Alliance 372 VF Tyres: Unbeatable Package

Launch of an upgraded tyre version / Independent research at IRSTEA on fuel efficiency, traction, footprint and slip / Comparison versus the premium competition IF and VF tyres/ Top performance test results / Low total cost of ownership makes for an unbeatable package (GB)

An impressive performance of the upgraded tractor tyre Alliance 372 VF was confirmed earlier this year by an independent research conducted by IRSTEA* (Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture) in France. The tests on fuel efficiency, traction, slip and footprint show that Alliance 372 VF tractor tyre outperforms competitors’ premium IF tyres and is an about equal match for competitors’ premium VF tyres. Given that Alliance tyres come at a significantly lower price point, the top performance and the best value for money of Alliance 372 VF make for an unbeatable package.

Alliance 372 VF is a radial steel-belted tyre for tractors, combines, harvesters and some slurry tankers. The tyre goes with the 10-year warranty, D speed rating and is available in 28 sizes – which is the biggest variety of VF tractor sizes in the industry!

Tyre upgrade “put to the test”

The Alliance 372 VF received a construction and design upgrade in early 2019. The improved stubble guard compound as well as special tread compounds for wear, cut and chip resistance were used for the new version of the tyre. These upgrades ensure high structural stability and reliable heat resistance during the cycling field operations (CFO) even at 0.8 bar inflation pressure. The updated tyre has got rounded lug shoulders, larger footprint and higher lug angles for the better soil protection and self-cleaning.

“The recent field tests at IRSTEA were conducted on behalf of our R&D department to test the latest improvements of the tyre”, says Gerrit Vinkers, Application Specialist Europe at Alliance Tire Group. “In the course of transforming the complete Alliance IF tyre portfolio to VF, our engineers looked for additional features to further enhance soil protection, improve tyre performance and reduce structural strains in these highly flexible tyres.”

Four parameters – clear results

IRSTEA performed four field tests under defined conditions: fuel efficiency, traction, slip in soft soil and footprint width. The Alliance 372 VF and IF tyres were tested against 2 similar patterns from the Premium brands in IF and VF construction in the same sizes: 600/70R30 (front) and 710/70R42 (rear). Tyre inflation pressure was kept constant at 1.6 bar for the front tyres whilst the load was varied between 4375 daN (IF) and 5150 daN (VF). For the rear tyres, the load was kept constant at 4875 daN whilst tyre inflation pressure varied between 1 bar (IF) and 0.8 bar (VF). While reading the test results, the performance of the Alliance IF tyre is used as the reference baseline – or 100%.

Fuel efficiency: With a relative result of 104 and 107 % for the both tyres, Alliance 372 VF matches the competitor’s premium VF tyre fuel efficiency level and clearly outperforms all IF tyres.

Traction: Ranking a very close second to the competitor’s premium VF tyre in the rear option, the Alliance 372 VF delivered more powerful traction than the competitors’ premium IF tyres.

Slip in soft soil: With its excellent test value, the Alliance 372 VF is in the lead in terms of lower slip. In relative figures, the performance of the Alliance 372 VF rear size tyre is 118 % of the baseline figure compared to 112 % for the competitor’s premium VF tyre, and 63 and 58 %, respectively, for the two competitors’ premium IF tyres.

Footprint: Alliance 372 VF scores 110% for the rear size tyre in comparison with 112% for a Premium competition tyre. The front size tyre is slightly narrower than the competition: 104% versus 113 and 123% respectively.