Tyres

The Townsville-based dealership has developed a new building and opened a Tyreright franchise at 154 Duckworth St near the group's existing used car dealership and Opposite Lock 4WD and vehicle accessory business.It comes complete with Tyreright's trademark bright orange paintwork. Principal Mike Carney said the group was an existing agent for tyre importer Tyres4u which devised the new Tyreright network being rolled out around Australia.He said Tyreright required a separate purpose-built premises and the dealership believed it was a worthy addition to group's businesses."We were prepared to put in the investment to build the new shop and I think it will complement everything we have now,'' he said.The dealership has attracted an expert in tyre retailing to head a team of five at the store, a former manager to the well known John Barr Tyres outlet and the late John Barr's son-in-law Damian Gray.Mr Gray said the new store, especially built to Tyreright specifications, included two fitting and wheel alignment bays with the potential to add more bays as demand required.He said the shop included Tyreright's concept showroom and lounge for clients including a kitchen, coffee machine, large screen television and amenities."It's a lot more user friendly than the old days,'' he said. The business includes on online presence where customers can book and pay for new tyres and take advantage of Tyreright's pledge to fit and balance the tyres within 30 minutes, which if they fail to meet entitles customers to a $30 discount.The store offers a pick up and drop off delivery service. Tyreright stocks leading brands including Bridgestone, Pirelli, GT Radial, Firestone, Eldorado, Event, Continental and Runway.

It turned out that while the tyres appeared new they were in fact manufactured several years ago and had been in storage for a number of years before Ross bought them and fitted them to his caravan.It is generally recommended that you have your tyres regularly inspected by a tyre technician, particularly as they age. After five years or so in use, this inspection should be done at least once a year.As a general rule tyres should be replaced once they are 10 years old, that's 10 years from the date they were manufactured not fitted to the car, even if they appear to be in good usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.In Ross's case the tyres he bought believing them to be "new" had been in storage for some time and should not have been fitted to his caravan at all.The date a tyre was manufactured is included in the information contained on the tyre sidewall and it's worth checking before you hand over your hard-earned cash for what you believe to be new tyres.

I recently had the wheels aligned and balanced on my Honda CR-V and the tyre dealer told me I should set the tyre pressure to 40 psi (280 kpa). The recommendation from Honda is 200 kpa. This is the second time a tyre dealer has recommended higher pressures, what is the correct setting? I must admit the car drives better at 280 kpa.

It's not necessarily the case, although most high performance tyres do exhibit better road handling characteristics.The 'speed rating' of a tyre shown on the tyre sidewall is the speed it can withstand for a period of time without disintegrating. It is measured by running the tyre, under load, against a large drum.To achieve a speed rating the tyre is run at different speeds for periods of time according to an accepted international standard.Common speed ratings are:S   180 km/hT   190 km/hU   200 km/hH   210 km/hV   240 km/hW  (ZR) 270 km/hY   (ZR) 300 km/hZR   Above 240 km/hCarmakers are required to fit tyres that can match a car's top speed, but when owners come to fit replacement tyres to their car they have to be minimum of S rated, which is 180 km/h.The speed rating is moulded into the sidewall of all tyres along with the size and load rating.

1. LeTourneau L-2350 front-loader - Each pneumatic tyre weighs 6.8 tonne, is 4m in diameter, 1.8m wide and is covered in chains to extend the life to 12 months. Price: $63,000 each.2. Caterpillar 797 dump truck - Michelin 59/80R63 XDR are 3.9m in diameter, weigh 5.3 tonnes and replacing a tyre means you'll be undoing (and tightening) 47 nuts. Price: $42,500 each.3. Bugatti Veyron - Michelin Pilot Sport PAX (run flat) 245/690 R520 (front) and 365/710 R540 (rear) tyres. Made to sustain 406km/h and a brisk 0-300km/h time of less than 14 seconds. Price: $10,000 each.4. Space shuttle - The main landing gear tyres are only good for one landing while the smaller nose tyres can do two. The bigger tyres are pumped on nitrogen to 340psi, are rated at 56 tonnes load and 420km/h. Price: $5500.5. Monster Truck - Made by Goodyear and Firestone to a specific size of 2.6m high and 1.7m wide. The average monster truck team goes through eight tyres a year. Each is hand cut - taking up to 50 hours per tyre - for specific track conditions and driving style. Price: $2500 each.6. Boeing 747 - Uses two nose and 16 main tyres with the mains good for about six years with retreading. The tyres weigh 110kg each and have a 1.2m diameter. Price: $2000 each.7. Formula One - control tyres at 265/55R13 (front) and 325/R13 (rear) last a maximum of 200km and at the end of their useful life are recycled. Teams generally have a minimum of 20 tyres per car on hand. Price: $1500 each.8. 1929 Leyland Lion bus - The pride of the Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum needed new tyres to celebrate its 50th anniversary. They were specially made in the US. Price: $800 each.9. Porsche Turbo - rubber choices for the rear include Toyo Proxes R888 at 285/30ZR18 that may last 30,000km if you're nice. The tyres suit a range of cars but not Proton S16. Price: $500 each.10. Tufo Elite Pulse tubular bicycle road tyre - High traction Silane tyre features 10 per cent less rolling resistance than rivals and weighs only 230g. Comes only in black and size 700x22. You'll need two of these and a bicycle too. Price: $150 each.

The tyres on our 2008 Holden Captiva don't last. We have had Kumho and Dunlop on it previously and they have worn out in 45,000 km. What do you recommend?

When I recently had four new Yokohama 205/55ZR16 91W A Drive R1 tyres fitted to my Subaru Impreza the tyre man filled the tyres with "nitrogen" and inflated them to 35 psi. The recommended pressure is 32, but he said the increased pressure puts more tyre on the road for better wear and will not need to be pressure checked for 66 months. Is this okay?

The Stuntbusters check out the strength of a set of tyres and how long they can last before they pop … and how hot they get before they go critical.

Two of Italy’s top adventure athletes - Marco Ponteri, 38, and Telemaco Murgia, 37 - will contest the gruelling five-day event in Tasmania wilderness. The Team Pirelli pair are both champion mountain bike, trail running and kayaking athletes, but will be up against stiff competition from around the world. Created by the Formula One driver in 2003, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge raises funds for the Mark Webber Foundation which has donated than $1 million for charities such as the ‘Leukemia Foundation’ and ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ Appeal. During the event from December 7-11, teams will compete in stages of climbs and abseiling at Freycinet Peninsula, paddling along the coastal cliffs and hidden bays of the Tasman Peninsula, running and mountain biking across the forests of Bruny Island and Alpine terrain, plus a spectacular ropes course, a whitewater paddling leg and one of the longest stretches of downhill bike riding in the island state. Mark Webber says he welcomes the news that Pirelli had secured two of Italy’s best adventure athletes to compete in the Challenge. “The calibre of both Marco Ponteri and Telemaco Murgia as Team Pirelli raises the bar for all involved in the event,” Webber says. “It will be quite a sight to see them demonstrate their extraordinary skills and we are thrilled to have them on board.” Ponteri, who regularly competes in adventure events across the world, says he is eager to push himself to the limit in the Challenge. “It is an exciting opportunity to take part in such a unique competition in what must be one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world,” Ponteri says. “I am very proud to be representing Pirelli and Italy in such a wonderful event, which not only will test the strength and endurance of the athletes but ultimately deliver some good outcomes to a diverse range of charities.” Pirelli Tyres Australia managing director Alessandro Marchi says the event is a great fit for the Italian brand. “Our further engagement in this exciting adventure race and the causes it supports, through the Mark Webber Foundation, is part of a long Pirelli tradition of taking part in community projects and activities all over the world that contribute to education, health and research,” he says. “We look forward to welcoming ‘Team Pirelli’ to Tasmania and cheering them on as they test their skills and strength in some of the most pristine wilderness in the world.”

We’re not entirely sure of the aim of this game or what these guys are trying to achieve, but this is certainly not our version of fun.