Caravan holiday bookings are already 40% up on last year as travel experts predict a bumper year for British tourism.

Now caravan owners are urged to remember that tyres safety is an important part of a successful holiday and using etyres to replace them is up to 40% cheaper than going to leading tyres depots.

Another massive advantage of using etyres mobile service is that the fitter goes to the customer and replaces the tyres wherever they want, which means no more manoeuvring into awkward spaces at tyres depots.  etyres also supplies and fits batteries.

Advanced bookings to the UK’s 3,000 caravan and camping sites is up 40 per cent on the same time last year, with at least 50,000 bookings made during the last week in December alone, according to the Caravan Club.   Membership of the club has also soared by 55,000.

All this means caravan owners are keener than ever to get onboard and head off for a fantastic break.

But while most caravan owners know that it is critically important to have safe and legal tyres, every year many serious accidents occur and numbers of caravans are destroyed because this most obvious fact is overlooked.

Unless the caravan clocks up a lot of touring miles each year, it is unlikely the tyres will wear out, however, due to the infrequent use and low mileage of many caravan tyres they can become distorted if they are left unused in the same position.

Also surface cracking of the sidewalls can occur if the tyres are allowed to become under-inflated and remain for a long period of time in that condition.

Etyres, which is fully conversant with all aspects of supplying and fitting caravan tyres, has published a list of tips and guidelines for caravan owners.  Go to Further Info, General and click on Caravan Tyres.

We are often surprised by the many weird and wonderful uses people find for old car tyres - but this is a chilling one.

Explorer Fiona Lindsay is dragging old tyres across Edinburgh’s Salisbury Crags as a substitue for a sledge as she prepares for a record-breaking Antarctic Challenge.

We therefore need to be able to understand our skills and kit to the highest level.  There is no room for mistakes if we want to come back alive.

I have taken nine years to get to this point and my expeditions have got larger in scale and commitment every year.’

The 36-year-old physiotherapist is also pigging out on chocolate and creamed rice so she can put on three stone before becoming the first woman to cross the Antarctic coast-to-coast in November.

Good luck Fiona – don’t tyre yourself out!

Yohohama tyres is continuing its long-term ‘Forever Forest’ project which aims to plant 500,000 trees and create 25 acres of new forest during the next decade.

The latest tree planting ceremony took place at the Yokohama Tyres Manufacturing facility in Thailand and other sites will be developed and expanded in countries including Japan, the US, China and the Philippines.

French tyres manufacturer Michelin were awarded the highest marks by customers in an original equipment satisfaction survey.

Michelin tyres achieved top marks in the passenger car and SUV segments of the JD Power survey into Japanese O/E fitments.  The tyres came up trumps on traction, quality and durability, design, driving comfort and fuel efficiency.

It is recognised across the globe as the leading independent authority on customer satisfaction in the automotive industry. The firm’s primary role is to provide a better understanding of consumer preferences and buying patterns, which helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers further improve their product quality and service levels.

Bridgestone opened its new world-class tyres testing track and proving ground this week amid a global wide downturn in the car manufacturing industry.

The new facility, located 70 kilometres north of Bangkok, was built to serve the tyre makers subsidiaries locally and oversees. 

However, an industry source, told the Bangkok Post, he worried the shrinking demand for tyres at home and abroad would affect the operation of the new proving ground.

But a Bridgestone executive believes otherwise, saying the £35,000 facilities would serve both Bridgestone and other customers, such as carmakers who want to test new vehicle models.

Thai Bridgestone Co and Bridgestone Sales Co managing director Masahiro Higashi said it aimed to increase efficiency of research and development to assist with both automobile assembly as well as tyre development for markets in Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Fans of etyres very own Eamonn Holmes, who expertly guides consumers through the process of buying tyres on our website, have got a treat in store starting next Saturday.

The popular Sky News presenter, who explains why our tyres are up to 40% cheaper than leading tyre depots, is fronting a new ITV1 series called The Feelgood Factor.

Destined to be a huge ratings hit, the show is aimed at helping viewers shift excess weight and feel better about themselves, while raising money for charity.

He will be hosting the show with the gorgeous TV presenter and Marks and Spencer model, Myleene Klass - who most certainly doesn’t need to lose any weight!

Eamonn is perfect for the new show, his no-nonsense approach to life should make for refreshing Saturday night entertainment for all the family.

Watch this space for more on Eamonn and his new series - and if you can’t wait until then to see Eamonn, check out his video on our homepage!

Goodyear and Dunlop tyres have been awarded with ‘Best Buy’ accolades for car tyres which offer most value for money.

Goodyear tyres triumphed with its Assurance TripleTred in the ‘All Season Car Tyres’ premium category, while Dunlop scored with the SP Sport Signature in the midrange selection for the ‘Performance Car Tyres’ and the Dunlop SP 60 is the economy choice in the ‘All Seasons Car Tyres’ category.

The ‘Best Buy’ ratings featured in the US Consumers Digest and were awarded by by the magazines editors based on results from independent testing, consumer surveys, technical experts and hands-on evaluations. The magazine showcased the best tyres on the market in the premium, mid-range and economy sectors and awarded the ‘Best Buy’ stamp of approval to products which offered the most value for a given amount of money.

Joey Viselli, Goodyear branch director, said: ‘We are pleased that yet another independent source has recognised the tremendous value of our tyres.

‘Goodyear’s product development efforts have focused on an application of relevant technology – advancements that are technologically innovative, but which also offer discernible benefits to those who drive on our tyres.’

Todd Hershberg, Dunlop branch director, also said:  ‘This is another great recognition for Dunlop’s outstanding product line.  We are pleased when independent sources and consumers recognize the performance of our tyres.

‘Dunlop’s prestige and passion are evident in the continued high level of our products, including the industry-leading original equipment fitments on some of the world’s best automobiles.’

The weather put a real dampener on the first 2009 group test of the new spec slick tyres in Portugal last week.

Rain and hail stones drove the five teams to resort to using the current spec wet and extreme wet tyres, which meant the amount of meaningful data that could be obtained from trying out the new slick tyres was restricted.

Bridgestone, the official tyres supplier to Formula One, will have to wait for the next test before the season opening Grand Prix in Melbourne in March, for a better view of how the new soft and super soft compound slick tyres perform.

This is the first time slick tyres have been used in Formula One for 11 years and their arrival back on the scene is eagerly awaited.  All eyes will be on world champion Lewis Hamilton to see how the McLaren driver handles the new tyres.

We can’t wait for the season to get under way.

Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is having concerns over the lack of time allowed to test new features on his car, including slick tyres, ahead of the season launch in March.

Like all their rivals, McLaren’s latest car features a new-for-2009 aero package and slick tyres, but the teams only have seven days to practise before the season opener in Melbourne on March 29.

Having said that, the 24-year-old world champ from Luton, is got off to a good start after completing his first 81 laps of the Portimao circuit at the wheel of the MP4-24, Hamilton finished third-fastest overall.

But Hamilton said: ‘I have seven days in the car before the first Grand Prix and last year I had 20 days and the year before 25, so it’s a huge cut down, but we’ll do the best we can and try and work with the engineers and try and get ahead of other people.

‘The first test was all about just getting used to the new car and new regulations and about giving my feedback to the engineers – it wasn’t about setting a fast time.

‘I’m pleased to report that the car feels good, we’ve made lots of progress over the winter and I’m looking forward to developing the car ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

‘It’s going to be an extremely busy winter. I’ve only been in the car for one day and our usual job list for the weeks ahead is already enormous.’

They don’t seem like natural team mates, but Goodyear tyres and the International Rugby Board have paired up to promote safety in the game.

The tyres manufacturer is backing the Rugby Ready initiative which aims to train 4,000 coaches training in match preparation, techniques and injury prevention and management.

Mark Brickhill, managing director of Goodyear, believes the IRB Rugby Ready scheme fits perfectly with the tyre firms self-styled image as an expert in safety.