If you’re a Mini fan, which most of us are! You will be happy to know that a new Mini John Cooper Works Grand Prix II is about to be unveiled in France later this year.  The already awesome motor is having a few tweaks and changes and they come in the form of a Lowered ride height, Carbon Fibre roof, and front splitter and rear spoiler.

They are also going back to basics and taking out most of the interior, removing the rear seats and they have also upgraded the already ballistic 1.6L turbo charged engine that will be pumping out 222bhp.

With only 2000 of this Mighty Mini’s going into production they will be in surefire demand with a £25k price tag.

Lamborghini have just gone and done it! They have just released a Concept SUV (4×4 off-road vehicle) It is meant for everyday day use and will be aimed at family’s and not there usual target demographic.  That been said it will still cost an arm and a leg!

The Mighty motor will come with a 600bhp output, which will eat up an road and most likely burn through its fair share of tyres. It will have 4 seats for adults and enough space for shopping and luggage. Prices are coming in at an expected £150K, which prices the vehicle as one of the most expensive SUV’s on the market but hey it Lamborghini, What else would you expect!

The New A-Class is making headway in the market and aiming high to be the most desirable car in its class.  With the ne re-design is it primarily targeting itself at the younger market as it sets its sights on launching at the end of this year.

The new design makes the model appear wider, longer and lower giving it a more aggressive appeal.  This partnered up with the detailed creases on the side panels of the vehicle give it a vey striking affect.

An AMG version will be available with a 2.0-litre turbo charged engine pumping out 350bhp and all wheel-drive giving you better traction through the tyres.

For all you speed monkeys out there i imagine you didn’t actually know what the different speed ratings on a tyre wall stand for.  Basically it tells you the maximum speed the tyre is rated.  So if your tyre has a speed rating of Q you can travel up to 99mph, this however is obvious speed and will never ever happen!!!

Its a good idea to get the correct speed rated tyres for your car as having a tyre with a lower speed rating can actually invalidate your insurance.

To find out what speed rating your vehicle tyre has, check the side wall.  It will be shown after a series of numbers like this: 205/55 R16 91V (the speed rating for this tyre is V)

Below is a table showing the speed rating and the MPH & KMPH for that speed rating.

If you think your driving skills are good, check out this video of a Bus driver in Teeside showing all motorists how its done on Saltburn Bank.  The driver yet to be named obviously fitted the X4 Arriva with Winter Tyres.  The no hassle driver made light work of the traitorous conditions as every other motorist looked on in astonishment!!

This is a true testament to the excellence of winter tyre – drivers TAKE NOTE!!

Nexen Tyre has managed to secure the agreement to supply Fiat with tyres for various vehicles within its range.  Nexen will be supplying tyres for the Multipla and Doblo range from Fiat.  This comes as great news for Nexen who produce some very high quality and affordable Tyres.  The Multipla will be fitted the Nexen CP671 High performance Tyre.

As Speedway has its eyes set on making a comeback in the UK market (back in the day it had a very healthy following!).

The main and only tyre supplier for the sport; Mitas, is looking to deliver a higher level of commitment and support.  Previously Dunlop supplied the market but pulled out some 10 years ago.

The sport which demands a lot from its tyres is resting a lot of its hope on the production of good quality race tyres from Mitas.

As you all probably know the UK tanker drivers have been on strike for a few days on and off recently due to a dispute over “safety and growing instability in the fuel industry”.  This lead to near major panic as every man and their dog was queuing late night/early morning to get the last bit of fuel available.  This combined with many independent garages hiking up their fuel prices to cash in on the shortage made for a very expensive and fraught weekend of motoring.

Did the strike do any good – who knows, all I know is that it took me nearly an hour to get fuel and paying over the odds didn’t add to the experience either – one very unhappy motorist!!

It was a very, very close shave for a truck driver from Norway who survived a 200ft drop off the edge of a snow-covered cliff.

Unfortunately for the driver his lorry was not equipped with the correct Winter Tyres for the conditions and got stuck half way through the mountain pass.  The lorry was actually being towed off the mountain at the time.  If the right tyres had been fitted it is more than likely that he wouldn’t off gone through the horrendous fall.

From viewing the video it is clear that the lorry had insufficient grip and ended up pulling the tow truck along with the lorry off the mountain.

The lorry driver remains in a stable condition in hospital – remember it always pays to have the best tyres for your vehicle in all conditions, and with these changing climates anything can happen!!