TYRES THAT SAVE YOU FUEL.

Over the past week we have been bombarded with bad news about fuel price hikes. It seems that with currency pressures, political issues and taxes there is constant upward price movement. The motorist must look at every possible way to cut consumption and save money.
According to Continental Tyres' Product Development Manager, Markhus Fischer, tyres are responsible for 20% of a cars fuel consumption. Of that 20%, 16% is due to the rolling resistance and 4% is due to aerodynamics.

 Markhus Fischer.

It is therefore possible to design solutions to reduce the effects of both of these factors and reduce fuel consumption. The challenge for tyre designers is to achieve this without compromising on safety features such as tread grip or traction.
Compounds can be changed in the make up of a tyre. For instance substituting Carbon Black with Silica which has been proven to reduce rolling resistance.
Continental have developed a new compound  they call ''Black Chilli''. This has been included into their new EcoContact 5 tyre. It was developed using the latest advancements in nanotechnology or chemical engineering.

Further tweaking of raised lettering on the sidewall has resulted in reducing the drag profile of the tyre thus improving the aerodynamics of same. The result of this combination of innovations is a tyre that saves you fuel. Possibly as high as 5%. Combine this with correct pressure maintenance and your tyre management can make a significant difference to your household or business expenditure. We look forward to further innovations in this area from Continental.

Here at Heffernan tyres, we are proud to stock a full range of energy efficient Continental Tyres. We can provide you with a free consultation at any time. Continental have also been very proactive in the new area of EU Labelling and have provided training and guidance for our staff. We would be only to happy to explain how it works.

KILDARE

For those of you not familiar with the lovely town of Kildare, We thought we'd give you a few reasons (other than getting tyres fitted) to visit our town.
Located only 30 minutes from Dublin until relatively recently, Kildare town was something of a traffic gridlock. It was originally necessary to pass through the centre of the town en route to Dublin from Limerick, Cork, Kerry and Thurles. When Kildare town was bypassed by a new state of the art motorway in 2004, the town centre was allowed to settle down and become something of a tourist attraction.
Rich in heritage and history, Kildare Town dates from the 5th Century, when it was the site of the original ''Church of the Oak'' and monastery founded by St. Brigid. This became one of the three most important Christian foundations in Celtic Ireland. The Cathedral which stands today dates from 1223 and is well worth a visit.

Five minutes from the town centre is The National stud and Japenese Gardens. The latter is a beautiful garden founded in 1906 by Lord Wavertree and donated to the nation in 1915 when Lord Wavertree departed for England. The garden was designed to represent the Life of Man and it's twists and turns represent same. It is regarded as the finest of it's kind in Europe.

Lord Wavertree's stable became the National Stud and is now one the best thoroughbred horses breeding facilities in the world. Guided tours are available daily. It has become a visitor attraction of such national importance, that when Queen Elizabeth II of GB visited Ireland in 2011, the National Stud was one of five or six of her official engagements. On the same day she visited the nearby Gilltown Stud to view one of worlds finest racehorses ever bred, Sea Of Stars.

Anyone interested in horses will find themselves well at home in Kildare. The traditional pubs in the towns' main street are full of punters, experts and breeders all speaking the same language.

The nearby Curragh racecourse is in a spectacular setting surrounded by the green expanse of the Curragh limestone plain and facing the beautiful Wicklow mountains. The peaks of Keadeen and Luqnaquilla mountain towering above their neighbours.

The racecourse itself specialises in flat racing and it's races offers the highest purse of any of it's kind. The Dubai Duty Free Derby is the Irish Epsom and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Until recently, Kildare Town was the last place you would think of to go designer label shopping. That was until the completion of Kildare Village Outlet Centre. This is a shoppers heaven offering a wide choice of designer shops in a pretty village environment. Value and bargains are the order of the day with Clothes, Accessories and Homewares available at knockdown prices. There are fine eateries in the village also.

The village has the ability to look fabulous no matter what the season and has been a huge success for the town of Kildare. There are plans to extend the centre shortly so we can look forward to attracting more and more visitors to our town over the next few years.

Lovers of Farm Fresh produce will love Kildare Farm Foods which is located 2 minutes from the Village. As well a huge range of farm fresh produce, KFF has a free Farm Zoo where the kids can feed the animals while you shop for the finest foods at bargain prices.

So if you want to leave your car with us don't forget we can arrange transfer to any of the above attractions. We'll pick you up when your car is ready. Alternatively, you can relax in our air conditioned waiting area and have a coffee whilst you enjoy our free WiFi and widescreen TV. We think you'll agree, Kildare is a great place to visit and to shop. We look forward to welcoming you.

NEW EU TYRE LABELLING CODES.

As and from November 2012 all tyres sold ex manufacturer will have to display a label (pictured above) to advise customers on three key areas of performance.
With the constant strain being put on motorists with rising fuel costs, these new standards should be welcomed. We have seen in several recent tyre tests undertaken by Continental Tyre Group, that tyre compounds and treads can impact significantly on fuel consumption.
Similar standards have been applied to electrical appliances for some time and have been very successful in driving down energy consumption whilst setting the bar for manufacturers in terms of what is expected in the modern marketplace.

So what do the symbols and ratings mean?

Rolling resistance (Fuel Efficiency)
Fuel efficiency is important to reduce both carbon emissions and the cost of motoring. The grades are A to , with D not being used. The difference between each grade means a reduction or increase in fuel consumption of between 2.5%-4.5%. That's a difference of about 0.42-0.56 mpg for a 36 mpg car per grade.

Wet Grip (Braking Performance)

Wet grip is a critical safety feature and relates to the tyres ability to stop a vehicle quickly on wet roads and can be expressed in terms of stopping distance. The grades are A to G, with D and G not being used. The difference between each grade means an increase or decrease in stopping distance of between one to two car lengths (between 3 and 6 metres) when braking from 50mph.

Noise (Exterior Noise Emission)

This is the external noise made by the tyre and is measured in decibels.

The more black bars shown on the label, the louder the tyre.

All imported tyres in to the EU as well as those manufactured within it, will be required to conform with the new standards. As with all new labelling systems there will be something of an overlap in terms of what is currently on shelves around the country and what is sold in November 2012, but by 2013 this new system will be well up and running. Remember the closer to A on both counts the better the tyre is on fuel and braking capacity. The higher the dB(a) or decibels the more noise is given off by the tyre.

Heffernan Tyres welcomes the new labelling as yet another point of difference between the experts in the industry and the ''fly by nighters''. If you require any assistance or advice on the new system, call in or phone us anytime. One of our staff will be only to pleased to help. We have literature explaining the new system available at our store.

A TERRIBLE PRICE TO PAY TO SAVE MONEY.

In our last post ''Part Safe Tyres From €20'' we suggested that it was only a matter of time until we might read of fatalities or serious injuries directly associated with the fitting of Part Worn tyres.

It is with great sadness that we read on TyreSafe's website this week,
''A motorist paralysed in a horrific car accident when driving on part worn tyres is hoping his story will urge drivers to think twice about which tyres they choose.
Keith Johnson, 41 from Tyne and Wear suffered terrible life-changing injuries in the smash earlier this year and is now permanently paralysed from the top of his chest down, only able to move his arms and neck.
Apart form the physical injuries he has also experienced emotional scars often enduring nightmarish flashbacks to the fateful day on the 8th February when he was driving his Renault Megane Scenic near Carlisle''

It remains the responsibility of all of us in the tyre industry in Ireland to continue the campaign to have the sale of these dangerous tyres outlawed.
In a  RTE Prime Time Investigates programme last year, it was highlighted that safety standards in Dublin's Taxi industry were seriously compromised by greedy operators cutting corners to save money.
The fitting of these potentially deadly tyres is one way some taxi drivers are choosing to cut costs.
Tourists and residents alike are having their safety compromised and are paying for the privilege,
The only way authorities will be prompted to action is by public demand. The only way public demand will insist on same is through education.
Heffernan Tyres will continue to spread the word through our Social Media about the risks involved in fitting part worn tyres. If anyone in Ireland has any experience of accidents caused by tyres, please fell free to contact us and we will publish your story.
In the meantime, if you are unsure of the safety or condition of the tyres on your vehicle; come on in and visit us. We will inspect your vehicle at no cost and no obligation.
We are committed to improving road safety in Ireland for everyone.

''PART SAFE'' TYRES FROM €20

Every street corner in the capital and many in the country have sandwich boards advertising cheap tyres at the moment it seems.

But what exactly are you getting? Well, according to TYRESAFE, the UK's non profit regulatory body, a whole lot of ''False Economy'' for a start. In fact Tyresafe found 34% of so called ''Part Worn'' tyres were potentially dangerous. 98% were sold illegally. This doesn't come as a huge surprise to many of us in the industry as we know where these tyres come from. Put simply they are other peoples throwaways or scrap. Originating in countries like Germany where they have excellent quality roads to be sold here in Ireland where we don't! They are thrown away for reasons. The biggest reason being SAFETY. So if you consider the safety of some random German motorist being of more importance than you and your family, they're a great buy!
Tyresafe also found that ''Part Worn'' tyres were actually better described as ''Nearly worn out'' tyres. The price/cost per usable mm was actually dearer than that of a new tyre. So you would find yourself going back to the dirty little corner shop twice as often as coming to our Clean, Air Conditioned and comfortable depot. Still sound like a good deal?
A full set of ''nearly worn out'' tyres will rarely be of the same brand or pattern. This will increase the noise generated from the tyres as there will be inconsistency of vibration and noise output across the axles. Rolling resistance is greatly increased for the same reason so you will use more fuel. Continental Tyre Group are constantly testing their tyres for fuel efficiency. A recent test in Scandinavia saw a car achieve a staggering 2,536km on 70Litres of diesel using the new Conti Eco Contact 5. We would love to see the same results from a set of ''nearly worn outs''. The difference would probably negate the so called saving in a week. False Economy!
These scrap tyres are imported into Ireland in crammed containers with no stock description and are sold to corner shops at a nominal value with no specific description. Therefore they are a VAT loophole and cost the country millions of euro per annum. Not to mention the jobs and revenue lost in businesses like ours who are committed to doing the right thing.
In recent years there has been a spate of thefts of Tyre fitting and balancing equipment around Ireland. These machines are being stolen or fraudulently obtained to order for use in the sort of back yard operation which sells scrap tyres. So you're contributing to criminality as well as costing yourself money.
 It is only a matter of time before legislation will ban the sale of scrap tyres in Ireland. In the meantime it is up to everyone in the tyre industry to educate the customer of the downfalls of purchasing same, The age of some of these tyres will mean cars failing NCTs as a minimum. We can only hope that there are no deaths or serious injuries directly attributable to scrap tyres but if the Tyresafe results are fact, it's difficult to see that that couldn't happen. Dublin taxi drivers will continue to brag about the great ''savings'' they are making as they risk their customers safety and charge for the privilege. And when they go to their regular corner shop depot to spend their cash, the last laugh will be actually on themselves.