'Buy premium tyres', says scared driver
MotorTorque was invited to MIRA – a testing facility in Warwickshire - last week by Continental Tyres; the tyre manufacturer is trying to encourage motorists to change their tyres at 3mm rather than 1.6mm and laid on a series of tests to make their point.
Conti also tried to show the advantages of buying premium black circles, like its own, rather than budget tyres and had a number of tests to make this point.
All of which, inevitably, translated into some exciting tests – and concerning results – on wet tracks. Here’s our analysis of the tests and their outcome.
Wet braking
First up was a simple but effective test in three identical Volkswagen Golf 1.6-litre TDIs. Only these hatchbacks were not completely identical due to the different tyres on each. One has tyres with eight millimetre tread depth, one has three millimetre and one has 1.6mm.
After a brief chat we’re given the keys and asked to get to fourth gear and 50mph before hitting a drenched stretch of track and slamming on the anchors.
It’s the new 8mm treads which get the treatment first. They’re the equivalent of a brand new tyre in terms of tread capacity which, in theory, should mean the shortest stopping distance out of the three and the most brutal feedback through the steering wheel and brake pedal.
While feedback was as uncomfortable as expected, the stopping distance was unfairly affected by some impressively slow reactions – put down to first lap nerves – however the message hit home as the cars with older tyres were put through their paces.
The split between the eight mil and three mil tyres was noticeable but expected, the difference between three millimetres and 1.6mm made more of an impact. That difference was even greater at 70mph, we're told, where with three mil tread, the car stopped in 104.7 metres – with 1.6mm that distance escalates to 142 metres.
Having slammed on the brakes at the start of the wet track, my previous two stopping points whistled past, feedback was less aggressive inside the car but grip and traction were undetectable for the first three quarters of the stopping distance.
In controlled conditions it was good fun; on the road it wouldn’t be quite so much - but the message was clear; less tread means less grip and longer stopping distances.
Wet circuit
Our jaunt around a wet circuit on both premium and then budget tyres was more of an eye opener – Continental had set up two identical 2011 Ford Focus hatches. One was on a set of budget tyres from Triangle (a ‘non-premium’ manufacturer) and the other was obviously on a set of Contis.
Armed with a former rally driver and winter driving expert, we were taken for a hot lap of a small rally circuit on first, the premium, Continental tyres.
With the exception of some controlled sideways action, the tyres coped well and I was itching to have a go myself. Alas, no rally circuit for me, just a couple of laps on a wet loop. We were informed that the original plan was to give the hacks a go around the entire wet track but, after testing, Continental decided it was too dangerous on the Triangle tyres.
“If you can average 32mph without losing the back-end then you’re doing well," I was advised and with that I set about the greasy circuit at around 30mph.
The tyres coped well but essentially I was driving around a roundabout in the rain, adhering to the speed limit and you can do that on most days. Seemingly, the instructor thought the same and told me to up the speed.
I thrust my foot down on the accelerator, propelling me and my passengers to a lofty 32mph started sliding then corrected and this carried on another three laps.
It was great fun and despite the slippery conditions there was an element of control to my ‘powerslides’ which came from the tyres, apparently, but then Continental would say that wouldn’t they?
When we came to a stop it was time to swap cars and sample the Focus on the Triangle tyres. The effect was dramatic.
We skidded and slid around the circuit with our driver pointing out reference points from the last lap. “I was doing 45mph out of that corner on the Contis. I’m doing 32mph on these shit ones and I’m on the wrong side of the track."
In truth I couldn’t care less because Continental tyres are boring because they do their job. Triangles, on the other hand, should be the choice for anyone driving on a wet rally track.
After coming to a stop it was our turn around the wet loop on the Triangles. “This time, 27mph and you’re doing well. I run out of talent when I hit 28mph," said the former rally driver.
25mph was a struggle. 26mph was just about doable. 27mph was fun but alarming. The back-end felt separate to the front as it flicked out and it genuinely felt like driving on ice. The premium tyres lost grip but it was momentarily before ESP kicked in and control was recaptured.
On the Triangles it was a genuine fight for the car’s computer to get back on the straight and narrow – great fun, but only in the right conditions. On the road, amid traffic, it would not be quite so amusing.
PR bull or not?
When it comes to tread depth you would obviously expect newer tyres to perform better than older, more worn ones. Continental advises changing at 3mm rather than 1.6mm which I would too.
Will that translate into motorists changing their tyres earlier? Probably not.
Buying premium however is a different kettle of fish. I don’t think I’d ever buy budget now. You expect any tyre to do its job; namely, to cope with roads in the UK which are frequently covered with water. If a tyre can’t cope with rain at less than 30mph, there should be some alarm bells ringing.
It’s this disparity between what people tend to expect from their tyres and what they will – in reality – deliver that is concerning. Drivers assume their tyres will perform in the relevant conditions, but as the last two, harsh, winters have shown, that’s not necessarily the case.
On a Continental Tyres event it’s fair to assume that Continental will win; which proved to be the case. However the difference between its tyres and the Triangles was genuinely worrying.
With events like this, there’s a concern about swallowing too much PR bull, but the tests were honestly scary. Price, for most, is the discerning factor in buying a new set of tyres but it shouldn’t be.
We’re not saying buy Continental but we are saying buy premium – it’s hard to believe anyone who’d taken part in the test could possibly disagree.