* Say goodbye to lead wheel weights. While lead weights have been used on wheels for a century or more, they will slowly become a thing of the past with environmental concerns about lead. Nontoxic steel weights are already being sold by most tire shop suppliers in the country, and many tire chains and tire manufacturers have already committed to switching entirely to the steel products. OE vehicle manufacturers are also voluntarily switching to steel weights to balance tires on new vehicles.
In a California settlement with an environmental group, Chrysler LLC, Hennessey Industries, Perfect Equipment Inc., and Plombco Inc. have all agreed to end the use of lead weights by the end of 2009. GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and other automakers have also agreed to voluntarily discontinue lead weights.
At a Detroit event with the EPA on Aug. 29, Firestone Complete Auto Care and Firestone Racing, both part of Bridgestone Americas, reiterated their commitment to eliminate the use of lead wheel weights. "We're pleased to be part of the Environmental Protection Agency's new National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative," said John Sheerin, environmental director for BFS Retail & Commercial Operations LLC. "All of us who support this initiative are doing our parts to have a positive impact on the environment."
Others supporting the EPA initiative include Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club Tire & Battery Centers, Wal-Mart stores, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Wheel weights are clipped to nearly all 200 million vehicles operating in the United States. A 2006 Geological Survey report estimated that about 2,000 tons of toxic lead weights end up on roadways each year with many ending up in waterways and agricultural fields.
* Jaguar tops list of happy customers. Jaguar North America has maintained its reputation of providing superior service in the United States. For the second consecutive year, Jaguar ranked number one in the J.D. Power & Associates 2008 Customer Service Index (CSI) study.
"This is an outstanding performance by our dealers," said Mike O'Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar Cars. "When you consider the economic situation in the U.S., our dealer network has again proved they can rise to the challenge and provide what we believe is regarded as the best customer service in the industry."
In its 28th year, the Power CSI survey measures customer satisfaction of vehicle owners who visit the dealership service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of vehicle ownership.
* Tire match-up. The Bridgestone Dueler H/P 92A in size P265/60R18 109V is now standard equipment on the V-6 models of the 2009 Infiniti FX35 and FX35 AWD units. The 390-horsepower V-8 FX50 will be mated with Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400 tires 
in size P265/45R21 104V. The Dueler is the first-ever application of a 21-inch tire on Infiniti's crossover. Both Dueler tires offer an aggressive look and have high-performance features.
MB-Motorsports, parent company of FreestyleMx.com, has announced that General Tire has signed to be the official tire of the MB-Motorsports Off-Road Truck Racing Team. MB's Ford Ranger Edge will run on General's new Grabber competition tires mounted on TrailReady Beadlock rims. The tires offer rugged three-ply Duragen-reinforced body design and a newly developed competition-specific tread compound with two distinct tire tread designs for different types of competitive conditions.
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