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Text: Sagar Banerjee
Photos: TVS TYRES
Tyres are the most important part between the ground and a two-wheeler and therefore must be chosen carefully. Equally important is the duty of the manufacturer of the tyre, so as to provide the best possible tyres to the customers, which of course is easier said than done. Tyre development is a result of years of R&D and rigorous testing, the reason why all the manufacturers have a dedicated division for that. We at xBhp, were invited to Madurai by TVS to visit the TVS TYRES Factory and R&D center. We also got to test out the tyres on their dedicated test track. It was a 2-day event which consisted of the R&D facility visit and a track testing on their own test track followed by a factory visit to show us how the tyres are made.
TVS TYRES have an in-house R&D which was set-up in 1995. All the tyres are put to in-depth field evaluations and research. Tyres are tested on real roads, test track, off road, and that too daily. TVS have their own labs which can reveal the smallest ingredients of the composition of any tyre (from any manufacturer). Apart from bench-marking, it can be used for studying new rival-tyre manufacturers’ tyres and based on their findings, they have the capability to develop or better their own products. They have dedicated high-speed rollers where tyres are run continuously for hours/days/weeks to understand their high-speed behavior on speeds up to 400 km/h. Apart from this they have their own test riders who test tyres continuously every day for around 300 kms! TVS has maintained the highest order of quality management systems and they have certifications from various agencies. They conduct periodic internal audits to ensure that systems are being complied to.
At our disposal were machines like – Honda Activa, Bajaj Platina commuter, Honda Shine, Bajaj Pulsar RS200 and Duke 390 old-gen – all shod with TVS tyres.
The Duke 390 was equipped with ProTorq branded tyres from TVS– 110 at the front and 140 at the rear. I have been riding on bikes with different segment of tyres but this one I would rate as one of the best tyres for some good speed riding and especially corners. This was my 1st track experience but I was enjoying it to the core. So much so that I broke TVS official riders’ record at the track by a very good margin and became the fastest till date. We had a wonderful track session for 2 hours followed by a visit to the R&D department by the evening.
Next day morning we visited the manufacturing factory where we were shown the different ways the tyres were made. It was astonishing to see how much effort was put by TVS TYRES to make one tyre. So many quality checks and so many different departments just to maintain the quality, is really commendable.
It is really commendable that TVS TYRES – our own countries manufacturer is taking India on a global map. They strategy now is very aggressive and they have rapid expansion plans in India as well as the international markets. From basic tube-type and tubeless tyres, they are now producing radial tyres for bigger motorcycles. Over all it was a great experience to visit a tyre plant and getting to know how these tyres have been made.
About TVS TYRES
Photos: TVS TYRES
Tyres are the most important part between the ground and a two-wheeler and therefore must be chosen carefully. Equally important is the duty of the manufacturer of the tyre, so as to provide the best possible tyres to the customers, which of course is easier said than done. Tyre development is a result of years of R&D and rigorous testing, the reason why all the manufacturers have a dedicated division for that. We at xBhp, were invited to Madurai by TVS to visit the TVS TYRES Factory and R&D center. We also got to test out the tyres on their dedicated test track. It was a 2-day event which consisted of the R&D facility visit and a track testing on their own test track followed by a factory visit to show us how the tyres are made.
TVS TYRES have an in-house R&D which was set-up in 1995. All the tyres are put to in-depth field evaluations and research. Tyres are tested on real roads, test track, off road, and that too daily. TVS have their own labs which can reveal the smallest ingredients of the composition of any tyre (from any manufacturer). Apart from bench-marking, it can be used for studying new rival-tyre manufacturers’ tyres and based on their findings, they have the capability to develop or better their own products. They have dedicated high-speed rollers where tyres are run continuously for hours/days/weeks to understand their high-speed behavior on speeds up to 400 km/h. Apart from this they have their own test riders who test tyres continuously every day for around 300 kms! TVS has maintained the highest order of quality management systems and they have certifications from various agencies. They conduct periodic internal audits to ensure that systems are being complied to.
At our disposal were machines like – Honda Activa, Bajaj Platina commuter, Honda Shine, Bajaj Pulsar RS200 and Duke 390 old-gen – all shod with TVS tyres.
The Duke 390 was equipped with ProTorq branded tyres from TVS– 110 at the front and 140 at the rear. I have been riding on bikes with different segment of tyres but this one I would rate as one of the best tyres for some good speed riding and especially corners. This was my 1st track experience but I was enjoying it to the core. So much so that I broke TVS official riders’ record at the track by a very good margin and became the fastest till date. We had a wonderful track session for 2 hours followed by a visit to the R&D department by the evening.
Next day morning we visited the manufacturing factory where we were shown the different ways the tyres were made. It was astonishing to see how much effort was put by TVS TYRES to make one tyre. So many quality checks and so many different departments just to maintain the quality, is really commendable.
It is really commendable that TVS TYRES – our own countries manufacturer is taking India on a global map. They strategy now is very aggressive and they have rapid expansion plans in India as well as the international markets. From basic tube-type and tubeless tyres, they are now producing radial tyres for bigger motorcycles. Over all it was a great experience to visit a tyre plant and getting to know how these tyres have been made.
About TVS TYRES
- TVS TYRES was incorporated in 1982. They manufacture two and three wheeler tyres.
- It is an OEM to almost all the big names in the industry including Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Honda, Suzuki, TVS Motor, Yamaha, etc
- It has two plants located in Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand).
- They cater to more than 70 countries across the world.
- TVS TYRES has the highest market share in the OEM segment in the two-wheeler segment.
- TVS TYRES has a network of more than 3000 distributors and dealers across India.
- TVS Srichakra is headed by P Vijayaraghavan who is the Director of the company. He is a Post Graduate in Chemistry and Post Graduate in Rubber Technology from IIT, Kharagpur. They makes tyres under the brands names: TVS TYRES, Eurogrip and TVS Eurogrip (for industrial use)
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