By Katherine Clarkson

Motorists looking to save money at the fuel pump are starting to turn to low-rolling resistance tyres.

However, one of the biggest criticisms of these ‘green’ tyres is that improved fuel mileage comes at the expense of a quiet and comfortable ride.

Goodyear tyres have designed a low rolling resistance tyre which they say promises the same increase in fuel economy, but without the drawbacks.

The problem with the traditional low rolling resistance tyre comes from the additional silica that is used during the casting.

The extra silica reduces the amount of friction between the tread and the surface of the road, allowing them to more smoothly, therefore using less power.  However, the different compound also makes them much noisier.

The new Goodyear Assurance FuelMax claims to offer the same reduction in rolling resistance as the competition, around 27%, without creating a less comfortable ride for passengers.

According to Goodyear, the tyres can return up to a 4% increase in fuel mileage, which equates to thousands of miles over the lifetime of the average tyre.

The new rules brought in to spice up the Formula 1 action for 2009 certainly seem to have done their job.

Four races in and it looks like Bridgestone’s new slick tyres are one of the stars of the show, according to Setanta online.

One of the biggest bonuses has been the fact that the tyres have helped all the teams, not just the big budget boys, to compete on a more level playing field.

The sports channel website puts the tyres in pole position when it comes to the effect of the new rules.

It reports: “Making a few quick assumptions; the cars are doing more or less the same lap times as they were in 2008 so from that we can assume that the increase in tyre grip of the slicks - which have around 20% more tread area by just filling in the groves – is equal to the overall loss of downforce, again of about 20%.

“But more importantly, the tyre grip is there for everyone, not just for the big budget teams with their big budget developments.

“This grip from the tyres is not affected by turbulence when following another car and this is really the component that is making this year’s racing better than for many years.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

By Oliver Hall

Converting old car tyres and plastic bags into steel is the tip of the sustainability iceberg which is exciting inventors and manufacturers.

The award-winning polymer injection technology substitutes carbon-rich rubber (tyres) and plastic (bags) for some of the coke used in electric arc furnaces to make steel.

It has already been licensed by manufacturer OneSteel who have carried out successful trials and are intending to replace up to 30% of the coke and coal used in its steelmaking process.

But the inventor Professor Veena Sahaajwalla has all kinds of other materials “simmering away” for potential re-use.

“Once they hear about these two examples - plastic and rubber - people are really excited about the idea and want to ask questions about different types of waste materials that could be used,” she said.

“There are lots of other things that are simmering away in the background, which I’m not at liberty to discuss.

“But there’s a lot of buzz in the industry about the potential - I think this is only the beginning.”

A thick plume of toxic smoke could be seen across Medway last night after 1,000 tyres caught fire on farmland in Rochester.

Firefighters were called out to battle the massive pile of burning rubber on Sunday evening.

It is not yet known how the tyres fire started, but crews on the scene at the farmland spent nearly three hours dowsing the flames with foam.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: “As we were on our way to the fire we could see the thick, dense smoke.

“We estimate there were about 1,000 tyres on the pile, which was well alight when we arrived.

“The foam worked well, there were three pumps at the scene, two from Medway, along with another from Strood.”

This is the latest in a spate of fires involving massive piles of tyres across the country. 

Burning tyres can have a serious environmental impact because they produce vast quantities of harmful emissions that will pollute the atmosphere.

Katherine Clarkson, National Accounts

By Denna Bowman

Almost nine out of 10 motorists are annoyed about the state of their local roads, according to an RAC survey.

Motorists have put up with horrendous potholed roads which have destroyed their tyres and damaged their cars, especially in the wake of the bitter winter.

A staggering 89% were frustrated with the condition of the roads in their area and only 5% believe that motoring taxes were appropriately used.

The poll of nearly 2,700 RAC members found that only 2% believed that roads were adequately maintained, with 89% saying they wanted better clarity on where the motoring taxes were spent.

The majority polled thought not enough money raised was being ploughed back into the road system.

Just 21% thought tolls and congestions charges were a good way of dealing with congestion, while 77% said traffic jams would ease if public transport was better.

And there was popular support for plans to allow drivers to use the hard shoulder of motorways during peak times.

Adrian Tink, RAC motoring strategist, said: “Motorists understand the need to pay road taxes; they just don’t believe that they are getting value for money. It’s time that motorists got a fair deal with an efficient and well maintained road network.”

You could argue some garages are guilty of daylight robbery judging by their inflated prices for tyres.

But a gang of thieves carried out their own daring heist on a Huddersfield garage in broad daylight last Friday.

The cheeky thieves loaded a van full of £5,000 worth of tyres and simply drove them away between 1.40 and 1.50pm.

Their haul included 18 HGV tyres, plus premium brand names including Dunlop, Michelin and Continental.  They also threw in some Khumo’s.

All the tyres were the standard 22.5 inch rim.

Police are asking anyone who has any information about this crime or has been offered cheap tyres for sale to contact PC David Cant on 0845 6060606 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Customers looking for cheaper tyres don’t have to resort to theft if they come to etyres.

We don’t have expensive depots to run so our overheads are low and we pass the savings on to customers with our low prices - up to 40% cheaper than the leading high street depots.

Alex, Head Office

If you fancy yourself as the next Michael Schumacher then read on!

Computer games manufacturers, Codemasters, have got a new F1 game in the pipeline and it’s so authentic it features the new regulations, including slick tyres and KERS.

F1 2009 – as it will be know – will let racing fans experience the sensations of everything from driving on slick tyres to driving in the Singapore night race.  

And it will also be the first game to feature the current reigning world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

The game aims to be as realistic an interpretation as possible and includes all this seasons cars, teams and circuits, as well as the new regulations such as slick tyres, revised aerodynamics and KERS.

The current championship leader, Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, said: “F1 computer games and circuit simulations can be invaluable for racing drivers so it’s great news that our fans will also be able to experience the BGP 001 through this game.”

And if that’s not endorsement enough, Mr Formula 1 himself, Bernie Ecclestone added: “Codemasters has a great heritage when it comes to racing games and their reputation is second to none.

“We’re working very closely together on the upcoming Formula 1 titles and are very impressed with what we have seen.”

So watch this space for news of the release date.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

By Alex Kapadia

The engines screamed and the tyres squealed as Jenson Button took the chequered flag at Bahrain this afternoon.

And as Brawn GP celebrated their third win in four races, Bridgestone were also trumpeting their delight with the car tyres on the track.  

Hirohide Hamashima, Director of Motorsport Tyre Development for Bridgestone, said “Today was a very exciting race, particularly from a tyre perspective.

“We saw a good range of strategies, and when to use the medium compound was a difficult decision for teams, as it delivered a consistently slower lap time than the super soft.

“The super soft performed well and heat degradation was not a big problem even in the extreme heat of Bahrain.

“There was some very good tyre management from drivers and also some strong running from competitors on the medium tyre too.

“I think today has shown just how exciting racing can be with two Bridgestone tyres with different characteristics with our 2009 allocations.”

“We have accumulated a lot of good data from the first four race weekends and this has been very useful.

“Here in Bahrain was interesting because of the extreme heat, but our tyres performed well, and continued to give competitors a challenge for how best to use them during the course of the race.”

Pirelli have reported that its tyres division has experienced “signs of recovery” in March.

It is however a sign of the recessionary times that the Italian tyres firm is basing its optimism not on profits gains, but on the slowdown in sales decline in some countries and positive growth rates in others.

Various government incentives to boost new car sales partly contributed to this reversal of fortune, following Original Equipment (OE) business contraction in the first two months of the year.

Pirelli revenues up to the end of March 009 are down 13.9 per cent, amounting to 926.9 million Euros from 1,076.9 million in the corresponding period of 2008.

It is hoped that the cash-incentives to stimulate the new car market – like the one given the go ahead for the UK in the budget last week – will led to more car sales and in turn healthier orders for the tyre manufacturers.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

The number of cars made in the UK more than halved in the first quarter of the year due to the recession, according to industry figures.

And cost-conscious vehicle owners are also seeking other ways to keep their motoring expenses down, like shopping around for cheap tyres.

Etyres, the UK’s leading online tyres retailer, is experiencing record year-on-year growth as car owners surf the web to track down the best deals.

Etyres mobile fitting service means it does not have expensive garages to run, so overheads are low and savings are passed on to customers in the form of low prices, up to 40% cheaper than the high street depots.

However, the growth is in sharp contrast to the fall in demand for new cars.

Car production during the last three months to the end of March plummeted by 56.6% on the same period of 2008, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The only bright spot in the figures is that March production was down only 51 per cent on the same month in 2008, compared to 59 per cent in February.