Stamford Tyres SA Evolves into a solution-provider with premium Prometeon truck and bus range
The local commercial market is set to welcome a new truck and bus tyre that reportedly outperforms its competitors in original tyre life, fuel efficiency, reduced rolling resistance, and overall performance.
Even casing integrity and retreadability has been greatly improved, according to the source, with end users now able to generate up to three retreads per casing. Best of all, the tyre maker has just released a dedicated commercial tyre range for the African continent, with these tyres boasting specific features to suit our particular weather and exacting road conditions. On 18 August, Prometeon key personnel, f leet owners, transport operators and members of the press converged, (in person and virtually), to find out more about the tyre brand behind the hype, and why their tyre range is being deemed as the ‘tyres for Africa’.
The event was hosted by their exclusive distributors – Stamford Tyres SA – a wellknown, respected market player that, thanks to its flexibility and out-of-the-box thinking, has made sizeable inroads in the South African passenger market, by way of market share, something the company is now looking to repeat in the commercial segment.
Enter Prometeon, a premium tyre brand for the truck and bus segment, that was borne following the decision to separate and run its product segment divisions as private, wholly-independent business entities in 2017. Officially established as a spin-off from the industrial division of Pirelli Tyre, Prometeon now produces a range of upscale tyres for commercial, AGRO and OTR applications.
8000 researchers, four manufacturing plants (Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Egypt), and four R&D Centers, strategically located around the world, are now focusing on developing a multi-brand and multi-product approach, in a bid to widen their technological expertise, something that would not have been possible prior to the consolidation. With more than 100 engineers and researchers now working exclusively on bringing new technology to market, their dedicated focus has led to key innovations for the commercial tyre sector.
Revolutionary technology unveiled
A number of key innovations are featured in the Prometeon truck and bus tyre range, among them:
- Progea: A highly innovative PRO Grip Environment Approach compound, formulated to improve the tyre efficiency and safe performance, while reducing environmental impact.
- SHTB: A Super High Tensile Belt cord, allowing high flexibility and prevention of corrosion propagation, to deliver superior integrity plus high resistance to aging.
- SWiTe: A Spiral Wire Technology materializing in the bigger steel cable diameter that enhances optimisation of the total cost of ownership, thanks to high durability and long tyre life.
- HR4B: A High Resistance four-belt structure that promotes casing flexibility and structural resistance for extended tyre life, even wear plus handling on uneven road surfaces.
- COBe: A reinforced Cross Over Bead, combined with the new geometry of the rectangular wire steel, to ensure great flexibility, bead seating with superior longevity throughout the entire casing life cycle, plus excellent resistance to high load.
Being dubbed as the ideal tyre for African conditions, the Nextroad Drive tyre has integrated all these new technologies, whilst also sporting deep grooves to promote traction throughout the entire tyre life, even on the most difficult terrain. More important, the tyre features a step shoulder with a square tread design that provides a better footprint, thereby minimising irregular tread wear.
“African fleet operators tell us the biggest challenge they face is shoulder drop,” claimed Yan Toinette – Area Manager – South & East Africa Tyre Export Department, “and this is precisely where Prometeon engineers have focused their expertise, to produce the Nextroad Drive tyre, which comparative tests being carried out in other parts of Africa, are testifying to exceptional results: more mileage; even wear and an overall better driving experience.”
Following in its ‘footsteps’, is the Nextroad Multiaxle tyre, (again equipped with all these new technologies), with an optimised footprint that ensures a uniform ground contact pressure, enhancing excellent even wear, high mileage, great tear resistance to chipping and chunking and grip in all weather conditions. Moreover, the ejectors at the bottom of the central grooves prevent stone trapping and enhance casing resistance, a development that further contributes retreadability and a lower cpk.
The R02 PRO Trailer Plus tyre to higher Over and above the patented new technologies, featured throughout the range, this new trailer tyre, (size 385/65 R22.5), is also said to be performing extremely well in other African countries, such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, courtesy of its new pattern geometry that delivers greater wet braking and effective water drainage, and a robust shoulder that promotes tear resistance to chipping and chunking and resistance to lateral sliding. And that’s not all. A completely new tread design and innovative compound, ensure low rolling resistance and durability.
Tyre tests a reliable proving ground Although comparative tests against opposition premium tyre brands are currently underway in South Africa, (size 315/80 R22.5), it is too early to glean any concrete data. However, if the test results emerging from other African nations are anything to go by, the Prometeon tyre range is looking to surpass the competition by a ‘long mile’. Case in point; after a two-year period, a comparative tyre test of the Prometeon tyre fitted to a leading fleet in Kenya, produced astounding results, recording between 240 000kms to 260 000kms in original tyre life, a regroove, plus an astonishing three retreads per casing. The overall tyre life achieved (cradle to grave), amounted to a staggering 650 000kms!
“We were immediately struck by the incredible technology that has gone into these tyres, when it was first showcased to us at one of Prometeon’s R&D Centres in Turkey,” said Jose Romero, Vice President Stamford Tyres SA. “Finally – here was a product diverse and tough enough to equal our conditions here in Africa, unlike most of the truck and bus tyres coming in to the country that are only suitable for European conditions,” added Romero.
“In particular, the development that’s gone into the Drive and Multi-Axle tyre, is hugely impressive, making for a robust product that can rival even challenging climate and road conditions, as found here in Africa. Plus, the Prometeon team spend most of their time in the markets they service, providing stalwart support throughout the entire tyre testing period and beyond, in keeping with their pledge to remain close to their customers, in order to provide tailormade solutions to suit their respective needs and applications. Their dedicated business approach provides us with added confidence in their product, along with peace of mind when it comes to after sales service.
“We are inviting select operators within the commercial sector to partner with us, as we put this exciting new product range to the test. Together, with professional assistance from GoMetro, who will be providing an inventive range of TPMS systems (at no cost to the transporter), to assess and monitor the performance of the new Prometeon tyres, from the inception of the tyre test, to its conclusion. We are excited that in due course, we will be reporting on a similar impressive performance of this revolutionary tyre range, as the tyres continue to prove their mettle on our roads here in South Africa,” concluded Romero.
