Nokian Renkaat Oyj apologized for what it said were “mistakes in the past” after its shares plunged following a local media report that the winter-tire specialist may have manipulated test results for years.The Finnish company said industry practices in past years “were dubious” but that Nokian Renkaat has clarified its rules to “specifically forbid any planning or manufacturing of tires that are targeted only for car media tests,” according to a Friday statement to the Helsinki stock exchange. The comments follow a report by business newspaper Kauppalehti that the company may have changed tire characteristics to achieve higher scores than competitors.Nokian Renkaat declined as much as 9.6 percent on the newspaper report, its biggest intraday drop since Oct. 4, 2013. The share traded down 7.1 percent as of 5:19 p.m. in Helsinki.Testing by automakers and parts suppliers is coming under increased scrutiny following revelations by Volkswagen AG last year that it rigged diesel engines in 11 million vehicles. 

The German automaker is facing lawsuits by the U.S. Justice Department and state attorneys general and fines of as much as $46 billion, as well as hundreds of private suits, for using deceptive software to subvert emissions standards.Michelin & Cie., Europe’s biggest tiremaker, said Friday that it never manipulated its test results. The French company "has never designed or manufactured tires specifically for tests conducted by the media, automobile associations or any other organizations," it said in a statement, adding that its tests "reflect real life driving conditions using series production tires."Nokian Renkaat Chief Executive Officer Ari Lehtoranta said the company no longer manipulates results by making tires specifically for test purposes, according to Kauppalehti. Lehtoranta, who took over as CEO in 2014, said industry practices for testing tires in the past have not been appropriate, the paper reported. “These allegations have been made before in the tire industry, but my understanding is that these things haven’t been going on for some years now,” said Rauli Juva, a Helsinki-based senior analyst at Nordea who recommends selling the stock.

“Regardless, I don’t think that this is something that has the potential to really hurt Nokian Renkaat’s earnings, so the share reaction looks overdone.”The tire maker earlier this month said that 2015 earnings before interest and taxes dropped 4.1 percent to 296 million euros ($325 million) and forecast that operating profit will remain at that level in 2016.In its stock exchange statement, Nokian Renkaat said it wanted to raise the issue of testing itself, “as we have been increasing the transparency and ethicality of our operations on all levels.” Vray Indoor Lighting Tutorial MayaThe company also said its board never agreed to any stock option programs that would have created incentives to cheat, contrary to “what has been implied in the media.” How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Uhaul Cargo Van

Car, Truck & SUV Tires Shop For TiresBack To Tire Brands Northern Tire is proud to offer Nokian Tyres to Coaticook, QC, Sherbrooke, QC, and Colebrook, NH at some of the lowest prices around. Northern Tire helps customers find the right Nokian Tyres for their car or truck at the right price that fits their budget. Give us a call at (603) 237-8105 today and we will work with you to find the right Nokian Tyres for your car. Or you can contact us online. Remember Northern Tire is the number one Nokian tyre dealer in Colebrook, New Hampshire and also offers great deals providing Coaticook, QC auto repair services. Home For Sale 95315Not sure which tyre is right for your car then use our online tyre catalog. Nokian Tyres is the only tyre manufacturer in the world that focuses on customer needs in northern conditions. The company supplies innovative tyres for cars, trucks and special heavy machinery mainly in areas with special challenges for tyre performance: snow, forests and harsh driving conditions in different seasons.

Nokian Tyres’ product development is consistently aiming for sustainable solutions for safety and the environment, taking into account the whole life cycle of the tyre. In 2011, Nokian Tyres had 3,981 employees and net sales of EUR 1.456 billion. Nokian Tyres’ shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Our products are mainly sold in replacement markets. The group has its own sales companies in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, the United States and Belarus. In other countries sales is handled by importers on a limited or one-brand approach. A member of Nokian Tyres group, the tyre chain Vianor operates as a wholesaler and a retailer in Nokian Tyres’ core markets. Other distributors have long-term partnerships and are loyal in building Nokian brand positioning in their markets. Important customer groups are also the end-users of tyres and the Original Equipment manufacturers that are involved in long-term product development co-operation with Nokian Tyres.

Key products are produced in our factories in Nokia, Finland and in Vsevolozhsk, Russia. Certain products are produced by off-take contract manufacturers in factories where the quality level corresponds to Nokian Tyres’ high standards. Nokian Tyres plc was founded in 1988 and was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in 1995. The company’s roots go back all the way to 1898, when Suomen Gummitehdas Oy, or Finnish Rubber Factory, was established. Passenger car tyre production began in 1932 and the world’s first winter tyre was produced in 1934. The company’s best-known brand, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tyre, was launched in 1936. Shop For TiresBack To Tire BrandsWinter tires have been around since 1934, when Finnish tiremaker Nokian introduced them for trucks. Two years later, Nokian added sizes for passenger cars. This was during a time when there were still many horses and carts on the roads, and motor vehicles didn’t have today’s handling and braking capabilities.

Tires that helped keep trucks and cars under control had a real impact on keeping drivers, pedestrians, and horses safe. After Nokian introduced its first dedicated winter tire, other manufacturers followed with their own offerings. In the 1960s, studded tires were common offerings from major tire manufacturers. While they certainly helped control in wintry conditions, the noise and road damage studded tires created have reduced their popularity and led to legislation limiting, or prohibiting, their use. When first introduced, winter tires featured a unique tread design for the time. Most tires up to that point had minimal tread patterns, usually no more than circumferential grooves or “ribs.” The new bias ply snow tires featured a new style that we’d call “knobby” today, with tread blocks designed to help the tire bite into the snow. It offered improved traction in snowy conditions. The tire industry’s original definition of snow tires was based on the geometry of the tread design.

The designation “M+S” was created to differentiate the knobby tires intended for use on muddy or snow-covered roads from straight rib tires. Unlike recommended practice for modern winter tires, the original snow tires were usually only installed on the rear axle (back then the drive axle of almost all vehicles). Tires with tread designs that meet the industry definition (essentially a measure of the amount of void in the tread pattern) may be branded, still today, with the letters “M” and “S” in several different ways (e.g., M&S, M+S, M/S, MS, etc.) at the discretion of the tire manufacturer. Radial tires, largely because the radial plies kept the tread pattern more open, also delivered better snow traction than straight rib, bias ply tires. This led tire companies to create radial tires that qualified for the M+S designation and to introduce them as “all-season” tires. These new all-season tires were supported by advertising campaigns that suggested that they offered traction for all seasons, including winter snow.

While the idea of an all-in-one tire proved very popular, the geometry-based M+S designation doesn’t guarantee adequate traction on snow or ice. To help drivers easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance-based standard for passenger car and light truck winter tires in 1999. A three-peak mountain/snowflake symbol branded on the tire’s sidewall identifies tires that attain a traction index equal to or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire that is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. There are three basic categories of modern winter tires (note that the term is “winter tires,” not “snow tires” because they have evolved to offer performance advantages in all winter conditions). First are the more or less self-explanatory studded winter tires. These have metal studs inserted in the tread to provide maximum grip on ice.

Next are studless snow-and-ice tires, which are increasingly popular because they provide the most traction possible without noisy studs that are illegal in many places. The most recent category is performance winter tires. Generally rated for higher speeds (some up to 168 mph), they are offered in lower-profile sizes, and are typically constructed with asymmetrical tread patterns. Performance winter tires sacrifice some traction on packed snow and ice, but deliver improved performance in mixed conditions, or on the cold, wet, slushy roads. Given that, in their simplest form, tires are just a mixture of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polymers, steel belts, fiber belts, binders, silica, carbon black and oils that are mixed and cured in a mold, how do tire manufacturers develop effective winter tires? Engineers look at the inherent conflicts in winter tire development: snow performance, ice performance, handling, wet grip noise and rolling resistance. Then they turn to special technologies that strike a balance among the conflicting demands.

These include softer and more flexible tread compounds, the shape of the contact patch, specially designed grooves, advanced sipe technology including complex 3-D sipes, and distinctive tread designs. Tread compounds all harden as temperatures drop – the compound determines the rate of that hardening. To provide good grip in winter conditions, winter tire compounds are pliable and maintain flexibility in low temperatures. Some compounds even alter their elasticity depending on the level of energy involved – reacting as changing speeds create variations in centrifugal forces and heat. Compounds with silica offer improved wet performance and have been included in the winter tire offerings from many manufacturers. Some new silica compounds have added exotic materials such as naturally derived carbonic bamboo powder. The bamboo powder helps absorb the water layer that develops between the tire tread and an icy surface. Others use crushed walnut shells incorporated into the tread compound.

Walnut shells are among the hardest natural substances in the world and provide added control by scratching into ice. Similarly, next generation multi-cell compounds add bite particles for traction and hydrophobic channels designed to absorb water from road surfaces. Engineers have been able to create compounds with micro-flexibility that interlock with dry roads and produce better dry traction. They also increase force transmission for shorter braking distances and improved grip – combined with minimal rolling resistance at high handling levels. New belting techniques help optimize contact patch pressure while increasing the actual contact area and helping the tire shed water. The design of sipes in modern winter tires is the focus of attention in several areas. Improved sipe designs provide a more efficient wiping effect that decreases the liquid layer between the tread and the road surface. Increased drainage from multi-channel sipe technology removes water from the tread area.

Some tires have added shallower sipes to provide extra traction when the tire is new, while 3-D sipes work to maintain wet traction throughout the tire’s life. Maximum wet grip combined with excellent winter performance on snow and ice appears to be a priority in the design of winter tire treads. Modern winter tires have treads with directional patterns, no circumferential grooves and increased numbers of block edges. They offer improved snow handling due to the increased number of blocks. In many tires, 3-D groove structures act as additional grip edges. Vertical channels guide water flow to the tire’s horizontal drainage system where the water is removed from the contact area by the pattern grooves. Claw-like features incorporated in some tread designs provide added traction in deep snow while also enhancing block rigidity. The result is an improvement in both wet and ice traction. Recently some manufacturers have added a “buttress” to the tread to help maintain control on rutted winter roads by providing improved feel when traversing in and out of ruts in both snow and slush conditions.

Nokian looks like they’re trying to re-invent the winter tire with a unique stud technology that brings the studs out only when they are needed. With a press of a button, the driver can bring out the studs. When not needed, the studs can be retracted back into the tire. The idea of the combined non-studded and studded tire is that the driver can make the switch as conditions change. On dry or merely wet roads, the studs remain retracted, but they can quickly be activated in icy weather. The studs on all four tires raise and lower at the same time. The body of the stud remains in place, and the moving part is a hard metal pin in the middle of the stud. Coming from a different direction are the new “all-weather” tires now appearing in Canada. The rationale for the all-weather offerings sounds a lot like the original arguments for all-season tires. However, proponents say they are a proper winter tire as well as a superior summer tire. They claim the all-weather is what the all-season wanted to be, before it became a cliché.