Ogilvie Fleet launches innovative winter tyre solution for least company cars and vans
Innovative leasing company Ogilvie Fleet is offering customers the opportunity to have winter tyres fitted to cars and vans with the cost included within their full maintenance contract hire package.
How contract hire companies would flex monthly lease agreements to accommodate customer requests for winter tyres, also known as cold weather tyres, has been an industry issue as fleet demand has increased following two consecutive hazardous winters on the roads.
Now Ogilvie Fleet believes it is the first leasing provider to launch an innovative solution. It is giving customers the option to either:
• Incorporate the cost of a full set of winter tyres into the full maintenance contract hire rate for the fleet lifecycle of individual vehicles; or
• Pay the full cost of a set of winter tyres upfront.
Once the initial set of winter tyres is paid for, they will be covered within Ogilvie Fleet's standard 'no quibble' tyre policy.
Ogilvie Fleet's tyre repair and replacement agreement with Kwik-Fit Fleet enables customers to store winter/summer tyres when not in use in the fast-fit giant's tyre 'hotel' at a cost of £10 per tyre per season including valve and balancing when required at time of fitment.
When the changeover from summer to winter/winter to summer tyres is required, Kwik Fit Fleet will require a 48 hours notice to recall the stored tyres and facilitate the work
Ogilvie Fleet sales and marketing director Nick Hardy said: "We have been inundated with requests and information on winter tyres by customers and believe we are the first leasing company to incorporate a winter tyre option into a standard contract hire package.
"For many fleets winter tyres are an expensive step into the unknown so take-up has been limited, but we believe our solution to offset their cost over a vehicle's lifecycle opens the door for many companies to fit winter tyres to their cars and vans.
"Vehicles fitted with winter tyres from new will have the winter tyres replaced with a like-for-like or similar product subject to availability at the time of replacement under the contact at no extra cost.
"Vehicles that have standard tyres fitted at the outset of the contract and have a second set of winter tyres supplied subsequently, for periods of bad weather, at the customer's initial expense, will have normal tyre management cover for the periods when the winter tyres are fitted which will include wear and tear and unrepairable punctures."
Winter tyres, which are composed of more rubber and less silicone so they don't harden as much when it is cold, work best in temperatures under 7˚Celsius. Winter tyres have wider grooves which have greater grip in snow and slush and more sideways grooves to give more edges and contact with the road surface.
That translates into shorter braking distances which reduces the risk of a crash.
As examples, data from tyre manufacturer Continental reveals that: on ICY roads, a car or van travelling at 20mph with winter tyres could stop as much as 11 metres sooner than if fitted with summer tyres.
On SNOWY roads, a car or van travelling at 30mph with winter tyres could stop as much as eight metres sooner than if fitted with summer tyres.
As well as improving road safety, swapping summer tyres for winter tyres designed to perform in the harshest of conditions could actually reduce fleet operating costs.
However, while tyre manufacturers and suppliers as well as vehicle manufacturers have been busy promoting the safety benefits of winter tyres, specifically in relation to stopping distances, Ogilvie Fleet warns:
• Winter tyres do not guarantee mobility in winter conditions
• Not all vehicles are suitable to have winter tyres fitted
• Winter tyres are a considerable cost and are often difficult to source, if not impossible, in selected sizes
• Vehicles fitted with run flat tyres cannot be fitted with standard winter tyres without another set of wheels
• Punctured and damaged winter tyres cannot be repaired and must be replaced. With limited supply of winter tyres a replacement tyre may be difficult to source which could lead to vehicles being off the road for longer periods than usual
Meanwhile, Ogilvie Fleet is to monitor the performance, value, fuel efficiency and the 'trials and tribulations' of driving a car fitted with winter tyres.
National sales manager Ashley Crookes has equipped his BMW 318d M Sport with winter tyres and will report on 'living with them' in a regular blog on the company's website - http://www.ogilvie-fleet.co.uk/blog
Mr Hardy said: "Winter tyres are more expensive than standard tyres with a set of four for the BMW costing £895. We are keen to obtain first hand knowledge of their performance - on wet, snow and ice-covered roads as well as on dry roads - and use that information to help our customers make their choices."