Tyre News

Forget flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day, the gift you really should give is a few minutes of your time. Nothing makes a set of tyres feel more loved than a driver who regularly spends time together with them, paying attention to tread, sidewall and air pressure. UK road safety charity TyreSafe points out that most motorists fail to do this, with only a third checking their vehicle’s tyre tread at least once a month – the minimum frequency recommended by road safety experts.

The new Continental EcoContact 7 and EcoContact 7 S summer tyres, successors to the WhatTyre Eco Tyre of the Year 2024, will be launched in 2025. Featuring Conti’s latest efficiency-boosting technologies, the new EcoContact series tyres predominantly achieve EU tyre label ratings of A for rolling resistance, as well as A or B for wet braking and rolling noise, and are suitable for both electric vehicles, indicated by the Continental EV Compatible logo, and internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars. The tyres, whose impending arrival we reported last year, also offer lower levels of noise.

Pirelli’s second test session of 2025 got underway yesterday at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the track located near the Spanish town of Granollers. Having already taken part in the two-day session at Paul Ricard, McLaren F1 Racing was again working with Pirelli on 2026 tyre development, joined this time by Scuderia Ferrari HP.

Concluding the first 2025 test session for its next generation of rain tyres at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, Pirelli comments that it has acquired reams of data essential to its further development work. The focus of this joint testing with the McLaren F1 Team was the wet and intermediate tyres for the 2026 season, when the regulations will stipulate the same 18-inch rim diameter as the current ones, but with a slightly smaller width and external diameter on both the front and rear axles.

The Churchill Tyres brand from UK wholesaler Bond International now includes many sizes offering top-class wet grip. The brand, which is manufactured by global top ten tyre-maker Sailun Group, offers the Churchill RCB-010 ultra-high performance car tyre in a broad range of 16-20” sizes, many certified with the top A rating on the European tyre label.

With the winter weather now in full swing, Kumho is adding its voice to calls for motorists to ensure their vehicles are equipped with tyres to handle the harsh conditions of the season. The colder months bring freezing temperatures, prolonged wet weather and the risk of snow, which make tyre safety even more crucial. Ensuring vehicles are fitted with tyres which are capable of providing optimal traction, excellent wet handling and superior durability can be the difference between a safe journey and a hazardous one.