I have been puzzled for more years than I care to consider as to why tyres, and so the personnel that service our tyres, are treated so poorly. Before replying, have a wander around a car park at the supermarket, or at the truck stop, and look at the condition of the tyres. My team’s fathers have taught their children to look at tyres and so they have become ‘tyre aware’. The children report to me with what they observe of the tyres on vehicles adjacent to them when stopped at traffic lights or in traffic, and they are most concerned! They well understand that their primary safety starts with tyres that are in good condition and appropriately inflated. Thankfully, with TPMS, pressure maintenance has been semi-automated, if the driver takes any notice of the notification on the dash.

So, the personnel who ‘repair’ our tyres, the people at the local tyre shop, or the heavy vehicle service centre or maybe even on a mine site manoeuvring a 4-metre giant tyre onto a wheel or rim, with a combined mass of 5 tonnes to be fitted to a giant haul truck providing a GVM of 600 tonnes, have one thing in common – they are in the firing line if a catastrophic tyre failure occurs during service.

A quick search on the internet will bring a plethora of such events recorded. Why is it serious? A medium size 22.5-inch truck tyre has a burst potential of more than 12 tonnes – a larger tyre of course has a higher potential. There is a serious differentiation that needs to be explained here: a tyre burst is the instantaneous (or near to) release of contained inflation pressure. The resultant force is directly related to the inflation pressure. A tyre explosion is the result of combustion within the tyre’s air chamber. The resultant forces may be magnitudes higher than the initial inflation pressure.

A burst has an effect on the human body not unlike that of a military hand grenade; agreed there is no thermal outcome in a tyre burst and no chemical effects, but the air blast is somewhat equivalent. We expect our tyre service personnel to work on equipment of unknown history or unknown service life on pavements of greatly varying quality without question. Experience is what differentiates older tyre service personnel from a new starter. Sure there are training facilities as well as the school of hard knocks. I do say to trainees, “do not use your first chance with tyres, you may not get another.” Then I show some tyre burst videos and the understanding is set in place.

The quality of components for a pressure vessel – as a tyre assembly actually is – is most critical. The tyre itself must be carefully inspected and be sound and free of defects as far as an external examination can determine. The wheel or rim components, particularly lockrings, MUST be in sound condition and must be compatible with the wheel/rim base they are being mounted onto. If the tyre service personnel are not 100 percent certain of compatibility, then it’s a no fit event.

A tyre being inflated after mounting is worthy of a formal risk assessment. A “what if” process, questions of what if the tyre failed during inflation, what if the wheel/rim failed or in the case of a multi piece assembly disassembled, who is in the firing line in such a case? Yes, inflation cages are a mandate (or should be) in professional tyre shops. The simple hoop style cage will prevent large pieces being ejected from a catastrophic failure but still permits the air blast to escape, potentially damaging any human body within 2–3 metres.

The damage an air blast impacts onto a human body may not be visible from the outside. Such an air blast may impart serious injury to soft internal organs such as lungs, kidneys, digestive systems and may even result in embolisms that can traverse the blood returns to the brain or heart where injury is a not if but how bad. 

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in or attend a catastrophic tyre failure, then have the service personnel attended by an emergency physician with continued observation for 24 hours. The damage to the body may not be immediately apparent.

So why do we permit untrained (read lacking confirmed competence) personnel to work in such a high risk environment? It circles back to why people purchase budget priced tyres; they just don’t see any value in paying for quality. A quick story: a 4WD pulls into the local tyre shop, the driver exclaims he wants the best off-road tyres in the shop and then explains, “Oh, my wife will be with the family car next week, just a set of cheapies on hers will be fine.”  There is total confusion in the value proposition here. His toy has to have the best, but the family vehicle can have cut or rock bottom price items. HELLO??? The same phenomenon happens with tyre service work. A smart transport operator well understands that the cost of operating their tyres is a lot more than just the tyre’s purchase price. The tyre bay that supports the operation and keeps it rolling is a key component of the operation. So why not invest in trained and skilled personnel? I say to these owners, a good tyre service personnel knows all their tyres by their first names. Just as the transport operator can tell you about the habits of different vehicles, a competent tyre person can identify aspects of tyre performance most would not even think about; no, most don’t even think about their tyres, let alone care!

A well-mounted tyre, i.e. one that has been properly mounted onto the wheel or rim base so that it is concentric with the base, will balance up well, rotate smoothly without continually hammering the suspension on every revolution and as well provide fuel savings AND a safe ride for the driver and passengers. Add properly inflated and then maintained (of course, TPMS provides the easiest form of maintenance), and a tyre will perform at its best, which is what we demand when the vehicle is put into a corner, or required to brake heavily. Why would you not want the tyres to be able to perform at peak performance without fault?

Invest in your tyre service personnel, train them and educate them to not only understand the risks but observe the potentials too. Improved business with your clientele as well as enhanced safety for your work force will result. Remember, the TyreSafe 6M principle’s end result is to??? (If you don’t know, askus@tyresafe.com.au)

Competent and passionate tyre service people are worth their weight in gold. When you find one, you’ll understand what I mean.

Take care, stay safe, isolate as required and enjoy! (TT)

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Pirelli has entered into a strategic agreement with Swedish technology firm Univrses to integrate artificial intelligence-based computer vision systems into its Cyber Tyre platform. As part of the deal, Pirelli has acquired a 30 percent stake in Univrses, with an option to increase that share to a majority holding. The collaboration will embed Univrses’ 3DAI technologies into Pirelli’s existing Cyber Tyre solutions, creating a unified system aimed at producing safer and higher performing vehicles.

The combined technology has potential applications in advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving. It also generates timely, actionable data for road management, helping authorities make better decisions and deploy resources more efficiently. This could lead to fewer road accidents and saved lives. The system uses onboard cameras and tyres to collect feedback on road conditions. Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre, the first integrated hardware and software system of its kind, gathers data from tyre sensors, processes it with proprietary algorithms and communicates in real time with vehicle electronics and the cloud.

Univrses originally developed its technology to help cars understand their surroundings, but it has since been adapted to turn vehicles into AI-powered road monitoring agents. The Swedish company’s 3DAI Engine provides autonomous vehicles with perception capabilities including 3D positioning, mapping and spatial deep learning. Its 3DAI system digitises roadside infrastructure using data from vehicle-mounted sensors like cameras.

A pilot project is already active in Italy. In 2025, Pirelli and the Puglia Region launched a road network monitoring system to create an updated map of infrastructure conditions. The system analyses data from tyres via the Cyber Tyre platform alongside visual data from cameras interpreted by Univrses’ technology.

Andrea Casaluci, CEO, Pirelli, said, “The agreement with Univrses further enhances our Cyber Tyre™ platform, thanks to advanced AI‑based artificial vision technologies. The collaboration between Pirelli and Univrses will make a significant contribution to the ongoing transformation of cars into true software‑defined vehicles.”

Jonathan Selbie, CEO, Univrses, said, “Continuous monitoring and data are becoming the new foundation for infrastructure asset management, and Univrses technology is able to provide powerful analytical capabilities based on reliable and frequently updated data. In this context, we are pleased to welcome Pirelli as an investor and to take our partnership to the next level: we will join forces to deliver increasingly advanced services and products.”

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ZC Rubber is preparing a major European-focused showcase at THE TIRE COLOGNE, scheduled to run from 9 to 11 June 2026. The tyre manufacturer will occupy Booth C050g in Hall 8.1, highlighting its WESTLAKE and GOODRIDE brands with a clear emphasis on products tailored specifically for regional market demands.

The display will blend imminent and future innovations. Products destined for a European launch in the latter half of 2026 will appear alongside the company’s current truck and bus radial lineup. Selected previews of developments planned for 2027 will also be on view. A featured attraction is the Westlake Sport RS2, a drift-proven ultra-high-performance tyre praised for its grip, precision and 180 treadwear rating. A renewed rubber compound, developed through work with the Red Bull Driftbrothers, now delivers steadier traction under severe driving conditions. Appearing at the stand, Red Bull Driftbrothers driver and engineer Elias Hountondji will illustrate how motorsport data directly refines ZC Rubber’s product engineering.

Additional new passenger car radial models for Europe in the second half of 2026 include the Westlake ZuperFlex Z-137, Goodride RideMax G-147, the all-season Westlake Zuper4S Z-411 and the off-road focused Westlake Terra Legend SL399 and Goodride Mud Legend SL388. On the truck and bus side, already available tyres such as the Westlake WSL2, Westlake WDL2+ and Goodride S2, D3 and D4 will be exhibited, covering steer and drive axle needs for long-haul and heavy-duty transport.

A sneak peek at 2027 offerings will feature the Westlake Z-301 commercial van tyre, Goodride All Season G-721, Goodride SnowComfort G-518 and new TBR models including the Westlake WTL2, Westlake WTR OEM and Goodride M2. ZC Rubber’s team will remain on-site throughout the event, welcoming visitors and partners to the booth for meetings and professional discussions.

Leo Liao, General Manager, ZC Rubber Europe, said, “This year’s showcase reflects a much broader and more complete portfolio for Europe. From UHP and all-season tyres to all-terrain, mud-terrain and TBR solutions, we are bringing new developments across almost every major segment. This reflects how seriously we take the European market: we are listening to local needs, investing in the right products and building a portfolio that better matches the needs of our European partners.”

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Magna Tyres has launched the MA801 TR, a new solid tyre engineered for extreme operating conditions in recycling facilities and heavy industrial settings. Designed to maximise equipment uptime while supporting high load capacities, the tyre is built to deliver dependable performance in harsh environments. The official debut of the MA801 TR will take place at IFAT 2026 in Munich, scheduled from 4 to 7 May 2026.

The new model is intended for compact wheel loaders and telescopic handlers, featuring a flat-free solid construction. Its extra-deep non‑directional tread is reinforced by a triangular structural design, which enhances traction and stability on surfaces littered with sharp debris. Available in sizes 13.00‑24 and 14.00‑24, the tyre prioritises puncture resistance and reduced maintenance needs.

Thanks to its robust architecture and deep tread profile, the MA801 TR offers an extended service life and consistent performance across demanding work cycles. By eliminating the risk of flats, Magna Tyres positions the tyre as a reliable solution for recycling and industrial operations where continuous heavy loads are standard.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has secured validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a prominent corporate climate-action organisation, for its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets set for 2035. This endorsement confirms that the company’s goals are scientifically aligned with the standards established under the Paris Agreement. The validated targets are measured relative to the company’s 2024 emission levels.

Under the approved framework, Yokohama Rubber aims for a 63.0 percent reduction in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which cover direct emissions from its business activities as well as indirect emissions from purchased energy. Additionally, the company commits to a 37.5 percent cut in Scope 3 emissions, specifically targeting indirect supply chain emissions from purchased products and services, along with fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2. To achieve these reductions, Yokohama Rubber has been expanding solar power generation and renewable energy electricity at its global plants, while also disclosing indirect emissions from product distribution, use and disposal since 2013.

The company obtained SBTi validation to accelerate supply-chain-wide emission cuts in response to intensifying climate challenges. Operating under its sustainability management slogan, ‘Caring for the Future’, Yokohama Rubber continues to create shared value by tackling social issues directly through its business operations.

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