Two tragic road deaths have highlighted the devastating consequences of defective tyres.

The concerned coroner who held the inquests into the two fatal accidents told the grieving families that tyres, combined with a poor road surface and damp conditions, caused the tragedies.

The first victim, a teenager, was driving a car with a rear offside tyre so worn the cords were visible and a screw stuck in the tyre had its head worn off.  Investigators estimated the tyre had been run deflated for a considerable amount of time.

The South Staffordshire inquest also heard how a father had suffered fatal head injuries when he crashed his car which had four tyres below the legal limit of 1.6mm.  The condition of the tyres combined with excessive speed and damp conditions, caused him to lose control.

The inquest also heard how earlier that day the driver had taken his car to a mechanic who had warned him about the tyres but he said they were too expensive and wanted to get a second-hand set.

The need for basic maintenance and replacement tyres is a necessity.  Tyres can be an unexpected and unwanted expense, but shopping online to find the best buys will cut the cost.

Bridgestone tyres are counting on a Mexican Wave of good publicity when they sponsor tomorrows Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Show starring Bruce Springsteen.

‘When it comes to getting your message out there, no advertising opportunity compares to the reach and impact of the Super Bowl,’ said John Baratta, president of Bridgestones consumer replacement tyre sales operations in the US and Canada.’

Bridgestone is also paying around $6 million for two 30 second ads, one featuring Mr and Mrs Potato Head, the second takes viewers to Saturn’s largest moon.

Mr Baratta added: ‘The commercials we’ve chosen use humour, iconic characters and some pretty amazing effects to entertain, all while showcasing Bridgestone products and their performance.’

As the global car industry comes under massive strain during the worldwide recession, eyebrows have been raised over Bridgestones massive marketing budget for the event.

Industry folk have been asking whether marketing budgets should be the first to be slashed in a bid to survive the economic downturn.

Our customer placed a web order for a new tyre, but when the tyres fitter got there he discovered it was just a puncture.  So he repaired the damage and charged the delighted lady just £15 instead of the price of a new tyre - saving her nearly £50!  She was over the moon and also impressed with the speedy service.  She had booked the fitter for the next day, but he was in the area that morning, so he got the whole thing wrapped up in less than three hours.

Had she been an existing customer registered on our database, she would have had even bigger surprise in store.  All existing etyres customers get their punctures repaired for free - that’s a £15 saving and in today’s economic climate where households are counting every penny, our policy is even more gratefully received by vehicle owners.

This policy, along with prices up to 40% lower than high street depots and fitting at a location of our customers choice, is what is driving vehicle owners to increasingly order online from etyres.

Kerri, National Call Centre.

Cutting the annual car service may save vehicle owners cash in the short term, but neglecting the tyres could cause long term problems.

 As car owners look to save money during the credit crunch they must beware false economies, such as ignoring illegal tyres.

But for vehicle owners who feel they have no choice but to delay their annual service, here are a few key pointers to help keep your car in good shape and avoid unexpected repair bills.

Check tyres regularly for cracks and bumps which could lead to punctures. 

Maintain tyres at manufacturers recommended pressure to be more fuel efficient and protect rubber from uneven wear. 

 Replace blown bulbs and faulty windscreen wipers yourself.

Avoid riding your clutch when stopped at traffic lights, because once worn they are expensive to replace.  Also, avoid resting your foot on the clutch pedal as this could also lead to premature wear.

Before taking your vehicle in for a repair, ask the garage for the cost upfront and insist that any additional repair costs should be authorized by yourself.  This will help to avoid any unwanted surprises.

These straightforward steps recommended by the Automobile Association of South Africa may help ease the burden of not having a service.

Some customers place an order for tyres with us after entering their vehicle registration number on other websites which purport to tell them what tyres they need.

This is regularly wrong and can result in a delay in getting your new tyres fitted. There is no guaranteed short-cut when it comes to re-ordering tyres. You should check what’s on the sidewall and then order to guarantee you get what you need.

It’s not rocket science, all customer have to do is note down the width, profile, wheel size and speed rating which you find on the side of your existing tyre.

If customers are in any doubt, they can discuss their tyre needs with our National Call Centre.  However, simply relying on the websites that purport to tell vehicle owners what tyres they need will often result in a delay when the tyres have to be re-ordered.

Alex, National Call Centre

The return of the cold weather and forecast of snow this weekend prompts the need for vehicle owners to double-check their tyres for added safety.

The heaviest of any snow fall will blight eastern parts of the country and could lead to problems on the roads and other minor disruptions.

But basic tyres checks could help motorists and their cars safely through the winter months and give them peace of mind as the cold weather continues well into next week. 

Vehicle owners should check tyres for condition, pressure and tread depth.  The AA recommend at least 3mm of tread during the winter months and certainly no less than 2mm.

The AA also warns motorists against reducing tyre pressures to get more grip, because it doesn’t work and reduces stability.

Although temperatures will be just above freezing, it will feel colder in the brisk easterly wind, according to the Met Office.

So far, the UK winter has been the coldest for over a decade. The last time winter temperatures were lower was in 1996/97.

We didn’t exactly get our customer to the church on time, but it was almost the next best thing for our tyres fitter in Reading on Wednesday.

Our blushing bride-to-be needed an urgent new tyre, but had to catch the 2pm train to London to collect her wedding dress.  So our obliging fitter, popped round collected the locking wheel nut key and then whizzed back when her tyre arrived while she was letting the train take the strain to London.

She sent us this email: ‘I would appreciate it if you could thank the gentleman who fitted my tyre for me.  I really appreciate the trouble he went to to ensure the tyre was fitted and I made my appointment in London to collect my wedding dress.  He made what could have been a very stressful day so much easier.  I can’t thank him enough and will definitely be recommending you to my friends and family.’

Happy ending all round then!

Charlotte, National Call Centre

The beleaguered car industry suffered has suffered another blow with the announcement that Pirelli tyres will stage a temporary shutdown at their Carlisle plant.

The tyres factory will effectively close between February 24 and March 4 to ease the burden of the downturn in orders without cutting jobs.

Bosses had hoped to coincide the closure with the half-term holiday, but this was not possible due to arrangements already in place to carry out improvement projects and essential maintenance work at the facility.

A spokesman for Pirelli blamed the temporary cut in production on the continually worsening global economic recession.

He said: ‘During this period it is anticipated there will be around six days shutdown per production department.’

He added: ‘The strong position in the tyre market of Pirelli Industrial in the UK equips the business well to deal with the current exceptional economic climate. The company are constantly reviewing the market situations and the overall global economic position taking necessary actions as required to secure the future of Pirelli Industrial in the UK and its employees.’

Tyres giant Pirelli has been declared a world champion of sustainability with extra ‘Gold Class Company’ honours.

The recognition is awarded in the ‘Autoparts and Tyres’ segment as well as the ‘Gold Class Company’ in the Sustainability Yearbook 2009, prepared by SAM Group with Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

It is the second year in succession that Pirelli has been crowned sector leader for the Yearbook, which stands out as a complete, worldwide publication on sustainability and corporate performance trends, and represents an authoritative tool for sustainable finance professionals.

It only includes companies that distinguish themselves with excellence in sustainability and of the 1,000 multinationals analysed, only 357 were promoted in sustainability, indexed in 57 different sectors of business.

As well as the title ‘Sector Leader’, Pirelli also received the honour of ‘Gold Class Company’ for scoring the highest number of points in the SAM Group’s severe evaluation.

Pirelli prides itself on its sustainability ethos, declaring on its website: ‘A company’s performance cannot be considered in economic terms only: it must also be evaluated in light of the contribution the company brings to the quality of social and environmental systems, with an awareness of the connections existing among economic, environmental and social dimensions and of the impacts that a decision taken in one of these areas has on the others, whether visible or not.

‘The main challenge that companies have to face in order to remain sustainable and competitive in the long term, is that of reconciling the expectations of the various stakeholders, even when these do not converge.’

Next time you pass a load of abandoned tyres at the side of the road you might want to remember this little story.

Three state highway workers from Indianapolis were on their weekly routine clean-up when they found $100,000 – that’s £70,000! – stuffed inside one of the tyres they were removing from interstate.

Police believe the tyre had come loose from a truck and, perhaps not surprisingly, drugs sniffer dogs found traces of illegal substances on the cash.

Instead of stuffing the money in the boots of their cars, drying it out at home and depositing it in their bank accounts, the three men did the honest thing and alerted the police.

One of them told reporters he was worried that if they got found out he’d have lost  his job and decided, in the present economic downturn, a short term gain wasn’t worth the risk of long term unemployment.

But the question raging in the US now is, are the men ‘here’s or zero’s’ for handing the money in?