Page 28 - CTB n3 - 2013/3,

BUS AND COACH
Continental Collaborate to Help Develop Tyre-Friendly Bus Stop Curbstone
Kings Road Tyres: Multi-Brand Offering for Bus and Coach Market
An unrewarding long-term job with no time to rest: Public transport bus tyres face perhaps the toughest tasks that can arise over the career of a tyre. Each morning they leave the depot rolling through narrow city streets with a wide range of surfaces constantly pulling away and braking to get to the next bus stop.
It is normal practice for public transport buses, which weigh several tonnes, to make use of curbstones to position themselves precisely in front of passengers. The tyre side walls need to withstand maximum contact pressure minute by minute. Furthermore the robust qualities of the reinforced sidewalls may
material-wearing frictional resistance as possible thanks to its extremely smooth surface. The durability and, above all, the extremely high resistance to frost and de-icing salt make the Barriflex Busbord a milestone among concrete elements. The use of this extremely compact material is a world first in mechanised series production,” says Theilmeier. The tyre should constantly benefit from the smooth contact, too.
Guided closely along the reinforced sidewall as the bus approaches the stop, the tyre is received as gently as possible by a vertical contact surface on the stone.
Over the whole guiding time, the tyre only uses the stiff sidewall to
Kings Road Tyres (KRT) is one of the UK’s leading wholesale suppliers of specialist tyres to the bus and coach sector, offering a comprehensive range of brands covering all sectors of the market, from premium through to value- for-money economy products.
At the premium level KRT works closely in partnership with major manufacturers such as Bridgestone, Continental and Goodyear, helping
distributors across the countr y service fleet customers with high quality tyres designed specifically to meet the operating conditions of this rigorous market.
For its mid-range offer the company is the exclusive UK distributor of Matador Bus & Coach tyres. Matador traces its tyre-making heritage back to 1925 and is now part of the Continental Tyre Group. All products continue to be manufactured in Europe, rather than lower production cost countries, and the company has its base in Puchov, Slovakia. Matador’s key sizes for the Bus & Coach market are the 275/70R22.5 and
295/80R22.5 FU1 City Urban tyres. These are designed and produced
with a heavy
duty sidewall
and shoulder to resist curbing damage, which
is an inherent occupational problem for vehicles
operating in constant stop- start mode in urban environments, with
unpredictable and irregular roads and kerbs.
“Buses and coaches
are notoriously hard on
their tyres, so for us the starting point is always to recommend the correct tyre for the selected application. For example, in the case of Matador, their City Urban tyres are designed to withstand sidewall and shoulder damage, whereas a standard truck tyre used
in that environment would sustain damage and need regular replacement,” explains KRT’s purchasing and marketing manager, Tim Bader. “
“Matador is an exciting brand with a great deal going for it, not only is it a member of the Continental Group, which speaks volumes about its commitment to high quality, European manufactured products, but it also has a
comprehensive range of competitively priced tyres covering all major commercial market sectors,” adds Tim.
Another important consideration for fleet buyers is that as a mid- range product all Matador tyres are both regroovable and retreadable, delivering extra performance and value for money to end users.
As part of its support for the Matador brand KRT has introduced a dedicated website at www.matadortyres.co.uk, covering the full portfolio of coach, bus and truck applications for City Urban, Regional and Long Haul, Mixed
Service and Winter fitments.
Another exclusive brand from KRT is
the popular Chinese-
manufactured Aeolus range of
budget tyres. The company produces specialist bus and coach tyres under its HN226 City Urban - All
Position range, which is
available in three popular
sizes - 11R22.5, 275/70R22.5 and
295/80R22.5. Full details of the extensive ranges of
Aeolus products for bus and coach, truck, OTR and crane
applications can be viewed at www.aeolustyres.co.uk.
Barriflex Busbord: a tyre-friendly curbstone made from ultra-high- performance concrete (UHPC) and developed by the German concrete producer Lintel in collaboration with Continental
sometimes be used to brake the vehicle against the curbstone. It is no easy life for a tyre that should also brighten up the bus company’s balance sheet later on as a retread.
Since at Continental the ideas for commercial vehicle tyres do not end with the valve caps, engineers from the German tyre manufacturer’s development centre have provided advice for a new curbstone concept from the Lintel concrete plant in Rheda- Wiedenbrück, Germany.
The fruit of the joint efforts is called Barriflex Busbord and will give public transport bus tyres a strong shoulder to lean on. Thomas Theilmeier manager of Betonwerk Lintel explains the qualities of his tyre-friendly concrete element: “Ultra-high- performance concrete (UHPC), which is many times more durable than conventional concrete, forms the lasting backbone for the curbstone that provides as little
support itself against the specially shaped stone contour. The tread, which is sensitive to impact, is involved in the guiding tasks only with minimum horizontal shearing force. Low-floor buses can stop at barrier-free level to the exact millimeter, thus allowing disabled passengers unhindered access to the vehicle. Furthermore the special contour of the curbstone stops the vehicle dangerously mounting it if the wheel approaches at an extremely obtuse angle.
The new curbstone concept has been on the market for a year now and, according to Theilmeier, it “is noticeably gaining momentum.” Continental engineers have estimated that tyre-friendly bus stops will reduce tyre wear considerably and can thus extend tyre life.
28 Commercial Tyre Business