and to help with this, here are some reasons to get new tyres and tips and recommendations for when you buy them.

When to buy a new tyre

Your tread depth is too low- if your treads are below 1.6mm then you should definitely get a new tyre.

You have a tyre blow-out- if one of your tyres has gone flat due to a blow-out, it should be replaced.

If it has significant lacerations or a large puncture- if any puncture/damage is bigger than 0.64cm, then it can’t be repaired and as a result you’ll need to get some new ones.

Tips for buying replacements

It’s a good idea to replace all four tyres at the same time, as it will give you optimum handling. It’s recommended to have all four tyres of the same type and size unless the vehicle manufacturer specifies otherwise.

If you’re only buying two, make sure they’re the same as the tyres you’re keeping, and put the new ones on the rear axle to give you the best traction and stability possible.

Make sure your replacements have a greater than or equal load-carrying capacity than the original tyres provided by the manufacturer.

It’s not recommended that you fit tyres with different speed ratings, but if you do, make sure that each axle is fitted with tyres of the same speed rating.

Check your vehicle’s owner manual and follow the recommendations about tyre replacing from the manufacturer, as handling may be affected by a change of tyre size or shape.

If you’re in need of new tyres, check out our catalog for the premium tyres that your vehicle deserves-  Our Tyres

And if you can’t get enough of these useful tips, check out our Facebook page every Tuesday for our weekly #TipTuesday posts @  Tip Tuesday

You never know your tyres’ condition for sure until you check them.

An easy way to make sure your car is in good condition for the road.

The post Get all of your #TipTuesdays in one place appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

We are always more than happy to hear from Jesse Crosse, whose expertise on the track and iconic Ford Escort RS MK2 make the perfect match for our Kumho Ecsta C03. This time, Jesse was taking on the Bolton Midnight Stages rally at Snetterton, which was the final round of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship.

See below the reasons behind his tyre of choice – the Kumho Ecsta C03.

“The weather was fine and dry, so I went for the usual tyre option of Kumho Ecsta C03 moulded slicks with the super-soft K12 compound at the front and the K22 soft compound behind. I ran the super-soft all round at Donington previously but with the all the grunt from the engine going through the rears, they were getting a tad hot and the handling a bit lairy. The firmer compound on the rear would cure that while giving maximum possible grip.” Crosse, PistonHeads.

Competition was tight and the team were smashing it until there was an issue with the Ford Escort’s new exhaust system. To read about out all of the action, click here to read Jesse’s full blog post over on Piston Heads. And be sure to check out the On-Board video below:

The post Kumho ECSTA C03 help Jesse Crosse take on Snetterton appeared first on Kumho Tyre UK.

It’s been quite the week for Kumho Tyre!

Hot on the heels of the announcement last week of our partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, it’s time to announce that we will also be the official tyre partner of Olympique Lyonnais. The agreement between the French Ligue 1 team is for an initial two years, and will commence with the 2016/2017 soccer season. It was made official last week at Stade des Lumières, the team’s brand new stadium and UEFA EURO 2016 venue.

“We are excited to welcome Kumho as our new partner. Olympique Lyonnais continues to expand internationally and this contract with an established South Korean company shows Olympique Lyonnais’s ability to go beyond frontiers and take a further step in its strategy towards international exposure. Kumho Tyre provides a great opportunity for us to enhance our popularity in Asia and all over the world.” Jean-Michel Aulas, President of Olympique Lyonnais

This builds on our current sponsorship strategy to support a carefully-selected group of Europe’s most prestigious soccer clubs. In addition to the newly-announced partnerships with French Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyonnais and English Premier League contender Tottenham Hotspur, Kumho Tyre is official tyre partner of the German Bundesliga clubs Hamburger SV, Hertha BSC Berlin and FC Schalke 04, as well as a partner of the Spanish Primera División.

“We are very happy to create this partnership with Olympique Lyonnais, one of the most prestigious football clubs in Europe. The club‘s magnificent stadium will serve as great showcase for our brand. This partnership between Olympique Lyonnais and Kumho Tyre has been made made in order to generate mutual advantages for both brands in terms of general visibility and international exposure.” Han-Seob Lee, President and CEO of Kumho Tire Co., Inc.

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