Tyres are round and black, as friends and family never grow weary of pointing out. While they’re literally right, the underlying implication is that one tyre is much the same as any other. Of course this isn’t true, but the argument gained some traction when the latest Cooper winter tyre arrived. Haven’t we seen it somewhere before?
Apart from markings on the sidewall, the new Cooper Winter looks exactly the same as the winter tyre that Goodyear presented under the Dunlop brand name last spring. No great surprise, as Goodyear transferred rights to the Dunlop brand to SRI at the start of this year. Prior to that, Dunlop served as Goodyear’s second brand, a role that Cooper has now taken on.
SRI, conversely, intends to move Dunlop back from the mid-range segment into its former premium position, placing it above the Falken brand as well as Pneumant, the former East German brand it intends to relaunch in 2027.
Tell your comrades – Pneumant, OE tyre on the Trabant 601, will relaunch next year (Photos: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)
