etyres has published its monthly tyres price comparison list - and as usual we’re miles cheaper than other leading high street tyre chains.

Our Price Check list, which is popular with the motoring media, compares our prices for premium tyres, like Bridgestone and Michelin, with the traditional depots.

We try to ensure that the prices displayed are fair, representative and accurate.

All the etyres prices include include fitting at a location of the customers choice - at home or work - balancing, valve and scrap casing disposal.

In the case of competitors who do not have listed prices we obtain telephone quotations from their branches. We always display prices for exactly the same brand, tread pattern and speed rating. If a competitor does not list the exact same product we list n/a.

etyres was the first on-line tyre company in the UK to provide a tyres price check facility. Customers can click on ‘Price Check’ at the top of the page to see the results.

The latest list was collated on February 2010.

Alex, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Pirelli tyres is scheduled to report its fourth quarter results tomorrow and analysts anticipate a rise in revenues due to an increase in sales.

Deutsche Bank Equity Research estimates the Italian tyres manufacturer saw a 15 per cent increase in unit sales compared with decreases in the previous nine months, according to Tyres and Accessories magazine.

It also reports on the negative price mix (a price mix of -2% vs. 6.9% in Q1, 5.6% in Q2 and 4.7% in Q3) has allowed Pirelli to gain marketshare on the continued discipline of manufacturers and a 2% positive foreign exchange impact.

Deutsche Bank predicts margins should benefit from low raw material prices, as the large price increases for these commodities took place in 2010.

The bank anticipates consolidated sales of 1,112 million euros, 46% more year-on-year after more than 20% decline in the first half of the year, and organic debit of 80 million euros.

Net income is expected to be 1.8 million euros, as compared to a loss of 296 million euros in the fourth quarter of 2008. Restructuring costs during the quarter should be 45 million euros, as opposed to 95 million euros in the final quarter of 2008.

Word-of-mouth recommendations are vital for any business and we are always delighted when our tyres customers tweet about our service on Twitter or sing our praises in chatrooms.

And this week another happy customer has been recommending our mobile tyres fitting service on the popular 4Networking website.

Mark Adams, who uses our South Bristol branch, had this to say to fellow members of the site: “Guys this dude is so good you just have to use him! I have used Joe in the past and the service was awesome! So when my elderly neighbour had 2 punctures and was struggling outside his house to change a tyre I just said “leave it to me”. I called Joe (this was 5pm) and he answered whilst walking around Somerfield. He promised to get to my neighbour for 10am the next day with 2 spanking new tyres - my neighbour was over the bloody moon, and I couldn’t of been happier.

“Joe will not let you down, and pulls out all the stops to get a job done! Brilliant stuff Joe, cheers!”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Alex Kapadia

The development of fuel-efficient tyres helped Goodyear through the recession, according to the company boss.

Robert Keegan, chairman and CEO of Goodyear tyres, said: “We made the right decision late in 2008 to launch a record 62 new products in 2009 despite poor industry conditions. Others may have made a different decision.”

He pointed to the launch of the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tyre in North America as a “prime example of an impactful new product launch”.

The tyre was the most successful high value-added new product launch in the history of the company, taking just seven months to sell more than one million tyres and going on to sell a total of two million.

Keegan said the reason for the company’s success was it struck the right note with consumers, offering innovative products and mid-tier pricing.

He said: “With fuel-efficient tyres, we have created a major new growth generator for our company and for our customers.

“My comment to our customers has been consistent and clear. Don’t underestimate the market’s appetitie for fuel-efficient tires. It is likely to exceed all our expectations.”

Pirelli’s Cinturato passenger tyre line dominated annual tyres tests run by leading three European motoring clubs.

The Cinturato P7 and P6 were named best summer tyres in their categories for their “balance of ecological aspects with performance” in the eagerly-awaited results of the tests by German auto club ADAC, Switzerland’s Touring Club (TCS) and the Austrian automobile club (OEAMTC).

The Cinturato P7, an eco-friendly tyre developed for mid- to high-range cars, had the best overall rating among 17 different tyre models in the tests, and was listed as was “highly recommended” by ADAC, which said “very well-balanced summer tyre; good on wet and dry; low fuel consumption; the tyre with the lowest noise level.”

The Cinturato P6 was also ranked high in the ADAC tests of 19 lines, and also earned “highly recommended” status, according to the report in Tyre Review.

The Cinturato line also starred in independent tests run by German automotive media. The Cinturato P7 was “highly recommended” in tests run by Auto Zeitung, and as “good” by VW/Audi magazine Gute Fahrt.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Oliver Hall

Insurers are forking out £2.85m per month for pothole claims, according to AA Insurance.

However, the true cost of the damage caused could be higher because some motorists do not claim for punctured tyres and other mechanical problems.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance says: “Nationally, the damage to cars caused by potholes in February alone cost insurers around £2.85m - the equivalent of about 1,900 claims.

“But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because it takes serious damage to make it worth insurance claim. Garages and tyre centres are dealing with countless thousands of punctured tyres, damaged tracking or broken springs which don’t justify making a claim.

“The figures underline the struggle that local authorities are facing in keeping the pothole outbreaks under control,” he says.

“While some councils are keeping on top of the epidemic, following one of the most severe winters in living memory, others are struggling to meet the cost of the seemingly unending workload.”

The AA is building up a picture of the nationwide pothole plague via drivers’ reports on AA Pothole Watch which will be shared with the highway authorities.

Formula One racing ace Michael Schumacher has been talking about the importance of developing a “good feeling” for his tyres ahead of his return to the sport next Sunday.

The seven-time world champion agrees that with the new no-refueling during races ban, saving tyres will play a key role in race strategy.

Schumacher, who is driving for Mercedes - which has taken over last season’s championship-winning Brawn GP - said: “You will have less sets of tyres available than last year which makes it harder to do what you need to do for setting up the car perfectly.

“But driving is always about adapting to new circumstance, and this is one of my strong points.

“I would say the biggest difference are the tyres. You will have to develop a good feeling for them.”

Schumacher says he expects a long and hard fight for the Formula One title and believes finishing the season well will be more important than getting off to a good start.

The German driver, who is coming out of retirement to race for the first time in three years, revealed on his website that he is travelling to this weekend’s season opener in Bahrain with confidence.

However the 41-year-old German cautioned that the Mercedes GP car might not be in a position to win from the start.

“I said it quite clear from the beginning: we do not have to - and probably will not - be in the position to win right from the start,” he said.

“It is important to be close and then use the long season to be at the top at the end. It is not the start which is important; it is the finish.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

Dunlop tyres are the latest big name to jump onboard the apps bandwagon.

The tyres manufacturer has released an application for iPhone and Blackberry devices which allows users to search for the most appropriate tyre for their car simply by selecting their vehicle model.

And it even offers information on the features and benefits of the chosen tyre.

Dunlop says its app provides all the information available on its website, but with an easier and simplified viewing format specifically designed for the smaller mobile screen.

Kate Rock, PR support manager for Dunlop said: “Dunlop’s philosophy is to give consumers the drive of their life making sure that their experience behind the wheel becomes more tactile, thrilling and intense, providing vital information which makes all the difference to the journey.”

“By introducing the Dunlop App we are able to do this on a completely new level. By giving our consumers information literally at their finger tips, where ever they may be, enables us to ensure they are fitting the right Dunlop to their vehicle.”

“We hope to see further development of our application to enable us to have a constant communication with users. With more and more people opting for devices such as the iPhone or Blackberry this form of communication is becoming increasingly popular. For Dunlop it gives a new meaning to the term Touch Technology.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Denna Bowman

A used car dealership has landed in court after supplying an unroadworthy courtesy car and having two vehicles on its forecourt with bald tyres.

Prosecutor Iwan Davies told Neath Magistrates Court that the tyres offences came to light after a customer was given a Ford Ka as a courtesy car from Trade Centre Wales based in Neath Abbey last May.

He said: “While driving and stopping on the A48, he examined the tyres and noticed the front tyre was defective”.

The tyre was later examined by an authorised inspector who found it to be below the minimum tread of 1.6mm, and had ply cords which were exposed.

Mr Davies said trading standards then called at the Trade Centre Wales business park in Neath Abbey on June 3 following a complaint about the bald tyre on the courtesy car.

He said officers noticed two cars, a Kia Picanto and a Ford Focus, for sale on the forecourt which also had tyres below the minimum tread.

Mr Davies also told the court one of the staff members at Trade Centre Wales discovered after visiting a dealer about the tyre issue, that they had been measuring them incorrectly.

“They did not realise they had to measure on each side,” said Mr Davies.

He told the court that the company had no previous offences.

Anthony Vines, defending, said the problem with the courtesy car was down to a “system error”.

He said the system at the time the car went out was “not as robust” as it is now.

However, district judge Richard Williams said the problem with the tyre was self-evident.

He told the court: “Quite frankly, from the picture I have of the vehicle, as opposed to any technical training, one need only be awake [to see it].”

Referring to the two cars on the forecourt, Mr Vines said they would not have been sold in the condition that trading standards found them in.

He said company policy was not to allow customers to test drive or take a car away on the same day.

He told the court that the company takes customer care very seriously.

For the offence of supplying a Ford Ka in an unroadworthy condition, the company was fined the maximum penalty of £5,000.

However, this was reduced by £500 because of the company’s guilty plea.

Judge Williams said this car was used by a consumer “in a condition where it was foreseeable that one or both front tyres might have failed during that journey causing serious consequences”.

For the other two offences of possessing cars in an unroadworthy condition, the company was fined £2,250 with credit given for the guilty pleas.

In addition, Trade Centre Wales was ordered to pay costs of £1,332.50 and a victim surcharge of £15.

By Denna Bowman

Cooper tyres bounced into a fourth-quarter profit after experiencing a jump in sales and a drop in raw material prices.

Roy Armes, chief executive of the US based tyres manufacturer, said: “During the fourth quarter, we were encouraged by the stronger demand in many markets for our tyres.

“This improvement allowed the progress we have made to be more visible on the bottom line.”

Cooper has recently seen strength from a bounce-back in sales as well as lower raw-material prices and cost cuts.

The company has benefited from raising prices and restructuring, and demand for replacement tyres could rise as people drive more as the economy strengthens.

Like many tyres manufacturers around the world, Cooper had been hit during the recession as consumers chose to run longer on their old tyres before replacing them.

Cooper reported a profit of $39.2 million compared with a year-earlier loss of $143.5 million.

Cooper’s North American and international operations returned to the black in the latest quarter as revenue rose 11% and 56%, respectively.