Tyre manufacturers Avon and Yokohama have both announced new additions to their ranges of van tyres.
Avon AV11: Designed for Hard Knocks
Van tyres often have a hard life – routinely being kerbed and heavily loaded over high mileages. Avon’s new AV11 tyre appears to be a beefed-up alternative to its AV9 van tyre that has been specially designed for heavy use. It has reinforced sidewalls and a stronger carcass to reduce the chance of accidental damage.
According to Nigel Hampson, Sales Director of Cooper Tire Europe: “The AV11 will stand up to relatively harsh treatment”.
Although the AV11 is a summer tyre, it has been designed to provide good water dispersal and should work well in most conditions.
Yokohama: 3 Tyres For Any Conditions
Yokohama now offers four tyres for vans and other light commercial vehicles. Between them, they cover virtually all weather conditions and usage scenarios.
- RY818: This is a summer tyre designed with urban delivery work in mind. It is designed to endure regular kerb abuse and to provide a stable platform with good water dispersal characteristics.
- Y354: This is an all-season tyre: these are not popular or widely available in the UK, but I am a big fan and believe they are very suitable for most UK conditions – far more so than a winter/summer tyre combo for most drivers. In this case, Yokohama has designed them with distance work in mind. These tyres should work well in all weather conditions and should mean that driver can cope with moderate snow and ice without needing to think about winter tyres. They have snowflake and M+S markings.
- WY01: The WY01 is a winter tyre and will provide optimum performance in all conditions when the temperature is below 7°C. I think a full winter tyre is overkill in most parts of the UK, but operators in Scotland or rural areas of the Midlands and Northern England might well benefit from the superior grip of a full winter tyre.
Continental Vanco 2 tyre
Continental Tyres OE Fitment on 1/3 European Vans
Continental tyres are an original equipment fitment on one third of European-manufactured vans. The Continental range includes the following tyres:
- VanEco – designed with low rolling resistance in mind for improved fuel efficiency
- Vanco 2 – designed to provide a durable tyre for heavier vans
- VancoContact 2 – a van tyre for small and car-derived vans
- VancoWinter 2 – A winter tyre for vans
- VancoWinterContact – a winter tyre for car-derived and small vans