Welcome to the AskPatty.com's Female Friendly Blog Carnival!

This week's Carnival is a treasure trove of great car news, with an entire section of tire news, as well as updates from our Certified Female Friendly Dealers and Retailers.
Keeping your tires properly inflated is a key to vehicle safety. Find out more here at AskPatty.com

Yokohama Releases new AVID ENVigor Tires
Yokohama Tire Corporation's new AVID(R) ENVigor(TM) -  "the most complete performance tire ever created" - is now available at tire dealers across the U.S. The ENVigor is available in 69 sizes for a huge array of vehicle applications, making it one of the largest tire launches in Yokohama's history, and according to Yokohama press materials, the next best thing to sliced bread! "It's a technical marvel," said Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy and planning.

The ENVigor replaces Yokohama's popular AVID H4s/V4s and W4 tires and, according to Chung, had to have a new category - "Grand Performance" - named for it due to its collective characteristics.

"The ENVigor is unprecedented in the industry," said Chung "It is the first and only high-performance tire that successfully blends all-season performance, superior comfort, enhanced traction and handling, with remarkable fuel efficiency, eco sensibilities and long treadlife.  The range of vehicle applications includes entry-level, high-performance, luxury coupes and sedans. For consumers, it's a one-stop shop tire because it features every conceivable tire attribute and fits nearly every vehicle on the road."

The ENVigor is manufactured in the U.S at Yokohama's Salem, Virginia plant, and comes in H-, V- and W-ratings. It is engineered with Yokohama's proprietary Adaptive 3D sipes (which help maintain water and winter traction); angled groove walls and circumferential grooves that resist hydroplaning; a tapered center rib and unibloc shoulder for stiffness; a six-pitch tread variation for reduced pattern noise; groove-in-groove technology for reduced uneven wear; and a new silica compound for excellent fuel efficiency.

TireRack.Com Introduces New Online Enhancement
TireRack.com,  America's largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories, is announcing a new online enhancement designed to make the tire buying experience even faster, easier and more efficient.

The new feature allows for easier access to TireRack.com's three consumer tire research pages; Surveys, Reviews and Tests, eliminating the chance for confusion.  Now customers can navigate through TireRack.com's unbiased tire performance comparisons and more than 150,000 consumer surveys and results, the most comprehensive source of tire information anywhere, in one place under the Tire Research link (on the left under "Shop by Vehicle."  Previously, all three research sections were separate.

"Constantly evolving to provide an easier and more educational tire buying experience for consumers is a key focus at TireRack.com," said Matt Edmonds, vice president at TireRack.com. The new online enhancement is putting the most sought after tire research information at consumer's fingertips."

Nokian Tyres introduces a new Premium All-Season tire, the eNTYRE
The Finished-based company has had much success selling winter products and created these tires for their all-season customers. eNTYRE was developed to meet this need. The development concept was to provide drivers with ultimate safety, driving comfort and performance, in an environmentally friendly "green" tire.

Nokian's premium All-Season tire promises excellent wet grip, a smooth and quiet ride, long-wearing tread life, and great handling properties.  In addition, the eNTYRE also promises superior winter grip when compared to other premium All-Season tires, along with low rolling resistance for better gas mileage. 

The eNTYRE features several Nokian tread design innovations including: Splash Stopper, Cooling Edge, 3D Sipes, and Polished Grooves. 

The eNTYRE is made of environmentally friendly materials. Long a leader in "green" tires, Nokian in 2005 was the first tire manufacturer to completely eliminate high-aromatic, or HA, oils from its production processes. The company does not use any carcinogenic chemicals or chemicals classified as toxic (T) in its production processes. The Birch Leaf insignia on the sidewall of Nokian tires guarantees the complete absence of toxic chemicals. Find out more at nokiantires.com

Win Free Yokohama Tires!
Fleet owners and truck operators take note: A free set of Yokohama Tire Corporation's top-of-the-line Zenvironment(TM) commercial tires, worth $5,000, are up for grabs. Just stop by Yokohama's booth (14124) at the upcoming Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), March 25-27 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky and register to win.
It's that easy: one lucky MATS attendee will win eight Yokohama 703ZL(TM) drive tires and two 101ZL(TM) steer tires simply by signing up at the booth. Besides the tires, Yokohama will provide the winner free installation and valve stems at the Yokohama dealer of their choice, according to John Cooney, Yokohama director of commercial sales

AskPatty to Attend ITDG in April
AskPatty president and CEO Jody DeVere is excited to be attending the Independent Tire Dealers Group's  2010 annual member meeting and buying event. Held from April 23rd through 25th at the beautiful Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona, she is looking forward to meeting the many Tire Dealers who are ITDG members.

Certified Female Friendly Retailers and Dealers in the News!
Our Certified Female Friendly retailers and dealers are working overtime to offer special programs to their valuable customers year-round! Please support our Certified Female Friendly businesses and their efforts to create great relationships with all their customers and communities! Ask Patty(R) and Certified Female Friendly(R) are U.S. registered trademarks owned by AskPatty.com, Inc.

Get in on Community Tire's Driving MBA car maintenance class! This 90-minute class covers the basic operation of a vehicle, the importance of checking fluids and other maintenance items, how to change a tire, and jump-starting a vehicle. The class features minimum class time and maximum hands-on training to help drivers -- new and old -- understand what to look for when replacing automotive parts; and to be better prepared for roadside emergencies. After attending this event, your family will receive a FREE lube, oil filter change, tire rotation, and vehicle inspection for one vehicle courtesy of Community Tire. The event is being held Thursday, Thursday, March 25th at the Community Tire 32nd Street location in Phoenix, Arizona, from 6:30pm to 8pm. The cost is $40 per family. To RSVP for this event, please email Judy at judys@drivingmba.com.

American Tire & Auto,  the only tire and full service auto center in Alaska, has completely remodeled their downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, tire store to be 100% Female Friendly! They're even calling it Ms. American Tire! This family-owned business is currently operated by the daughter of the original owners, and is celebrating its Grand Reopening from April 12th through 17th. Print out their coupon (right), and get $5 off any service through April 17th!

The owner of Gregg's Automotive Repair Center in Punta Gorda, Florida, Gregg Marropodi, has been very involved in his community for years.  He has won several customer service awards, including the Women's Choice Award from Charlotte Woman Magazine for "The Best" Auto Repair and Service in Charlotte County, 2008; and a 2010 Certificate of Appreciation from the American Business Women's Association for "Women and Their Vehicles" Monthly Presentations. Part of the community for years, Gregg's Automotive Repair Center was damaged when Hurricane Charley made landfall in August, 2004. Although their roof and windows sustained damage, Gregg did not close his doors to his customers in need.

 Midlands Honda  of Columbia, South Carolina is pleased to announce a bounty of free services for all new car purchases. Among them, Midlands offers its new-car buyers 24-hour toll-free emergency roadside assistance, flat tire, and jumpstart services; emergency delivery of gas, oil, fluids, or water; lockout assistance, and towing. Additionally, Midlands provides a business center complete with wifi and video games, free car wash and shuttle services, and dent repair for life.

  A+ Japanese Auto Repair provides quality service and repair to all their customers.  Now to make the experience even more convenient, they provide free home pick-up & delivery for New and soon-to-be new Expecting Moms.  A+ Japanese Auto Repair will pick-up the vehicle, make the repairs, and return to the customer's home. They also offer the working professional door-to-door pick up services from their offices. A+ Japanese Auto Repair serves the cities of San Carlos, Belmont, Redwood City, Redwood Shores, Foster City and San Mateo, Caifornia and specializes in Honda, Acura, Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Scion, and Hybrids.