Vipal increases traction with new cold-weather retread pattern

NOVA PRATA, Brazil—Retread materials and equipment supplier Borrachas Vipal S/A, has launched a tread pattern for increased traction power.

Vipal's new VM310 tread design caries the industry's 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS) certification and was developed to run in cold regions with severe weather conditions, the company said.

"Vipal Rubber stands out in the market for its quality and for offering pioneering products that meet the needs of its customers in all regions where it operates," the company said. "A good example is the new tread VM310, which is indicated for applications in urban areas, on drive and trailer axles.

"The innovation is certified with the 3PMS certification, proving excellent performance and safety when facing severe snow conditions."

The new Vipal tread should hit the market in the second half of this year.

The VM310 features Vipal's exclusive Eye Control technology, "which facilitates the control of the level of wear and the suggested time for a new retreading, preserving the integrity of the casing and the management of fleet tires."

Vipal said there has been growing customer demand for treads capable of performing in extreme weather conditions, "especially for the retreading of tires on regional buses."

The design has a rotational direction, offering better traction powe, the company said. The blocks were designed to promote the torque distribution, and the sipes provides excellent grip in snow conditions and minimize irregular wearing.

"The grooves' sculpture was designed to minimize retention of rocks and objects and to allow better water outflow in the rotational direction. With greater balance and stability due to its bindings between the blocks, the tread still offers good mileage performance and outstanding resistance to abrasion wear," the company said.

The technology and design of the VM310 is presented as a new Vipal solution for these colder regions of Europe, according to Fabricio Nedeff, commercial manager of Vipal Europe.

"This is a tread that meets a request from our customers and a remarkably interesting alternative to another tread in our portfolio, the VDA4, widely used in the region as well. We are incredibly happy to know that the VM310 has passed the 3PMSF test with an extremely high rate, proving all the quality used by Vipal's R&D area, and we look forward to having it for the second half of 2022," Nedeff said.

This is the 16th tread that Vipal has certified 3PMS; others are: VDA4, VT220, VRT3, VDE2, VM729, VT110, VT240, VT540, VZU3, VL170A, VL105A, VT115, VT510, VM310, VT250 and DV-UM3.

Vipal is represented in the U.S. by Doral, Fla-based Vipal Rubber Corp.