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Under Pressure

A survey conducted by Continental suggests that Britain’s young drivers are the social group least likely to check their car tyre pressure. The national poll revealed that under-25s are twice as likely to leave their tyres unchecked than any other age group, with almost half (46 per cent) completely unaware what their tyre pressure should be.

One in five of the young people polled had not checked their tyre pressures in the last month compared to the standard across all ages of one in 12. Conti estimates that “an average driver could waste as much as £120 a year on fuel by not regularly checking their tyre pressure.” With this in mind, younger drivers facing high motoring costs with more expensive insurance premiums can not afford to ignore their tyre pressures. For a generally more environmentally aware sector of the public, young people should also be considering that the average car driver could produce an extra 250lbs of CO2 a year by not maintaining their tyre pressures.

18th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Survey Finds 10% of Fleet Cars Have Tread Below 1.6mm

Almost one in ten cars examined by ATS Euromaster as part of a recent unscheduled tyre safety inspection were found to have at least one tyre which was at or below the legal limit of 1.6 millimetres or another similarly major defect. The surprise car park inspection saw technicians record the tyre tread depth and overall condition of each tyre on 147 cars at a popular conference venue in Birmingham.

Following the inspections, technicians left advice cards warning drivers about their tyre condition. Fourteen vehicles (9.5 per cent) were in red condition, according to the company’s traffic light scale, with one or more tyres at a tread depth at or below the legal limit of 1.6mm, or with a serious defect requiring immediate attention. A further 15 vehicles (10.2 per cent) received ‘amber’ warnings – typically tyres where the tread depth is getting low (2mm or below) or with defects requiring attention. The remaining 118 cars (80.3 per cent) had tyre tread depths above 2mm on all tyres, and no obvious defects.

12th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

GEM ‘Puts the Pressure’ on Manufacturers to Supply Accurate Gauges

Road safety association GEM Motoring Assist (GEM) has urged all vehicle manufacturers to include an accurate tyre pressure-measuring device as part of the spare tyre equipment kit supplied with new cars. In voicing this request, the association says that defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor in the death of 43 motorists in 2007 and played a part in nearly 1,000 further accidents.

David Williams, chief executive of GEM, is supporting the work of TyreSafe and the safety organisation’s argument that tyres play a fundamental role in the performance and safe handling of a car. “Many gauges on fuel station forecourts are not accurate and constant use of them could give drivers a false sense of security,” said Williams. “Including an easy to use digital tyre pressure reader as part of the tool kit of any new car with simple instructions of how and when to use it would cost very little to the vehicle manufacturer and be a real safety benefit for the owner.”

2nd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA Survey Shows Tyre Retailer Confidence Down

The NTDA (National Tyre Distributors Association) has published the results of a members survey, which shows that UK tyre retailers are battening down the hatches to avoid the pain of the looming recession. “Even though it’s the early days of the recession, the answers to our survey indicate that tyre retailers are battening down the hatches and are expecting a tough time ahead,” association director, Richard Edy commented.

Two thirds (66%) of those questioned said that they have reduced their capital expenditure, while 62 per cent have postponed the purchase of equipment. When it comes to the workforce, just over half of the businesses (55 per cent) have reduced staffing levels and 50 per cent have awarded pay rises below the level of inflation. 45 per cent reported that they had reduced staff hours or cut overtime.

2nd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Just Motorcycles Wins Bike Tyrestore Christmas Hamper

Christmas may be even a touch more fun this year, at Just Motorcycles in Basingstoke, now that they have won a luxury Christmas hamper packed by Royal grocers, Fortnum and Mason of London. ust Motorcycles was one of hundreds of customers who replied to the annual customer survey by two-wheel tyre wholesaler Bike Tyrestore and fortunately for them was the first to be drawn when the survey competition closed on 30 November.

BTS managing director, Peter Smith, told Tyres & Accessories: “Uniformly high scores were given to all aspects of the company’s service and customer support package. Reading each reply personally gives…a great handle on how customers rate the trading experience with Bike Tyrestore.”

1st December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Car Dealers Freeze Pay

Franchised car dealers across the UK have responded to the downturn in the economy by freezing pay scales, according to the rts Auto Retail Industry Salary Survey 2009. The survey reports that 25 per cent of franchised dealer respondents did not increase basic pay for their staff between 2007 and 2008. More than that, it seems that dealers have been taking advantage of the industry’s high staff turnover rates to actually reduce pay rates for new recruits.

25th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Survey: Canadians Steer Clear of Snow Tyres

A survey conducted by insurance firm RBC and researcher Ipsos Reid shows that a little over half of Canadian motorists put snow tyres on their cars, despite the country’s snowy winter months. Feedback showed that more than half of those who do not use the specialist tyres do not due to the additional costs involved.

Francois Boulanger, president and CEO of RBC General Insurance Company, stated on the release of the information, “Installing winter tires should be a critical safety measure for all Canadian drivers. Canadians need to think of it as an investment in their family’s safety.”

19th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

FPB Calls for New VAT Relief Scheme

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is putting forward an alternative to the Conservative Party’s proposal to give struggling small firms a six-month VAT ‘holiday’, which could backfire if debts spiral out of control. The FPB believes that more businesses in the UK should be eligible to join the Cash Accounting Scheme (CAS) and defer paying VAT until they are paid themselves.

The FPB is concerned that too few small firms are aware of the CAS, which allows them to pay VAT on actual payments, rather than unpaid invoices. This helps to protect their cash flow – particularly if payments owed to them are late. Currently only those with a turnover of less than £1.35 million can join the scheme. The FPB believes this level should to be raised to £2 million in order to allow more struggling businesses to be eligible.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Trouble Lands Man in Prison

Kwik-Fit recently urged us not to be DIPSTICs – Drivers In a Poor State to Inspect Cars. This prompting came following survey results showing an embarrassingly large percentage of us don’t really know how to check oil levels, maintain tyres or even open our car’s bonnet. A man in the US city of Aurora, Colorado would have done well to heed this advice…..

The 51-year old telephoned the police some time before 2pm on October 29 to report a flat tyre. Would the boys or girls in blue kindly come out and assist, he asked. Fortunately – or so it seemed – for the man, a patrol car was already in the vicinity. It had been dispatched to attend a hit and run accident in which three parked cars were damaged, and was already on its way when the officers were called upon to be good tyre Samaritans.

11th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Don’t be a DIPSTIC!

In hot pursuit…..of careless vehicle maintenance. According to Kwik-Fit, millions of UK motorists are at risk of being a DIPSTIC. Mind you, when the fast fit giant says this it isn’t doling out the harmless insult made popular by Hazzard County sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane – it means each of these road users is potentially a Driver In Poor State To Inspect Cars. Strong words indeed, but Kwik-Fit has survey results to back its claim.

6th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bike Tyrestore Surveys Customer Service

Motorcycle tyre wholesaler Bike Tyrestore (BTS) is once again asking customers for their opinions about its service. BTS conducts the survey every year, asking buyers to rate all aspects of the service it provides on a scale of 1 (abysmal) to 10 (brilliant). All survey forms returned by freepost to the Birmingham based wholesaler, are entered into a draw with the first picked out of the hat winning form’s a Fortnum and Mason Christmas Hamper worth in excess of £150. BTS MD Peter Smith told Tyres & Accessories that performance score rates are generally 9 or 10 and that every year useful ideas and suggestions are picked up from the survey.

29th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Features Added to TireVigil System

Tyre pressure monitoring and asset management producer TireStamp Inc. has announced the addition of two new features to its TireVigil tyre pressure management solution for fleet customers, a system that detects tyre problems, alerts the fleet to them and makes recommendations to the service technician for corrective actions.

The number one issue with other electronic TPMS systems, says TireStamp, is that reprogramming tyres that are changed is difficult and time consuming. TireVigil now directly addresses this problem with a simple yet powerful system. TireVigil Servicing allows a service technician to view the state of a vehicle’s tyres at a glance on any internet enabled computer or hand-held wireless device. Clear images of the vehicle’s tyres are shown, displaying tyre position, tyre pressure and temperature, target tyre pressure, sensor and tyre ID. The tyre make, model and mileage can also be accessed. The tyre technician can enter tyre changes and rotations quickly and easily with a touch on the screen or a click of a mouse. Manual data entry is virtually eliminated, reports TireStamp.

21st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Drivers Downsize As Credit Crunch Bites

Over a third of used car buyers are looking to counteract rising motoring charges and challenging economic conditions by downsizing to a smaller, more cost-effective car. In a survey carried out on www.glass.co.uk – the Glass’s Guide used car valuation website, 38 per cent of buyers cited fuel prices and rises in road tax for heavier polluting vehicles as factors motivating them to swap their car for a more compact and efficient model.

The poll also revealed that a growing number of motorists are switching to diesel as a way of cutting running costs. Of those surveyed, 29 per cent stated an intention to exchange their petrol vehicle for a diesel model, expecting to take advantage of significant reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

20th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Notes High Marks in JD Power Satisfaction Survey

Pirelli in the US reports it is one of only two tyre brands to have scored above the industry average in this year’s Tire Satisfaction Index in the 2008 J.D. Power & Associates Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study. Pirelli’s index score improved over last year and was ranked second only to Michelin among the 14 major tyre brands in the study, which – notes Pirelli – included major players such as Goodyear, Continental and Bridgestone.

14th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli’s Scorpion Range Rated Highly in Consumer Survey

The Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow and ATR tyres have been ranked first in their respective categories by customers of US e-tailer TireRack.com. In addition, the latter was voted the highest performer among all-terrain tyres by a leading consumer magazine in their November 2008 issue.

The Scorpion ATR scored highly with consumers thanks to its “impressive handling dynamics in wet and dry conditions, cornering stability, noise and comfort, snow traction and its resistance to hydroplaning.” The tyre features a very aggressive symmetrical all-terrain tread, designed to optimise comfort and wear while keeping its all-terrain traction characteristics. The ATR’s special tread compound provides enhanced noise reduction, wear uniformity and aquaplaning resistance. The tyre is available in 15-24″ fitments, either as original equipment or replacement.

10th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors