Tyre News

Cooper Crosses Bering Straits
New Online Tyre Safety Guide
British Couple Carried Round the World on Michelin
Formula One Prize Boosts Funds for Hospice
Hankook Puts Mark in the Picture with Competition Win
First Stop Store Takes Pole Position at the 'Think You Can Drive' Event
Car Insurance Premiums Rise by Nearly 6% in a Year
Kwik-Fit Accelerates Recycling at New National Distribution Centre
Cooper Tire Features on Fifth Gear Test

Cooper Crosses Bering Straits

Steve Burgess, a farmer from West Yorkshire, has put himself and his Land Rover Defender into the record books becoming the first person in history to successfully cross the Bering Straits in a road vehicle. Earlier this year the 52-year-old from Mirfield, near Huddersfield, travelled 10,379 miles in 50 days to the Easternmost tip of Russia.

Despite driving across icy tundra and frozen riverbeds with temperatures as low as minus 46 degrees Celsius in some of the most remote places on earth, the Cooper Discoverer ST off-road tyres fitted to the Land Rover provided the added traction and outstanding performance Burgess needed.

Then, in a masterstroke that differs from others who tried the voyage before, instead of trying to cross the Straits while they were covered with ice, he simply waited for them to melt in the summer. Once they did, he strapped two huge floats on the sides of his Land Rover, added a motor and propeller on the back and sailed across the 56-mile stretch of water, pausing on the island of Little Diomede as the weather closed in, before continuing a few weeks later when conditions improved. He landed at 1a.m. local time on the beach of Wales, Alaska, on Friday 8 August, earning his place in history.

"It's been a phenomenal trip," said Burgess. "I can't say it was all enjoyable - I wouldn't do it again - but it has been incredible. We were on ice roads virtually all the way from Moscow - thousands and thousands of miles - and could not believe how much traction we got from the Cooper tyres; they were phenomenal.

"Landing on Wales was brilliant. It was the culmination of nearly nine years work, and to be the first to get across was incredible. I'd watched other people before me try to do it - rich people, big companies, and I thought 'how am I going to square up to these people?' But I showed them how it's done!"

Despite the achievement, Burgess's epic journey is far from over. After returning to the UK to raise more funds so he can continue the trip, he plans to drive all the way down North and South America to Cape Horn, after travelling a total of 30,000 miles.

New Online Tyre Safety Guide

Motorists now have access to a set of ten easy-to-follow, digitally animated tyre safety lessons, via the TyreSafe website. With independent research conducted by a leading tyre manufacturer and TyreSafe member revealing that almost 80 percent of cars on British roads are running with incorrect tyre pressures, TyreSafe has added the visual guide to its website in order to help motorists avoid the problems associated with poorly maintained or neglected tyres, such as premature wear, increased stopping distances or additional fuel costs.

"The new online guide will help motorists overcome a number of issues which may be increasing their risk on the road or creating additional motoring costs," comments TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis. "The digitally animated guide is designed to provide motorists with invaluable advice regarding tyre safety, helping us to achieve our goal of making the UK's roads safer for all."

In June 2007, TyreSafe became the first tyre safety organisation in the UK to sign up to the European Road Safety Charter, a road safety initiative from the European Commission which aims to save 25,000 lives lost on EU roads by 2010. The lessons are designed to educate motorists about tyre wear and tyre pressure, and cover all aspects of tyre maintenance, providing the viewer with a clear explanation of how to measure tyre pressure and tread depth, together with advice about tools and cost implications.

The 'Tyre Wear' section encompasses wear and damage to tyres, tread depth, accidents and general tyre safety, while the 'Tyre Pressure' section covers why tyre pressure is vital to road safety, how to check pressure levels and where and when to adjust tyre pressure. The new online guide can be found at www.tyresafe.org.

British Couple Carried Round the World on Michelin

A British couple, a Land Rover Discovery called 'Rabia' and Michelin's 4x4 A/T tyres have completed an expedition that took-in all corners of the world in a n exceptional display of longevity, durability and performance over the widest range of surfaces and the most comprehensive range of conditions possible.

Peter and Eileen Crichton began long distance travelling in their Land Rover in 1997 whilst based in the Middle East. With a penchant for exploration, their passion ultimately took them around the world twice on Michelin tyres, covering a total of 150,000km during 23 months on the road. The Michelin 4x4 A/T tyres are designed for 50/50 road/off-road usage and the Crichton's 'Global Discovery Expedition' pushed them to the limit.

Incredibly, the 50,000km leg of their journey around the African continent was completed with only one puncture. Split into two distinct sections, the first was a single circuit of 42,000km circling the Northern Hemisphere by the longest land route possible and this six month passage through four continents left them hungry for more.

The second circuit featured a mere 99,000km jaunt throughout the Southern Hemisphere PLUS a 50,000km drive through Africa. Australia was the first southerly challenge with the couple planning to reach all eight extreme compass points around the continent's 30,000km shoreline. This was only thwarted by the difficulty of reaching the most northwesterly point in the Kimberly region.

After Australia came South America where they followed the Inca Trail through the Andes from its most southerly point in Chile some 8,000km north to the Colombian border, much of it at high altitude and through wild remote places on difficult tracks. At the northern limit they continued through Colombia and Venezuela before shipping to North West Africa. In total the expedition covered 15,000km over three months and included a detour to drive up the volcanic ash slopes of Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador to reach the snow line at 4,850m.

Finally the intrepid couple's Michelin tyres began rolling in Africa. Completing an anti-clockwise circle of the continent they took on often non-existent roads and unpredictable seasonal weather, which can quickly change a driveable route into a 4x4 test track. They drove to Cape Town through the Sahara and battled the jungles of Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Angola before following the Rift Valley from its southern limit in Mozambique to the northern end and through the Middle East to complete the circuit back to where they had started from in the UK. In total, their African odyssey covered 49,782km.

Thanks to his experiences, Peter Crichton is a respected advocate of good tyre choice and a firm believer in Michelin products. "Throughout our travels the Michelin tyres performed flawlessly over every conceivable terrain that the world could throw at us. Good tyres are a core aspect of reliable travel in the world's remote and wild places. We were immensely relieved that we could rely entirely on the products supplied by Michelin UK."

Formula One Prize Boosts Funds for Hospice

First Stop store BMTR has helped to raise almost £5000 for Birmingham St Mary's Hospice by donating the top prize to the raffle at the Hospice's Annual Summer Fete. BMTR donated a pair of tickets for a behind the scenes factory tour of the Renault Formula One factory. The lucky winners are Paul and Anthony Maxwell, father and son from Birmingham.

Gary Hickman, director and general manager at BMTR, said: "We were delighted, not only to be able to offer such a fantastic prize but also with the amount the prize helped to raise for the hospice".

Hankook Puts Mark in the Picture with Competition Win

Mark Harris is looking forward to a clearer picture ahead after winning a brand new LCD TV courtesy of tyre giant Hankook. Mark who lives in Southampton won the 40" TV as part of a summer promotion from the tyre giant which is also offering motorists a free tyre check at dealerships in the south.

"I'm just delighted to have been picked as a winner,'' said Mark who collected his prize from Tyreland in Southampton just in time for the Olympics. "I had my tyres checked and had forgotten about the competition but it's a great prize.''

Tyreland's assistant manager Pete Daly presented Mark with his prize. Mark is the second of three summer winners of the prize with one more winner set to be picked this month.

First Stop Store Takes Pole Position at the 'Think You Can Drive' Event

First Stop store, Steve Andrews Tyres joined events at the 'Think You Can Drive' event, held recently to raise awareness of safer driving on Cornish roads. The company, part of Bridgestone's First Stop network of tyre stores, teamed up with JBM maintenance to have a significant presence at the event at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge. Together they hosted a large hospitality area which featured Bridgestone's F1 simulator where young drivers could test their driving skills and pick up advice of road and tyre safety in return for a small charity donation.

Now in its second year, the successful event was organised by the Rotary Club of Truro and supported by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Cornwall Fire Service and Cornwall County Council to encourage safer driving on Cornish roads. Local police, fire and ambulance services, along with the team from Steve Andrews Tyres, were on hand demonstrating the importance of road safety to local drivers with accident and skid pan simulators. The event culminated with a landing visit by both the police and air ambulance helicopters.

All companies involved in the day contributed to raising a large sum of money, which will be donated to local charities, including Cornwall Air Ambulance and Front Line Emergency Equipment Trust (FLEET).

Car Insurance Premiums Rise by Nearly 6% in a Year

Between July 2007 and June 2008, the average car insurance premium has increased by 5.8%. The latest Sainsbury's Car Insurance Index(1), which provides a comprehensive independent analysis of online car insurance premiums across the market reveals that in June 2007, the average car insurance premium was £514.36, compared with £486.13 in July 2007 (an increase of 5.8%). T

his is the first time since the Index was launched in June 2005 that the average premium has exceeded £500. The index reports significant differences in premium increases based on age in the last 12 months. Those motorists aged over 65 saw an average rise of 10%, the highest of any age group. Motorists aged under 25 continue to pay the most for their car insurance, but their premiums have only increased by 2.47% since July 2007, the lowest rise for any age group.

Joanne Mallon, Sainsbury's Car Insurance Manager said: "Given that car insurance premiums are rising and the cost of driving is now at its highest for a number of years, it is all the more important for motorists to shop around for competitive insurance. However, accepting a lower premium does not mean that you have to sacrifice quality cover - by shopping around you can find both. Just make sure, when comparing car insurance policies, that you do this on a like-for-like basis."

The Index reveals that men continue to pay more for their car insurance than women on average - £540.49 compared with £470.47, and that the most expensive cover is for those motorists aged under 25 where the average premium is now £1,249.56. The average motorist aged over 50 pays £347.45, which is the lowest for any age group.

Kwik-Fit Accelerates Recycling at New National Distribution Centre

Kwik-Fit Fleet is at the forefront of a 'green' revolution following the opening of its £10 million National Distribution Centre. The recently opened 245,000 square feet Northamptonshire complex - the size of 10 football pitches - is the hub of a major operation that has taken parts recycling to a new level.

A 69-strong fleet of newly acquired trucks deliver tyres to centres daily, and in a process known as 'reverse logistics' return to the National Distribution Centre reloaded with worn out tyres, removed tyre casings and scrap catalytic converters.

The industry first 'one-for-one exchange' results in trucks travelling fully loaded thus saving up to three million miles a year and an estimated 3,000 tonnes of carbon in reduced emissions. Once back at the National Distribution Centre a specially installed machine shreds more than six million tyres a year removed from company and privately-owned cars and vans. Following shredding, the rubber is transported from the site for use in artificial sports and equestrian surfaces, in children's playground surfaces, as a fuel in the cement industry, replacing aggregate as landfill engineering, and in the manufacturing of portable rail crossing and carpet underlay.

The development means that specialist tyre waste collectors now collect from the National Distribution Centre instead of calling at individual Kwik-Fit's centre thus cutting thousands of journeys a year so easing traffic congestion and cutting vehicle emissions.

Cooper Tire Features on Fifth Gear Test

Cooper Tire's acclaimed Zeon 2XS tyres was put to the test on the small screen during the Fifth Gear programme aired on August 25. The ultra-high performance rubber was featured on the Nissan R35 GTR of performance tuning company, GTC, as the car went head to head with a Porsche 911 Turbo.

GTC director Ben Linney's GTR is the first example of the car to land on UK shores and, after tuning, pumps out 536bhp. The car was driven by Fifth Gear's high-profile new 'test driver' during the head to head run at Welsh circuit, Anglesey, on July 9. The car, and the Cooper Zeon 2XS tyres, are perfect for the GTR thanks to their superior cornering and handling characteristics, performed impeccably during the test, according to Linney.

"The car was driven hard all day," explained Linney. "The driver was doing power slides and drifts in the wet weather, just feet away from the cliffs. The 2XS tyres lasted all day, and with very little wear. As they say, they 'don't give up a thing'."