Wheels: Australia’s tyre wake-up call

THE RIGHT RUBBER CAN MAKE ONE-FULL-CAR-LENGTH DIFFERENCE WHEN BRAKING

Most of us have a problem with the tyres on our cars – they’re not sexy and they’re an expense. But Australia’s leading motoring publication WHEELS has found there’s an even bigger problem. The right rubber can make the difference of one-full-car-length when braking. And that can mean absolutely everything to you and your world.

The WHEELS 2018 Tyre Test has spanned a broad section of the market to test 11 popular brands (from budget to premium), and put them through their paces, under controlled conditions, to test performance outcomes in a variety of situations.

Interestingly, better quality tyres also add significantly to the overall driving dynamics of your vehicle. Or put another way, your car can become more responsive to drive just by changing the shoes it’s wearing.

“We all understand that tyres are a chance to cut corners as an unwanted hit to our stretched budgets,” notes editor Alex Inwood. “But our test results are a stark wake-up call of the risks we’re all taking if we don’t attach ourselves to the road in the best possible way.

“It’s also food for thought as some councils push for 30km/h zones around schools, and lower regular suburban limits. When it comes to stopping, the issue is not always about speed – it can be about the quality standards we’re allowing onto the roads, in the form of our tyres.”

THE WHEELS 2018 TYRE TEST – AT A GLANCE
1. The tyres were expertly fitted to the same test vehicle (ZB Commodore) which was piloted by a professional driver (who has worked as a driver coach and chief instructor with Ferrari). The test vehicle was specifically chosen to deliver results which can be applied to a broad range of model types, currently on the market
2. Tests were conducted on the tarmac around the Sydney Dragway, with the data crunched by a mechanical engineer.
3. Tyres were tested through slalom, dry braking, wet cornering, and wet braking. They were also tested for tyre noise.
4. The feature report, in the latest issue of Wheels, also explains how to understand the information stamped on the sidewall of your tyres. It can tell you just about everything – but many Aussies wouldn’t have a clue what it means.
5. And the winner is? Media backgrounder – view the full report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1psxsiaPgS3l5wbNv7THfQ-v3SwJ-Uvvx/view
Brian Johnson