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Recent discussions regarding the use of winter tyres in the UK following our harsh winter has spurred on many to provide more advice suggesting that winter tyres may not be necessary if drivers simply treated tyres with a little more respect. Simple maintenance such as the regular checking of pressures would be a start. The National Tyre Distributors Association have followed up with the following points when replacing tyres:

• Tyre size markings across an axle must be identical.
•  Tyre construction across an axle must be the same
• The load index must be equal or be higher than the manufacturer approved tyre for the vehicle
• It is recommended that the speed rating is either equal or greater than the original approved tyre.
• Mud and snow – winter tyres should ideally be fitted in complete sets and should not be mixed with other tyre types across an axle.
• It is recommended that when fitting two new tyres, they are fitted to the rear axle unless rear tyres are a different size to the fronts or the vehicle manufacturer’s handbook states otherwise.
• There may be special dimensional requirements preventing the mixing of tyres such as 4WD vehicles. 

I know I have provided this information before but do you know what the markings mean on a tyre? Lets take a tyre that reads 195/65 R 15 91 H. Here’s what the markings mean: 

195 : The width of the tyre in mm, also called the section width.
65 : The aspect ratio is the ratio between the sidewall height (side of the tyre) and the width of the tyre. It is expressed as a percentage.
R : The type of construction (R for radial).
15 : The internal diameter of the rim in inches.
91 : A tyre’s load rating is identified by a number and corresponds to the maximum load the tyre can withstand at maximum pressure.
H : Speed rating (also known as Performance Index). Indicates the maximum speed at which the tyre can bear a load corresponding to its load rating 

For more information on the tyre markings visit any of the major tyre fitter websites. By Graham Hill

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As Europe attempts to run their cars on anything other than petrol or diesel including chip fat, wee and rapeseed oil, otherwise known as bio fuel, new evidence is emerging that it may not be as environmentally friendly as it was thought. Reuters put in a freedom of information request to the European Commission for information on bio fuel CO2 emissions and found that biofuels produced from rapeseed had an Read more »

Yet another famous car review from Graham Hill who has that spooky knack of understanding what people really want to know about:  I was at the launch of the new Porsche Cayenne last night making friends with anyone who I thought might wish to invest in my latest business venture. They were serving Champagne and a couple of fruit drinks, I stuck to lemonade, the real stuff that looks like it’s been floating off the Read more »

I’m grateful to Auto Express for the story about the driver in London Ontario who was clocked doing 66mph in a 31mph zone. As Auto Express said, because they’re all a bunch of comics there, his excuse for speeding, when stopped by the police, didn’t hold much water when he explained that he had been speeding to dry his car after washing it, get it (groan)? It may however turn out to be the most expensive car wash he’s ever had because, if convicted, he could face a fine of up to $2,000 (£1,300). They finished their report by saying that the car would be impounded for 7 days at the owner’s expense, lets hope it’s in dry storage (G falls off seat in hysterical laughter). By Graham Hill

• Went to the launch of the new Porsche Cayenne tonight, a 4WD that does 0-62 in 4.7 seconds is nuts! But luv'd the 4dr Panamera. #
• Finished newsletter and deal on Chevrolet Captiva http://www.videotrainingonthenet.com/dealoftheweekcaptiva.html #

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After Christmas we are now about to hit the highest drink drive season. Long warm evenings beckon and the incidence of drink driving increases but where in the country are you most likely to be tested, where are most of the drunks driving around in their cars and where are the least offenders? I have the answer from the Home Office. You are most likely to be tested in Wales, most offenders are caught in Cheshire Read more »

Time for this week’s dopy gadget award! It has to go to Rolls Royce and their first iPhone app that allows you to configure your £195,000 Ghost via the free to download app. You will be able to use it on your iPhone or iPod Touch and configure the car of your choice selecting the colour from 12 options along with 3 different wheel styles, visible exhausts (don’t ask) and a contrasting satin silver bonnet. Inside there are Read more »

On the subject of grey fleets, ALD Automotive who provide fleets with licence checking services, have highlighted the need to constantly check employee licences if they are expected to drive their own cars on company business. Their advice followed the discovery of a driver who had received 16 years of bans in a space of just 16 weeks. ALD first checked his licence in 2009 and noted that he had received a 12 Read more »

Now here’s a funny story! There has been a lot of  criticism over the way that companies encourage their staff to use their own car (known as the grey fleet) for business use. There are many health and safety implications but the criticism has been aimed at companies that don’t vet the vehicles that are being used and are taking a cavalier attitude towards the environment and the way that they are happy for their Read more »

I’ve often pointed out to customers that they can now have their new cars serviced at non franchised dealers and still retain their warranty cover. This resulted from the changes that were made to the EU Block Exemption rules removing the stranglehold that manufacturers had over the servicing of new vehicles during the warranty period, that was cunningly extended by most manufacturers to 3 years. In an effort to Read more »