Toyo tyres have been selected by Mazda as the original equipment supplier for its new Mazda 3.

The car will become available across Europe from late spring and Mazda have announced that two different tyres will be fitted depending upon car specification.

Models with 16-inch wheels will be fitted with the Toyo J48C in size 205/55 R16 91V, whilst those with 17-inch wheels will come with Proxes R32 in size 205/50 R17 89W TL.

Both tyres complement the Mazda 3’s exhilarating driving dynamics with outstanding handling performance, says the Japanese tyre makers.

Toyo also points to the tyres low noise characteristics as a benefit to motorists wishing to enjoy the Mazda 3’s cabin atmosphere and audio system.

In addition, says Toyo, both models – and the J48C in particular – offer low rolling resistance.

Toyo state that: ‘Our aim, always, is to produce high quality tyres that offer you outstanding road-holding in the dry or wet, feel secure and stable in all conditions and at all speeds, make the minimum amount of noise and give you the maximum amount of life.’

Katherine Clarkson, National Accounts

By Alex Kapadia

What a remarkable result for Jenson Button and Brawn GP!

The British driver dominated the Melbourne Grand Prix from the off after he opted to start on the soft tyres.

He made it look easy, but he had his share of problems.  He admitted he struggled to get heat into the tyres when the first safety car came out.

But it all came good for the Brawn driver and his team mate Rueben Barrichello, who started behind him on the grid in second place and survived an eventful race to romp home in second position.

It was a fairytale end to a traumatic few months, when it looked touch and go whether Button even had a team to race for after Honda pulled out of Forumla One late last year.

But after knight in shining armour, Ross Brawn charged in and the team have gone from the pits of despair to the height of elation.

And the team were given a last minute boost when, just hours before the first race of the season, it was announced that Richard Branson was backing the team with a multi-million pound sponsorship deal.

All this and just to round of the day, the reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton managed to claw his way up from the back of the grid to take fourth place!

What a fantastic result for Britain – the second installment in Malaysia next Sunday is already looking unmissable!

In a move slicker than the new tyres, Richard Branson has roared into the world of Formula One for a spectacular season opener at Melbourne tomorrow morning

But you’ve got to set your alarm and get up early if you want to catch the live action on BBC 1, because the engines scream and the tyres screech into action at 7am!

All eyes would have been on reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, but in a stunning turn-around, it his British rival Jenson Button who’s the favourite to take the first title at the Australian Grand Prix.

With the McLaren team struggling to get to grips with all the new changes that have been introduced, Lewis starts the race in 18^th place.  Meanwhile, the boys at Brawn GP have stormed ahead and Button will be starting in pole position.

Add to that the late arrival of Richard Branson and his multi-million sponsorship deal with the Brawn team and the future is looking bright for Button.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Executive

By Alex Kapadia

The Goodyear Dunlop tyres portfolio scooped a clutch of awards and praise in the latest tests by ADAC, the German Automobile Association.

Tyres from the Goodyear, Dunlop and Fulda brands were all singled out for hours and commendations in the highly regarded 2009 summer tyre test.

Mark Davison, Sales & Marketing Director said, “The huge efforts made in the field of development have once again been richly rewarded with these results. We will be circulating these results to our customers in the months to come, by way of our planned communication strategies.”

The highlights of the test featured the new Goodyear OptiGrip tyre, the Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response and the Fulda Carat Progresso.

The new Goodyear OptiGrip made an inspiring debut and achieved the best overall result in Germany’s most important size — 205/55R16.

It achieved top marks in the wet and the scored highest in the fuel-consumption and wear-and-tear categories, which the tyres firm puts down to its ‘double-layer groove compound and tread that forms new ribs as mileage increases’.

Fulda, which competes in the highly competitive middle price range, achieved first-place ranking with its Carat Progresso in the popular 14-inch size — 185/60R14.

This result placed the Fulda tyre in front of numerous premium-segment competitors.  On a scale from 1 for excellent to 6 for failed, the Carat Progresso scored a 2.0 for driving performance on dry roads and a 1.8 for wet performance.

Finally, the performance of Dunlop’s SP Sport Fast Response in dry conditions earned led judges to award it a rating of ‘recommendable,’ moving it into one of the top positions in the test.

There is a new driving force behind the tyres safety organisation TyreSafe as the former chairman steps down.

The new man in the driving seat is Stuart Jackson, former managing director of Vredestein UK.  He takes over from Rob Beddis as the public face of TyreSafe.

TyreSafe is a not for profit non-commercial organisation set up to raise awareness of the importance of the dangers of defective and worn tyres.

It does a fantastic job pounding home the message with press articles and TV and radio features in a bid to keep motorists and roads safer.

The organisation has received positive support from all major tyre companies and leading tyre retailing groups across the UK together with road safety organisations, such as the RAC, RoadSafe and BRAKE.

The organisation and its activities has been credited with reducing the number of defective tyres in the UK over the past 16 years from 20% to 12% today.

So good luck Stuart, from everyone at etyres.

Denna Bowman, Head Office.

By Denna Bowman

Car buying Briton’s are leaving themselves open to ‘dodgy dealing’ and possible danger as they cut corners during the recession, a new survey claims.

Checking tyres, mileage or vehicle identity numbers seems like common sense, but it seems that flies out the window for some car buyers.

And yet old or illegal tyres could turn a car into a death trap or lead to hefty fines if the buyer doesn’t pay for new ones.

Research by motors.co.uk revealed that more than a quarter of motorists (28%) were willing to buy from an unknown private seller.

Of the 1,642 surveyed, one in 10 said they would choose a vehicle without knowing anything of its service history as long as it was affordable, while 2% said they would even pay for a vehicle over the telephone without having seen it in a bid to save cash.

And 60% of people who had previously bought a car said they did not check that it was safe and legal, with the majority unsure about log books, mileage checks or vehicle identity numbers.

Katie Armitage from motors.co.uk added: “There are around seven million used cars bought and sold every year at an average cost of £5,000.

“If your new car is found to be illegal you lose this money outright without hope of redress. Our research has found that because of the credit crunch more people are taking risks and so more are prone to being caught out.”

By Katherine Clarkson

The world’s largest ‘power down’ event, Earth Hour 2009 takes place this weekend to raise awareness of the impact of climate change.

Tyres, lights, appliances, even taps could play a vital part in the success of the event organised by the World Wildlife Fund.

Here are a few tips for taking part:

Tyres – ensure they have the proper air pressure, this can save up to 5% on fuel bills

Lights – dim or turn off lights in empty rooms as lighting usually makes up 15% of electricity bills

Appliances – unplug TV’s, DVD players, washing machines, etc, because they drain electricity even when not in use

Taps – turn completely off to eliminate dripping which can waste 13 litres of water a day

The exciting Earth Hour 2009 takes place between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday 28^th March.

It is anticipated to draw the participation of more than 1,500 cities and towns in over 80 countries in a collective call to switch off all unnecessary lights and electrical appliances.

More importantly, Earth Hour is promoting life changing habits for those who want to help save the planet.

With just two days to go before the screaming of the engines and the screeching of the tyres marks the start of the 2009 Formula One season, the anticipation is rising.

And in the words of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa: ‘Everybody is starting at zero now.’

There have been so many changes from the re-introduction of slick tyres to the introduction of the controversial KERS system that the world title appears to be wide open.

It’s the biggest overhaul of the sport for 20-odd years – even the tyres have been re-named for ‘greater clarity’ – wet tyres are now ‘intermediate’ and extreme-weather tyres are henceforth to be known as ‘wet’!

And as Massa said: ‘Everybody is starting at zero now.  We have 20 drivers fighting for the championship – we’re all in the same boat….because there are so many changes.’

Of course, all eyes will be on reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, but it’s his fellow British racing rival Jenson Button who is favorite to take the honors at Melbourne this Sunday.

Cue the theme tune – dun…dun-dun-dun-dun-dun…

 Alex Kapadia, Operations Executive

By Denna Bowman

Continental came out on top when Which? magazine put 32 tyres in two popular sizes through their paces.

The Continental Premium Contact 2 tyres scored highest in both size categories after being put through rigorous tests in dry and severe wet conditions, on tarmac and on concrete.

Here’s what the Which? tyres testers had to say about the 205/55 R16 W, which had a total score of 69%. 

‘The Continental PremimContact 2 offers first-rate handling on dry roads, good wet and dry braking and good resistance to aquaplaning in bends and on straight roads.  It’s around average for noise, so motorway cruising speed shouldn’t be too much of a strain.’

And here’s what they had to say about the 185/60 R14 H, which had a total score of 73%.

‘With this Best Buy you’ll get excellent handling on dry roads, good wet and dry braking, and decent wet grip in bends and on straight roads.  Rolling resistance is around average.  It’s slightly noisier than some of the tyres we tested, but the tyre noise isn’t intrusive.’

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson became the butt of a practical joke when pranksters barricaded him inside a portable loo at a classic car rally.

The jokers stacked six hefty tyres outside the loo and a giggling crowd gathered to watch the motoring presenter struggled to heave the door open.

After toppling the tyres and walking free it appears the embarrassment factor was far from over.

Several people in the crowd filmed Jeremy’s escapade on their mobile phones and the clip has now become a favourite on YouTube with more than 23,000 hits.

It was scene that could have come straight from his hugely popular BBC2 series – only then it would have been hapless James May on the receiving end of Jeremy’s juvenile antics with sidekick Richard Hammond.

However, he didn’t appear to see the funny side and stomped off into the crowd at the Majorca Classic Car Rally.

It’s probably fair to say he looked a little flushed!

Denna Bowman, Head Office