Winter options

As unpredictable winters become more common across the UK, demand for cold weather tyres has increased steadily.

As well as reducing stopping distances by several car lengths, even at slow speeds, on snow and ice, these tyres ensure cars are generally safer on any road surface when temperatures are below 7°C.

Tom Whittaker, fleet sales manager at Continental Tyres, urges fleets to plan ahead.

“The fleet industry needs to consider winter tyre policies and whether they want to make them surcharge dependent, a possible year round fitment, a compulsory change October to March or just when tyres wear out coming into winter,” he says.

“They also need to consider out of season tyre storage if they want fleets to change back to standard summer tyres in summer.”

Some van fleets, including British Gas, DHL and Ocado, have already gone through this process.

Online grocer Ocado fitted cold weather tyres to its 700 home delivery vans last year and says this boosted utilisation during the heavy snow falls in December.

The company says it only had to rescue six vans over the period, compared to 200 vans a year earlier. It also met 98% of delivery orders.

Kwik-Fit is telling fleets to order cold weather tyres by April if they want to be sure of supply later in the year.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Executive has been in talks with tyre manufacturers and associations about encouraging businesses to switch to cold weather tyres.

Eliminate flats

Punctured tyres mean vehicle downtime, so fitting run-flat tyres may seem like a logical choice.

With run-flats, the sidewall is much stiffer and can support the vehicle’s weight, allowing drivers to remain in control and can continue their journey for up to 50 miles after a puncture.

Rather than waiting for a breakdown recovery van to arrive, the driver can go to a garage to have the tyre replaced there and then.

For the fleet manager, run-flats offers significant safety benefits for drivers who could suffer from a puncture or a blow out.

Vehicles fitted with run-flats also do not need to carry a spare tyre, meaning the vehicle is carrying less weight which will have a positive impact on fuel consumption.

In 2009 the RAC attended 57,513 fleet call-outs due to punctures, amounting to more than 7,000 lost working days.

Frank Flynn, RAC technical information manager, says: “The top three reasons for a call-out to a commercial driver were tyre related, including punctures, general faults and lack of replacement tyres. Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) may help alleviate this problem.”

TPMS, which indicate to the driver when tyres are losing vital pressure, will become standard on all new car models introduced across Europe next year.

Alfonso Di Pasquale, vice-president of TPMS manufacturer Schrader, says the technology could save people’s lives:“Since the vast majority of drivers do not check tyre pressure or tread depth, a TPMS would fully substitute the forgetful consumer, and maybe save his or her life.”

New regulations for 2012

From November 2012, new rules introduced by the European Union mean that all new tyres sold will have to carry information regarding their rolling resistance, noise levels and wet grip.

All will be graded on an A to G scale, with noise level also shown in decibels.
Mandatory installation of accurate tyre pressure monitoring systems will apply from November 2012 to passenger cars and the tyre rolling resistance levels in two different stages to be introduced in November 2012 and in November 2016.

All tyres produced after July 2012 and on sale in the EU from November 2012, will either bear a sticker or will be accompanied by a label to be displayed at points of sale.

As well as setting ambitious targets, the regulations aim to provide the essential regulatory framework for the tyre industry over the next 10 years, giving legal certainty that allows fleets to plan the necessary investments.

The EU hopes the measure will encourage tyre manufacturers to upgrade their products and introduce a level playing field based not just on price but also product quality.