The DV-UM3B pattern is a premium tread specially designed for urban use. It is particularly applicable for city buses and waste-collection trucks used in severe service, including stop-start and tight- turning applications.

In the test, two Mercedes- Benz Atego medium-duty 6×2 trucks completed an urban rubbish-collection service route in Londrina, Brazil, with the tyres mounted in the drive axle.

The Vipal DV-UM3B reached an average projection of 14,329km compared with 8705km from its competitor, representing a 65% better performance.

When it came to average kilometres per millimetres, Vipal also had a far better performance, with 1194km/ mm compared with 757km/ mm — or 58% higher.

“We know the tyre market for this segment very well. We understand the DV-UM3B tread’s potential and how effective it can be,” said Andrei da Luz, the Vipal consultant who supervised the evaluation.

According to Diego Antonietti, Vipal’s regional fleet manager, rubbish collecting is quite demanding, especially on tyres. The DV-UM3B was developed especially for radial tyres on drive or trailer axles. Ideal for urban perimeter use, it provides excellent traction and low rolling resistance. Its design was developed to minimise the retention of rocks and unwanted objects, providing the casing with more protection against damage.

The DV-UM3B was also made for greater mileage and stability in contact with the ground, as well as temperature, which tends to remain stable, prolonging the tyre’s service life.

Dave Leicester, director of New Zealand Vipal agent Power Retreads, adds: “This tread design has been well-tested in most major New Zealand cities in the past couple of years. The tests were run on city buses and waste trucks with outstanding results.”

The tests carried out by Vipal follow strict standards stipulated by its Performance Evaluation Methodology, which seeks to compare similar products applied in the segments for which they are intended and subjected to use under equal conditions, ensuring impartiality in the results obtained.

“Undoubtedly, the technology used by Vipal Rubber to develop its products, and the care we have in providing the transporter with the ideal application for each need, were essential for us to obtain such significant results with our product in relation to a similar one from the competitor,” explained Antonietti.

In New Zealand, Vipal pattern retreads are manufactured by Power Retreads in three factories in Auckland, Hastings and Christchurch.

The retreads are then wholesaled throughout the country by a network of independent tyre dealers.

Vipal Rubber’s DV-UM3B Precure tread recently faced off in a comparative test with a competitor’s product and proved its performance to be 65% better under similar rolling and application conditions.