CEAT pits its motorcycle tyres against competitors at Indian test track

A series of gruelling field tests commissioned by CEAT Kelani Holdings for some of its top-selling motorcycle tyres has concluded that they hold their own against those of the two biggest competing brands, one from Sri Lanka and the other from India.

The benchmarking exercise was conducted at India’s state-of-the-art National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) of the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) in Indore, and at CEAT India’s corporate R&D facility in Halol, the Company said.

Matching tyres from a leading Sri Lankan motorcycle tyre brand and a top Indian brand were tested alongside five motorcycle tyres manufactured in Sri Lanka by CEAT, on multiple key value propositions (KVPs) – handling stability, ride comfort, straight line stability, character curves, limit handling, brake stability, dry and wet braking index and distance.

The final test scores indicated that the CEAT 140/70-17 Zoom XL, 90/100-10 Gripp X3, and 100/90-17 Gripp tyres were superior in some aspects, and on par in terms of other features with the products of the competitor brands, the Company disclosed. The tested tyres are those that fit the Yamaha FZ, Honda Activa, Bajaj Pulsar, Bajaj Platina and Hero HF Deluxe motorcycles.

Commenting on this exercise, CEAT Kelani Managing Director Ravi Dadlani said: “Lives literally ride on motorcycle tyre, and we periodically invest in rigorous testing of key aspects of our products on purpose-built tracks. This is part of CEAT’s continuous product development strategy that is closely integrated with consumer insights and research findings. 

“Insights suggested that tyre pattern features that support ride and handling, traction and grip, and better cornering capability are some of the key requirements of motorcycle tyre users. These requirements defined the parameters of our latest KVP tests. The test results drive our product development and performance enhancement processes and lead to the introduction of a new and improved tread patterns.” 

The latest KVP test report revealed that overall, the CEAT motorcycle tyres excel in dry and wet grip features when compared with the leading competitor brands. Specifically, the CEAT Gripp and Gripp X3 patterns are superior in their dry and wet grip features, ride and handling and breaking stability, and display exceptional wheel balance in comparison to the two leading brands they were benchmarked against. 

Furthermore, the Zoom XL tyre pattern emerged on par in performance with the two competitors with regards to ride and handling, braking stability, dry and wet grip, and wheel balance. 

Meanwhile, it was observed that the Secura Zoom and Milaze tyre patterns could improve in the ‘ride and handling’ parameter which has prompted CEAT to develop a new product by adapting a superior pattern technology based on the findings. 

Subsequently, the improved Zoom X3 tyre pattern was launched which shows enhanced performance in ‘ride and handling.’ Additionally, CEAT is also in the process of developing another product for this segment with a new variant of compound that promises further improvement in performance, Dadlani disclosed.  The manufacturer of half of the Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, CEAT Kelani Holdings is considered one of the most successful India – Sri Lanka joint ventures. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka to date exceeds Rs. 8 billion, and another Rs. 3.2 billion has been committed in 2022 for expansion of volumes, technology upgrades and new product development. 

The company’s manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka encompass tyres in the radial (passenger cars, vans and SUVs), commercial (nylon and radial), motorcycle, three-wheeler and agricultural vehicle segments.

The CEAT brand accounts for market shares in Sri Lanka of 48% in the Radial segment, 80% in the Truck category, 84% Light Truck tyre category, 51% in the Three-Wheeler tyre segment, 36% in the Motorcycle tyre segment and 72% in the Agricultural vehicle tyre category. CEAT Kelani exports about 20% of its production to 16 countries in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East.