Alliance Launch Upgraded Version of 372 VF Tyres as Performance Proven in IRSTEA Independent Research Trials

Alliance 372 VF Put Through its Paces

The Alliance 372 VF tyre is a radial steel-belted tyre for tractor, combiners, harvesters and some slurry tankers, boasts a 10-year warranty, D speed rating and is currently available in 28 sizes, which, according to Alliance, is the biggest variety of VF sizes in the industry. On top of this, the Alliance 372 VF has a modernized tread compound with enhanced abrasion and chip resistance as well as improved resistance to stubble damage.

The improved stubble guard compound and the special tread compounds for wear, cut and chip resistance were part of the construction and design upgrades that the model received in early 2019. The upgrades allowed for the tyre to ensure high structural stability and reliable heat resistance during the cycling field operations even at 0.8 bar inflation. As part of the updates, the tyre also has rounded lug shoulders, a larger footprint and higher lug angles for better soil protection and self-cleaning. 

Gerrit Vinkers, the Application Specialist Europe at Alliance Tire Group explained, “the recent field tests at IRSTEA were conducted on behalf of our R&D department to test the latest improvements of the tyre.

“In the course of transforming the complete Alliance IF tyre portfolio to VF, our engineers looked for additional features to further enhance soil protection, improve tyre performance and reduce structural strains in these highly flexible tyres.”

IRSTEA Test Reveals Alliance 372 VF Performance

During the investigation, IRSTEA tested the Alliance 372 VF and IF tyres against similar premium brand patterns in the market in the same sizes: 600/70R30 (front) and 710/70R42 (rear) which focused on four field tests under defined conditions: fuel efficiency, traction, slip in soft soil and footprint width.

Tyre inflation pressure remained constant at 1.6 bar for the front tyres whilst the load was varied between 4375 daN (IF) and 5150 daN (VF). For the rear tyres, the load was kept constant at 4875 daN whilst tyre inflation pressure varied between 1 bar (IF) and 0.8 bar (VF). The test results have been defined with the Alliance IF tyre being used as the reference baseline – or 100%.

In the fuel efficiency tests, the Alliance 372 VF matched the competitor’s premium VF tyre fuel efficiency level and clearly outperformed all IF tyres with relative results of 104 and 107%. As for traction, the Alliance 372 VF came a very close second to the competitor’s premium VF tyre in the rear option, with the product delivering a more convincing performance than the competitor’s premium IF tyres.

The slip in soft soil test is where the Alliance 372 VF stood out in terms of lower slip. In relative figures, the performance of the Alliance 372 VF rear size tyre is 118 % of the baseline figure compared to 112 % for the competitor’s premium VF tyre, and 63 and 58 %, respectively, for the two competitors’ premium IF tyres. Finally, in the footprint assessments, the Alliance 372 VF scored 110% for the read size tyre in comparison with 112% for a premium competition tyre. The front size tyre is slightly narrower than the competition: 104% versus 113 and 123% respectively.

In general, the tests highlighted that the Alliance 372 VF performed in line with the premium competition VF tyres and better that its Premium IF counterparts. Considering the fact that Alliance 372 VF comes in significantly cheaper than the premium competitors’ offerings, the results fit in well with their focus of promoting a high-quality product for a value price.

“Cutting edge technology, customer benefits and value for money have always been at the forefront of our thinking. As our flagship tractor tyre in VF technology, Alliance 372 VF is a perfect example of how low total cost of ownership translates in terms of Price–Performance ratio in the slogan of Alliance Tire Group: Better Value. Smarter Choice”, says Angelo Noronha, President EMEA of Alliance Tire Group.

The Alliance 372 VF is available from Kirkby Tyres, the exclusive importer of Alliance products in the UK and Ireland.