Peace talks fall flat following puncture

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia could have been avoided but for a flat tyre.

It appears that a Russian diplomat heading for peace talks in South Ossetia failed to turn up as a result of a puncture. The Georgian government refused to believe his excuse and, fearful of some Russian subterfuge, started the shelling that triggered the Russian invasion.

Timur Yakobashvili, Georgia’s chief negotiator, told the Telegraph, “Two days before, the South Ossetians had started using Russian positions to shoot at our troops. But we decided to make the trip anyway because a direct meeting would have been a breakthrough”. General Kulakhmetov, the head of the Russian delegation, explained the situation to the Georgians, but their patience ran out when it turned out that the missing Russian diplomat had apparently turned his mobile phone off, and the only spare diplomatic car also had a flat tyre. This all proved too much for the nervy Georgians, and the rest, as they say, is history.

You couldn’t make this stuff up!

A recent tyre test organised by “Auto Bild”, Germany’s leading motoring magazine, has confirmed that low rolling resistance tyres need not necessarily compromise quality in areas such as braking and handling.

The test focussed on 18 inch UHP wide-based tyres, and the results were particularly pleasing for Hankook, who achieved a”good” standard across the board. Hankook’s tyres took the top spot for low rolling resistance, but they also garnered praise for their braking efficiency in both wet and dry conditions. Furthermore, the Ventus V12 evo seems to have overcome the problem of high noise levels, which tends to plague the wide tyre sector.

The tests showed that the Hankook tyres had a rolling resistance that was 8.5 percent lower than its nearest rivals. This would translate to an annual saving of 20 litres of fuel per year, and a reduction of 48 kg of CO2 emissions. By comparison with the worst performing tyres within the category, these savings would increase to 36.6 litres less fuel per annum and 87.8 kg less CO2.

Hankook’s success in this category of tyres is attributable to its patented”Stiffness Control Contour Theory”. This guarantees excellent ground contact and minimises deflection of the centre and shoulder of the tread. This reduces the amount of heat generated during driving, which in turn lowers rolling resistance.

According to Seung-Do Jin, Hankook Tire executive vice president and COO in Europe,”Our aim is to develop tyres that offer the best possible way of protecting the environment to the consumer, but of course without any reduction in quality, performance and, above all, safety”. He was extremely pleased with the results of the German test, commenting,”This is precisely what our development of Kontrol-Technology stands for. The results achieved by the Ventus V12 evo in the independent test carried out by the Auto Bild-magazine in Germany, particularly with regard to those criteria of relevance to environmental protection, provide impressive evidence that even in the sensitive high-end segment of ultra high performance tyres, a meaningful contribution can be made to a reduction in the emission of CO2 and in noise.”

Rising fuel prices, combined with a growing awareness of environmental concerns, have caused some motorists to adopt some extreme fuel saving measures. The practice, known as”hypermiling”, involves some extremely dubious driving techniques in an attempt to cut petrol consumption.

Popular tactics for these”hypermilers” include driving on over-inflated tyres (by up to 15psi over the recommended level), tailgating and freewheeling. The RAC has pointed out that these practices are dangerous, if not downright illegal, and they are advising motorists not to follow the example set by the hypermilers.

Louise Zucchi, a spokesperson for the RAC, says: “We can well understand why motorists in these days of the credit crunch would want to make as many savings on fuel as possible. Indeed, we would endorse such tips as avoiding fierce acceleration and turning off the air-con. But it is a very different matter when it comes to some other suggestions such as over-inflating tyres and tailgating. Such methods endanger the driver and other road users and can never be recommended.”

Sensible, intelligent driving, together with good car and tyre maintenance, should be encouraged, but it appears these hypermilers have no sense of proportion and are taking cost-cutting measures to ridiculous extremes.

The new Renault Megane Renaultsport R26 R, is to be fitted with Toyo tyres as original equipment. The high performance Megane R26R, which was launched at the recent British International Motor Show, will feature Toyo Proxes R88 tyres.

The new car will be available in October, and is to be a strictly limited edition, with only 450 vehicles being produced. Before its launch in London the car set a new track record for a front wheel drive production car at the famous Nurburgring circuit. The car, complete with the Toyo R88 tyres, completed a lap of the circuit in 8 minutes and 17 seconds.

This record, coupled with the limited number of vehicles available, will make the Megane R26 R extremely attractive to car collectors.

A recent report on the wish-lists of motorists might be of interest to car manufacturers. It appears that when thinking of buying a new car, most motorists are unmoved by basic additions such as satnav and air-conditioning.

Bizarrely, for 45 percent of motorists in-car entertainment seems to be the most sought after add-on. This group of drivers put flat-screen televisions, DVD players, games consoles and personal computers at the top of their wish-list. Another 33 percent were more concerned with sound systems, opting for i-pod docking stations, Bluetooth connectivity and blu-ray players.

Amongst other sought after additions were fridges, refreshment facilities and even an in-car toilet.

However, safety remains an important consideration, with 25 percent of drivers wishing for an automatic tyre inflation system that would maintain the correct tyre pressure.

Trading Standards officers recently organised free tyre testing for motorists in Rhondda, Cynon, Taf, and came up with some worrying results. Officers tested 475 tyres, of which 275 (58 percent) were found to be dangerously out of condition. The officers even went as far as to say that 65 of the tyres needed replacing as a matter of urgency.

During their tour of Rhondda, Cynon, Taf, the Trading Standards officers found that the main areas for concern were low tread depth, incorrect air pressure and general wear and tear.

Equally worrying was the officers’ discovery that the majority of tyres tested belonged to elderly or single females, two groups who are regarded amongst the most vulnerable of motorists.

Councillor John David, spokesman for the communities, commented,”Many of [the motorists] expressed their surprise at the findings, but the simple solution is tyres must be checked regularly as part as the ongoing maintenance of cars.”

The festival season is in full flow, and as music fans flock towards Glastonbury or Hyde Park they prepare themselves for days of slipping and slithering through a sea of mud. However, fashion students at Leicester College have come up with a product designed to alleviate the problems of festival goers ? the super wellie. At present the prototype is known simply as the “Uniroyal Wellie”. The boot is made from recycled tyre material, and the sole is taken from the Uniroyal Rallye 550 tyre.

The boots boast a double V tread pattern, which gives excellent water dispersal and maximizes grip in wet conditions. Also, being made from recycled rubber, these Wellingtons are also environmentally friendly, making them the perfect accessory for environmentally aware festival goers.

Although the Wellington boots are currently in the design stage, Uniroyal do intend to put them into full, commercial production. Tracey Hyem, spokesperson for Uniroyal, said, “Every year we see images of festival-goers sliding around in the mud because their wellies just don’t give them enough grip. We’ve applied our world-class research and technology to create the perfect festival accessory which is not only stylish, but could save music lovers from ending up in the mud this summer.”

Every news bulletin brings fresh stories of the horrific nature of life in Zimbabwe. While the major concerns are the loss of life and liberty for the nation’s population, the corrupt regime is also having a dramatic impact on the country’s business community. Witness the experience of Apollo Tyres.

Apollo acquired a manufacturing plant in Zimbabwe when it purchased South African based Dunlop Tyres International in April 2006. Due to Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation, currently in the region of nine million percent, the tyre company’s turnover has attained monumental growth. Apollo Tyres’ chief of strategy commented wryly that, “we are probably the only tyre company where all the employees are trillionaires”.

Mugabe’s government acknowledges Apollo’s importance as the only tyre manufacturer in the country, and has given it access to the foreign currency needed to purchase raw materials. However, the company is unable to repatriate any profits, and given the current exchange rate, it would scarcely be worthwhile anyway.

Who knows, given that Apollo is the country’s only tyre producer, it may be in a position to wield some power in driving the country in the right direction.

The RAC Foundation today launched an eight week tyre-safety campaign aimed at highlighting the need for drivers of low-mileage vehicles to have their tyres inspected. The Foundation claims that as many as three million motorists in the UK could be at risk this summer because of the condition of their tyres.

The motoring organization commissioned a survey between 11th and 13th July, during which time 500 motorists were questioned on their awareness of tyre-safety. The survey revealed that 10 percent of motorists, almost three million drivers, were unaware of the link between road safety and tyre age. In addition, almost 60 percent of motorists admitted that they are unlikely to check the tyre age information found on the sidewall of their tyres.

In the case of most motorists, their tyres will wear out before becoming too old, but drivers of low-mileage, vintage and classic cars should be aware of the risks of tyre fatigue. Motorists with caravans and trailers should also be conscious of the need to check for tyre aging. All motorists should also keep an eye on the condition of their spare tyre, as this may have remained in the car for a prolonged period while other tyres have been changed.

According to the deputy director of the RAC Foundation, Sheila Ranger, “Modern tyres are very robust and failure-resistant, but older tyres that have been stored incorrectly or simply not used for many years can become unfit for purpose through the passage of time alone”. “Over the next two months”, she continued, “motorists can take advantage of a free safety check and save themselves from perishing on perished rubber.”

Industry experts are in agreement that tyre fatigue and tyre failure are an increased risk with older tyres, and they have backed the Foundation’s call for occasional motorists to have their tyres checked before heading off for their summer holidays. The warning signs of ageing include:

• cracks or crazing on the sidewall tread separation,
• cracks or bulges deformation of the tyre carcass ,
• discolouration and fading of the rubber.

As a part of the campaign, the RAC Foundation is teaming up with the National Tyre Distributors Association to offer motorists free tyre checks at any of the NTDA’s 2,700 affiliated member centres throughout the UK. Further details can be found NTDA’s website - ntda.co.uk

There have been an increasing number of incidences of fly tipping in recent months, and many of these have involved tyres being dumped. In a recent joint operation by South Wales Police and the Environment Agency, a man was caught dumping 650 tyres at a Welsh beauty spot.

David James was arrested on 23rd June, 2007, after he was filmed disposing of the tyres in the Afan Valley. This week James was given a four month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £350 costs.

Lyn Richards, team leader of Environmental Crime, Environment Agency Wales, commented on the case, “Recent changes in legislation has meant it is harder to hide from the consequences of this type of offending. The growing support offered to the Environment Agency by South Wales Police also means that more and more offenders are being caught and brought to book. Tyre fly-tipping has become an increasing problem and this result sends a strong message to those flouting the law.”