Don’t take risks on the road this Christmas

Gareth Herincx

2 days ago
Auto News

Bridgestone tyre safety plea

Bridgestone is making a festive road safety plea for motorists driving home for Christmas.

Latest research from the tyre giant revealed that more than half (54%) don’t regard driving on illegal tyres as being potentially life threatening, with only 14% describing them as the most important safety feature on their cars.

The survey of 2,000 also showed that despite tyres being the only contact points between a vehicle and the road – and responsible for 159 deaths or serious injuries from defective tyres related accidents – 81% admitted to never checking their tyres for signs of wear or damage.

More than 5,000 people are have been killed in tyre-related incidents on roads in the last five years and there are an estimated 10 million illegal tyres on UK roads.

In the run up to Christmas – and many people making more journeys to see loved ones over the holiday period – Bridgestone has renewed its call to get motorists to find a few minutes to check their tyres.

“Driving over the Christmas holidays is something everyone should prepare for,” said Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti.

“It is not only about having the right tyres; the driver’s behaviour is also essential in these conditions as he or she needs to understand and adapt to different winter hazards.

“It is therefore crucial to not only prepare our vehicles, but also ourselves when the weather gets cold, as we are seeing at this time of year.”

Bridgestone’s top tyre tips for motorists

  • Periodically check traction, or available grip, when driving in challenging conditions. Apply the brakes with moderate pressure to determine the available grip and modify your driving, if needed, to respond to ever-changing road conditions.
  • Under-inflated tyres not only compromise motorists’ ability to brake and manoeuvre safely, but they also consume more fuel and wear out faster. Information on the recommended tyre pressure can be found in the operating manual, on the inside of the door pillars or under your fuel cap.
  • The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm. Insert a 20p coin in the tread; if you can see the border, it’s time to change the tyres.
  • Maximise available grip by separating driving manoeuvres when negotiating a curve. Brake to an appropriate speed while travelling in a straight line prior to a curve. This allows you to use all the available grip for negotiating the curve. Accelerate gradually when you are able to straighten the steering wheel at the exit of the turn.
  • Avoid cruise control in wet, icy or snowy conditions. Maintain control of acceleration and deceleration at all times.
  • Avoid driving in bad weather conditions. Your safety comes first.

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Bridgestone teams up with the 2023 EV Rally

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

Genesis GV60

Bridgestone has become the official tyre partner of the 2023 EV Rally.

The five-day, 1,200-mile ‘e-Rally’ will feature 50 electric vehicles stopping off at the five capital cities between July 3-7 and Bridgestone has agreed to be an official sponsor for the first time.

The EV Rally will take in EV charge points and hubs, clean energy projects and iconic landmarks, at key locations, or checkpoints (CPs).

The event will give Bridgestone the opportunity to demonstrate its innovative Enliten technology and EV Ready products such as its new Turanza 6 tyre and Duravis Van.

Bridgestone Turanza 6 tyre

Bridgestone claims its new Turanza 6 tyre is perfectly suited to hybrid and electric vehicles, helping to optimise their performance.

This includes low rolling resistance to save battery life and address range anxiety concerns, excellent control to address EV-specific driving-related issues, higher wear tolerance to combat tyre wear due to the increased weight and higher torque, and decreased noise for driver comfort owing to the near non-existent engine noise of EVs.

“We couldn’t think of a more appropriate or relevant event to partner with than the EV Rally, as we make a long-term pledge to the environment and sustainability to earn the trust of future generations,” said Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti.

“As part of our commitment to help shape a sustainable future of mobility, we’re investing to make electric mobility more efficient and accessible to drivers and fleets and the EV Rally is a brilliant campaign which shares our sustainable philosophy.

“We will be pioneering our premium, ‘EV ready’ tyres and will demonstrate their value to a huge audience over five exciting days.”

Colin Boyton, EV Rally Event Manager added: “We are delighted that Bridgestone has joined us this year as the official tyre partner. It adds a whole new strand to the messaging and narrative that we can communicate while the rally is live.

“So much is made about the range, the innovative technology in the vehicles and charging infrastructure. But what sometimes gets lost is the other key parts and elements that make EVs the right choice, in terms of efficiency, and tyres are a big part of that. Together with Bridgestone, we aim to showcase just that.”

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Cost-of-living crisis: Fuel saving tips for motorists

Filling up with fuel - Bridgestone

Seven ways you can ease the pain at the pumps…

Whether you’re heading off on your summer holidays or coping with high fuel prices day-to-day basis, there’s no harm in trying to squeeze the maximum miles out of your tank of petrol or diesel.

We’ve teamed up with tyre giant Bridgestone to provide a series of fuel-saving tips to ease the pain at the pumps.

Bridgestone’s Technical Manager Gary Powell

By tweaking driving styles, Bridgestone’s Technical Manager Gary Powell believes that a typical tank can last longer, ensuring trips to the forecourt aren’t needed quite so urgently.

1. Make sure you purchase the best tyres for your vehicle

It’s important to invest in the right tyres for your vehicle while you may be tempted to go “budget” in the long-term this will cost you more money and be more expensive on your pocket in terms of fuel. Opting for a premium product can increase fuel-range. Bridgestone is one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers and boast some of the best performing products in terms of low-rolling resistance.

2. Check your tyre pressures

It’s really important to make sure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure as indicated in your owner’s manual. Underinflated and overinflated tyres both adversely affect fuel economy. Not only that you are compromising your safety – when your tyres are under inflated it compromises your ability to brake and manoeuvre safely. Vehicles with under-inflated tyres have increased rolling resistance that require more fuel to maintain the vehicles speed. This is not good for your pocket and equates to higher Co2 emissions too, which is not good for the environment either.

3. Check your tyres

If your tyres are not inflated correctly or are wearing it is both unsafe but will also have an effect on your fuel consumption. Try the 20p tread test. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, so to check if your tyres are legal, insert a 20p coin into the tread to check. If any part of the coin’s border is visible, it’s time to change the tyres.

4. Easy on the accelerator

Excessive speed is the biggest fuel-guzzling factor so having a light right foot and ensuring all acceleration is gentle is very important to fuel-efficient driving. The best way to achieve high MPG (Miles per gallon) is to drive in the highest possible gear while keeping within the speed limit. The best advice in urban areas is to change up through the gears as quickly as you can with the lowest revs possible. The faster an engine spins, the more fuel it uses.

5. Anticipate

Anticipation is key. Try to anticipate what’s going to happen in front of you by looking well ahead. By doing this, you’ll see the traffic lights on red meaning you can ease back on the accelerator or slow down as you approach and potentially keep moving as opposed to coming to a stop. Keeping the car moving at the right speed is essential to fuel economy. Obviously, this depends on traffic conditions and what’s happening on the road ahead, but slowing down and having to accelerate again uses more fuel.

6. Cruise control

Cruise control only aids fuel economy when driving on a constant flat surface, hence why it is usually best reserved for motorway driving. One of the keys to saving fuel is driving at a constant speed, cruise control can do this effectively on flat surfaces, making your driving as fuel efficient as possible by negating unnecessary acceleration. However, if you were to use your cruise control regularly, not on flat roads, you would encounter problems that would increase your fuel consumption.

7. Lighten the load

Don’t pack things into your car that you won’t be needing once you arrive at your destination. Also, don’t leave your roof bars and roof box on because they create wind resistance and cause your car to use more fuel through the ‘drag’ effect. This is increased the faster you drive. Driving with an open window also has a similar effect. And while this isn’t going to make the biggest difference to your MPG figures, it stands to reason that the heavier a vehicle is, the more fuel it will use.

Only 8% of drivers are aware of EV-specific tyres

Gareth Herincx

6 hours ago
Auto News

Bridgestone makes tyres for EVs

Less than one in 10 UK motorists know the difference between standard tyres and EV tyres – and the money-saving benefits they offer.

The number of electric car owners on our roads stands at 477,000, but only a small percentage of them know the importance of fitting custom-made EV tyres to the wheels, according to Bridgestone’s YouGov commissioned research.

Of 2,000 motorists questioned,, 47% said they will be switching to an EV to save on high fuel costs, with 56% sold by the environmental benefits of driving an electric car.

However, the lack of knowledge on EV tyres could undermine any savings made with more trips for tyre replacements.

EVs are much heavier than conventional cars and the added weight is ultimately carried by the tyres. Without adaptation to compensate, non-EV tyres are much more likely to wear quicker and won’t last as long.

“What’s clear from our survey is that very few motorists are aware that there are tyres specifically designed for electric vehicles and even fewer know the benefits of them,” said Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti.

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