POTHOLE SEASON 2013

Ok we've all seen the video of the Corkman having a jacuzzi in a pothole. It's our understanding that the famous hole was caused by a burst water main and has since been repaired.
However this year we are seeing terrible damage to our roads. A combination of wet weather and neglect due to road maintainance cutbacks have left many of the country's roads in third world conditions.
Kildare, being a relatively flat county has an extensive network of secondary roads. Combine the aforementioned factors with a busy sand, gravel and cement industry and the result is road damage.
This year we are seeing a huge surge in damage to tyres and wheels as a result of pothole damage.

As pictured above, potholes will often just appear as puddles on the road. The first the motorist knows of it's depth is that horrible clunk on impact as the wheel strikes the pothole's edge.
Even at moderate speed, the result is all too often ''pinch rupture'' which put simply is a sidewall gash caused by the tyre being pinched between the pothole edge and the metal of the car wheel. The result is rapid deflation and immediate unrepairabilty of the tyre. This is often accompanied by wheel damage. Alloy wheels are often buckled or cracked by the impact. The bad news for the motorist on say a 5 Series BMW would be about €600 for a replacement runflat tyre and 17'' Alloy rim. Plus €50 for alignment which is always required after such an impact. All Bad News!!!!

ROBERT SZMIDOWSKI

The good news is that we have Robert Szmidoski working for us. Robert is Polish has been with us for more than five years. He is a skilled welder and tradesman and puts his hands to repairing almost anything.

Robert has a great success rate at repairing bent or cracked alloys and has saved many of our customers a lot of money with his repairs. This year he has been very busy. Pothole damage is never good news. Robert, however will take some of the pain out of it for our customers.

WINTER TYRES AND BLACK ICE.

This year has been slow for us in terms of winter tyre sales in Ireland. The bad winter of two years ago created a spike in demand last year. People thought that bad winters were going to be an annual occurrence rather than the one in fifty year weather event that it was. The mild winter we had last year brought people back to reality. This is a mild country.
We do get asked by our regular customers if it is a good idea to change to winter tyres or not.
Naturally we would love if tyres were a seasonal item in Ireland as they are in Europe. If people were legally obliged  to change their tyres at the start of winter it would boost our sales considerably. Come Spring we would have the same boost. So we should be shouting their virtues from the rooftops.
In truth, most years, winter tyres are a useful safety addition for the motorist in Ireland but not really an essential item except for the odd snowy day. Last year we had probably two days of snow in Kildare so for most motorists mobility was not a problem.
Even in snow, most premium tyres will get you moving but will never perform as well winter tyres.
Winter tyres have a greater number of "sipes" compared to their summer counterparts. These sipes make the tyre behave like a squidgy and give grip in the iciest of conditions. Compounds are also different in winter tyres. Summer tyres become hard and rigid in cold weather and this reduces grip further whilst winter tyres remain malleable in all conditions.
A notable exception to the advice above would be in the case of rear wheel drive vehicles such as BMWs and Mercedes. This type of vehicle struggles in snowy conditions and can have real difficulty gaining traction and getting mobile in even light snow. We strongly recommend winter tyres for these cars. Or at least on the drive axle.

Continental Winter tyre showing extra grip sipes typical of premium winter tyres.

The last few days have seen a cold blast across Ireland with the mercury plunging to -4C and below.

The lack of drying during the day creates rivulets on the road surface. This water freezes at night as transparent ice. The asphalt can then be seen through it and so the name ''Black ice'' has been given to this sort of phenomena. Black ice is invisible to the driver and is very dangerous. Summer tyres have  little or no traction on black ice so it is responsible for many accidents in Ireland every year. A change in regular road noise whilst driving is a sign of it's presence and that you may be driving on it. In such instances it is important not to panic or hit the brakes. Slow down by deceleration, find traction and proceed with caution.

BLACK ICE

Black ice conditions are where winter tyres prove their worth. Tests conducted have shown differences of stopping distances at moderate speeds of up to 15 metres. Those are life and death distances.
So a number of points in summary. Winter tyres are a great addition to your safety as a motorist.
The Irish market is totally reactive rather than planned or proactive. You will need to decide well in advance for many sizes as they will be scarce when the snow is actually falling.
If you plan your journey route, time  and speed around the conditions, you can save yourself having to buy winter tyres.
Well most years anyway.

EVANGELIST CUSTOMERS

THE CUSTOMER AS EVANGELIST.

I heard a past and favourite mentor of mine, Ray Tobin of Salessource , on the radio last week using the analogy of ''evangelist'' to describe customers who spread the word about exceptional service that they have received.

By definition, evangelists are people who are ''marked by extreme enthusiasm for or support of any cause, particularly but not necessarily with regard to religion''.
It's a powerful word compared to the rather milder ''referrel'' or ''recommendation'' and in order to achieve that sort of accolade exceptional service must surely be required as a minimum.


So I researched the topic a little further and found a book by Ben McConnell and Jackie Hubba called Creating Customer Evangelism. According to McConnell as minimum a company must achieve the following benchmarks,

• Customer plus-delta: Continuously gather customer feedback.
• Napsterize knowledge: Make it a point to share knowledge freely.
• Build the buzz: Expertly build word-of-mouth networks.
• Create community: Encourage communities of customers to meet and share.
• Make bite-size chunks: Devise specialised, smaller offerings to get customers to bite.
• Create a cause: Focus on making the world, or your industry, better.

In their book, they provide several American examples of companies who have succeeded in building such relationships with their customers and have succeeded often against odds which sank their opponents.

At Heffernan Tyres we know that many of our new customers come to us as result of having been told by their friends and family of the quality shopping experience they have had at our depot.

Every year we expand our reach geographically to neighbouring towns and counties. We have a loyal customer base from towns including Naas, Newbridge, Carlow, Portlaoise and of course Dublin. All of these towns have large independent and Multi National Branded tyre businesses with advertising budgets to spread their own messages. Yet it is the strength of the personal experience that prevails.

It is the professionalism and friendliness of our reception staff that makes the customer feel welcome when they visit. Their consultative non pushy style of selling that makes them feel relaxed. The little extras of fresh coffee, Newspapers, Wi-Fi and clean comfortable surroundings that sets us apart from the others and generates the sort of customer evangelism that Ray described in his radio segment.

We will examine the other criteria as set out by McConnnell and Hubba and always strive for better. In the meantime we would like to thank all our customers who have recommended us to friends and family. We would welcome any feedback through our reception, facebook, twitter or website and look forward to seeing you at our depot.

HEFFERNAN TYRES IN THE COMMUNITY.

''What goes around comes around''. Or so the saying goes! Maybe it's a simplistic generalisation of the ancient Karma law but like many generalisations contains more than a grain of truth.

Operating as we are in a small Irish town, Heffernan Tyres have long been aware of the importance of ''giving back'' to the community that supports us. It is in every bodies interests that our town retains it's community spirit and that we all pull together to achieve that end. Located as we are, less than thirty minutes from Dublin City, it would have been easy for Kildare Town to become little more than a commuter satellite town during the housing boom. Many other towns did and lost of a lot in the process. A town where the inhabitants are not present during work hours is a dying town. A combination of good fortune and good planning avoided this outcome for Kildare town and we emerged from the madness with a town with it's own economy and a ''central place'' for miles around.

Crucial to this outcome has been the effectiveness of the local Kildare Chamber of Commerce. Our Managing Director,Thomas Heffernan was Chairman of same for two years during a term which saw great strides forward for Kildare Town. Perhaps the Jewel in the crown was the completion of the Kildare Village Outlet centre. It has proved such a success that on some days overflow parking space is required and there are plans to extend at a time when retail in other centres is dying. The centre has proved a great magnet for our town, a great source of local employment and an achievement for which the whole community can share and be proud of.

Another great community achievement attributable to the efforts of the Chamber has been the annual hosting of winter concerts at St. Brigid's Cathedral. We have hosted Brian Kennedy, Eimear Quinn, Anuna, Colm Wilkinson and Rebecca Storm. The acoustics of the cathedral as well as the beautiful interior make it an atmospheric and distinctive venue. We look forward to  the 2012 concert.

Nurturing sporting talent is central to the health of the heart and soul of any community. Heffernan Tyres has long been an important sponsor of several of Kildare Town's sporting clubs. Our county has been the nursery of many fine International Rugby stars including former Lions Captain Ciaran Fitzgerald, Geordan Murphy and Johne Murphy. Unsurprisingly we take a keen interest in Rugby Union here at Heffernan Tyres and have been a proud sponsor of Cill Dara RFC. Our name is proudly emblazoned on the back of every Cill Dara Rugby shirt. The club caters for all ages and genders from underage to seniors and has a won many trophies since it's inception in 1976.

We are also sponsors of the local GAA club, Round Towers, and Soccer Club Kildare AFC. The choice of sports available to the residents of our town includes Karate, Boxing and of course all things Equestrian. Heffernan Tyres take a keen interest in all of these pursuits and will continue to do so. For us, it has not been one way traffic. Club members and their families are genuinely appreciative of  the support we give and we have won and  retained many customers as a result.

But mostly what we get out of our various involvements is a sense of community. Satisfaction in the knowledge that we help to make Kildare Town and county a place fit to live in for all our staff and customers.
Long may that continue and good luck to all our sporting heroes in the coming years.

MICHELIN GOING THE EXTRA MILE THIS SPRING.

In our some of our previous posts we wrote about the great strides that are being made in the chemical engineering of tyres and how there are significant savings to be made on fuel consumption by choosing the right tyre for your car.

Well it probably comes as no surprise that Michelin have been very involved in the race to make the ''perfect tyre'' for a long time. Michelin invented the radial tyre, the single piece inflatable tyre, the runflat tyre, and numerous other innovations. Energy or fuel saving tyres have been part of the Michelin portfolio of products for over ten years and have prove time and again to cut fuel consumption through reduced rolling resistance.

 Until the end of May Michelin are going the extra mile to save you on your fuel bills.
Just buy two or more Michelin Tyres from Heffernan Tyres and Michelin will send you fuel voucher for up to €50!!!!!. No tricks or gimmicks, just a genuine offer. Combined with never seen before prices on key sizes, this deal puts arguably the market's finest tyre on your vehicle for a seriously competitive price. Values of vouchers depend on the rim size on your vehicle. Phone us today on 045 521253 for a quote. We were Ireland's first Michelin Accredited depot and always carry a wide range of car, van and 4x4 sizes.

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.