After testing Federal’s Couragia Mud Terrain in a massive mud tyre evaluation among 13 different tire offerings a few months back with “recommendable” praise, the Couragia ultimate off-road tire in size 285/75R16 has again starred in a long term torturous test run by Australian automotive media, where Federal’s 4X4 tyre distinguished itself in many areas of serious road manners; ensuring at the same time of having “outstanding road-holding characteristics” and “the tire with the lowest noise level.”

Unlike some mud tyres that grip well but can suddenly “let go” in a blink of an eye, the set of Couragia M/T have paced a smooth and progressive driving pleasure. A particular strength identified during the test was its remarkably minimal noise on dry pavement. Cornering on the black top is reasonably controlled for a mud tyre, and steering response is quick and light when running rod pressures of approximately 35psi. Moreover, when aired down the increase in effort required by both the drivers and the engine at maintaining higher speeds is very noticeable.

Off-road is where it really counts. On the dirt there’s a whole other side of Couragia, as mud, rocks, and dirt are most definitely where these tyres belong. With pressure down to 16psi, the Couragia bag out nicely over rocks and plough through the mud without skipping a beat over the twisty course. The incremental block edge effectively finds tractions as long as driver who worked the steering wheel. After a full day of hard work climbing, the tyres were free of any side wall damage. For overall performance, the Federal Couragia pattern combines safety, precision, and sport driving performance in an excellent way.

Uniquely designed and specifically tailored for the SUV enthusiasts, the Couragia M/T features strategically placed reinforcement under the tread, which delivers crisp handling and solid on-center feel at high-speed stretches. Deep, large grooves and aggressive shoulder lugs translate more rubber underfoot to handle the toughest terrains.

Being recognized by the leading 4WD Action magazine for the second time in a row tells us that our hard work is paying off. With the independent test running so far, we are confident to demonstrate once more that Federal is able to supply a full portfolio of top-quality products - all with modern, safe, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly tyres to our global customers. The universal fitment of Federal Couragia Mud Terrain for your muddy adventure is currently available with a full range of twelve sizes, in series 70 to 85 and from 15 to 20 inches.

After extensively testing the SS595 for over 2,000 recorded laps at tracks throughout the United States, Federal Tires is excited to announce its debut as the official tire supplier for the 2010 racing season of Legend Cars Asphalt Series. Manufactured by U.S. Legend Cars and internationally sanctioned by INEX Corp., the Legends Cars have become one of the fastest growing segments of motorsports today. With racers being classified into four different divisions (aka The Pro Division; The Masters Division; The Semi-Pro and the Young Lions Division), this "family-oriented" series is going to be full of excitement for everyone at any age. Much more than a challenging race, we will also have a lot of big name drivers- all raced in the series on their way to the top of the sport, and it’s definitely going to be a heck of a show!!

Jamie Ma, CEO of Federal Corp. is very pleased to be a part of the new partnership noted: “It is the first event sponsorship for Federal and U.S. Legend Cars, and we look forward to boosting our exposure with new supply deal. We are confident the outreach will help promote Federal brand across the States as we are undertaking the task of advancing the sport of Legends Car racing. Running exclusively on Federal SS595 as standard fitment, Federal’s involvement in the Legend Car Series will be a perfect format to showoff strong capabilities and performance of our product.”

Originally developed in 2001 as a road legal, ultra-high performance tuning tire, the SS595 has undergone technical modifications to suit the purposes and abuse of competition. By giving ultimate control under the harshest conditions, the model has supported a wide range of motorsports players and competitions around the world. It bears the same concept as Legend Cars – fun and affordability.

With the Legends Million taking place on a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series off weekend on July 15 - 17 at the Mecca of Motorsports, Charlotte Motor Speedway, the addition of this race feature $1 Million Purse at grassroots racing level has not only attracted participants from all over the country competing for the top prize, but it also has international appeal. Two competitors from Europe have already registered. For the overall winner taking home unprecedented $250,000, and the final spot in the feature event is assured $10,000, this is a 100 percent guarantee for spectacular racing.

To increase the visibility to a larger worldwide audience, Federal will enhance presence with its distinguished logo identification and brand recognition in promotional materials at every event. The new INEX Edition Federal tire will be available for purchase at your local U.S. Legend Cars dealer by April 15th.

The prestigious Australian Rally Championship (ARC) component of the event - Rally Tasmania 2010 has announced Steve Glenney and Alan Stean as the winners in Modern category for Team Federal Tyres, with Victorian young gun, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth finished second; Simon and Jamie Vandenberg a solid third in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IV.

A top field of over 50 entries saw some of Australian motorsport's biggest names and best drivers who boosted the real benchmark for the modern cars for the three-day event from February 26-28. After converting his Subaru Impreza WRX STI from gravel spec to tarmac trim by fitting new springs, bigger front brakes and removing the turbo restrictor; South Australian horse trainer, Steve Glenney was eager to repeat his success in the event from two years ago. He and his navigator, Alan Stean, drove the newly built machine with Federal Corsa FZ-201 in size 235/45R17 as a crowd pleaser in front of thousands of spectators, while moving into the lead by setting the fastest time in style with a 01:41:27.6 convincing win on the street stage. The Tasmanian road course covers the state's most iconic, tight and twisty runs with a total competitive distance of 210 kilometers to complete the 19 special legs. The two was pushing hard throughout the tough battle on the final day in the tarmac competition as they emerged from a ruck of rival cars to give Federal tyres a fairytale welcome to the 30th anniversary edition of Tasmania tarmac rallying in the state's north west of Australia.

Glenney, who made his debut of a new tarmac rally tyre to the event, with the Taiwanese made Federal brand supporting his entry in the rally, was ecstatic with his podium finish at a national level. "It's great to win Rally Tasmania for the second time in three years," he stated. “This is a really full-on day, and I was confident of a tremendous drive and good showing in the rally. With plenty of testing planned before the event, everything went well in the car, and the tyres were really up to the task. They allowed me to have chance of upsetting other competitors," he added. Leading the event into the last day, the reigning champion said his victory had meant his tyre choice was also an advantage after a few suspension problems experienced on the very last day of the race. “Motorsport can be cruel at times; nevertheless, we’ve proven that the Federal brand has not only carried rapid competition speed under intense pressure, but lasted the distance in contention over all of the rally's 19 stages. A unique semi-slick shoulder area and enhanced R compound tread design makes Corsa FZ-201 an ideal tire delivering road and race performance.” He concluded. Besides the 30th Burnie-based Rally Tasmania win, Glenney in particular also claimed a sensational record in Tasmania. He has recently won the modern section of Targa Tasmania in 2008 and the classic section of Targa Wrest Point in 2009.

Flying the Federal and D-Max colors, Naoki Nakamura did what he always seems to do best: win. He showed his championship form by capturing the overall series of D1 Street Legal championship - one of the well-known and well-attended events in Japan against a grid of top drifting talents across the country in the final standings.

A short but intense rain storm taken place in the second stage at Ebisu circuit meant a small error was enough to draw a dramatic spin between success and failure. Followed by a string of flowing curves, the track still held some dampness, adding an extra element of difficulty too. For those first-time drivers, this additional slip factor was proving a real challenge as they were struggling to get to grips with the first corner in the early practice session. However, experienced competitor like Nakamura in Nissan S15 behind the wheel of the Team D-Max was never boring - putting 580hp through the super tractive Federal 595 RS-R in size 235/40R17 front and 265/35R18 rear with all those pistons and a huge turbo thrown into the mix, his lead to the first corner was a symphony of power. The run has netted Naoki the win at top of the championship table, whilst the judges giving the advantage to him for his fabulous techniques all the way through the course.

In the fourth race of battle, Naoki looked determined at Nihonkai Maze Circuit, where his highly tuned S15 getting great angles and speed through every corner, moving him to the first place in the competition. Asked his opinion about tires, jubilant Naoki felt he’d proven a point with his performance said: “Although we drifted a lot less composed at very beginning of this year, it was in a way another boost of motivation that kept me moving forward. Subsequently, we're extremely proud of what we've accomplished. The competition was fierce, and I enjoyed the different challenge each of my competitors gave me. Federal 595RS-R street legal competition tire has done a beautiful job both in terms of speed and consistency. I ran almost as fast at the end of the run as I did at the start. The tires are lasting and performing much longer than I expected. The winning doesn’t come without the support of Federal who delivered very quickly and high quality tires for my car. ”

Driver Naoki Nakamura dominated like he did all season - what a great way to end a spectacular year. The success for Nakamura and Team D-Max is an incredible feat that the Federal Tyres is proud to be a part of. This was a fortuitous victory but he isn’t sitting on his laurels - he’s going for more. We look forward to an even better 2010 and a great outlook for 2010 season starting the beginning of April 17th at Bihoku Highland Circuit, Okayama. Keep your eyes on this go-getter!!

Following the resounding success from early 2008 onwards, Federal Tire is pushing the envelope further to develop and offer an extensive marketing plan specifically for tire dealers. Launched in keeping with the company's policy to strengthen its position in the local market, the objective of the image corner marks a step in a global effort to help consumers gain a better understanding of Federal. We aim, through this new development at covering major locations internationally, to create a sustainable showroom that establishes the essence of the Federal brand for sustaining its competitive edge and improving the dealer's business in all areas.

As one of the cornerstones of its marketing strategy, the special attraction of the Federal Image Corner free-standing installment is in combination with a set of tire rack, poster stand and promotional item display, all of which are well placed from its high-profile location at the dealers’ workplace. We have worked on a concept that is confident, straightforward, engaging and dynamic to fit the brand values by using the store to demonstrates its latest technologies and to provide and information that gives the customer a positive feeling and lasting effect towards the brand. All of these signature products and services are conveniently located under one roof within a customer-friendly environment where consumers are welcome to interact more with our products whilst stay connected simply and seamlessly with the market trend.

Anchored on a prime corner spot where Federal flagship lineup is occupied to cater all size businesses to shop owners worldwide, the colorful graphic elements adopted to the new station has maintained strong visual links with a distinctly local twist. It highlights the unique character of the brand and its story as one of our key drivers of comprehensive corporation identity package that to reflect vibrant and artistic spirit onsite – which guarantees emotional experiences for all enthusiasts, fans and drivers. Together with helpful and knowledgeable employees ready to best serve the customers, such a store not only holds to a high level of customer satisfaction, but also sets standard of an active, modern and contemporary premise. More importantly, the splashy shop keeps Federal at the forefront of consumers' minds.

We believe this exciting initiative will give us the opportunity to bring to consumers both quality and style that Federal is promoting as a useful tool kit to support sales through the independent sector. There are more than ten international distributors from around the world include U.S., Canada, Spain, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines whom have currently applied the program – all represents Federal’s design heritage and aesthetic direction of an one stop destination to your nearest neighborhood and beyond.