Tyre Performance ratings - reliable?

bigjl

EdGasket wrote: »

Adrian C. - None of that answers my questions if you care to read my post properly.
I have had budget tyres before e.g. Infinity 040's that have outperformed Toyo's in my opinion. Price and Western does not necessarily equate to best and good value.

As far as i know these tests are standardised and not performed by the manufacturer.

Every manufacturer has tyres of varyinf quality and price point.

That is the only way i can see an Infinity being better than a Toyo.

Maybe one of the cheaper Toyo tyres compared to a top end Infinity.

Though even chinese tyres these days are better than the ditchfinders of a few years ago.

Chinese have the money to improve compounds and tread designs.

But lets not forget that even today tyres for the Japanese domestic market are not up to the demands of european roads.

Previous owner put Accelerras on my car. They are decent enough. But the tyre is more rounded so the sidewall gives no protection to the alloy wheel.

Having driven an XJ with OE spec Pirelli tyres i can say that noise was slightly less, the tyre was squarer and slightly wider and protected the alloy wheel nicely.

The Pirellis were also more comfortable over broken surfaces.

I did about 800 miles on the Pirellis and despite the price being double i would go for them next time.

To answer the OPs question i think these tests are pretty accurate.

And are a good way to compare tyres.

Jamie_Carter

EdGasket wrote: »

You aren't comparing like with like. I need an H rated tyre and you are suggesting T rated which are not suitable for my car which is clearly labelled as requiring H rated tyres. MyTyres are £12 per tyre dearer than F1 for the Marshal MH11's !!

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl

T rated tyres are rated for speeds of up to 118mph, H are rated up to 130mph. Unless you drive well over 100mph then the 12 mph difference in rating isn't worth worrying about.


http://www.blackcircles.com/general/speedrating

EdGasket

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

T rated tyres are rated for speeds of up to 118mph, H are rated up to 130mph. Unless you drive well over 100mph then the 12 mph difference in rating isn't worth worrying about.


http://www.blackcircles.com/general/speedrating

Sorry but I totally dispute that. Speed is only one factor, weight and loading also come into it plus my insurance would be invalidated if I do not fit at least the minimum specification tyres. There is a sticker in both door jambs stating MUST be fitted with an H rated tyre.

Jamie_Carter

It is worth taking into account that a tyre that gives good grip in the wet could be terrible in the dry.


Grip in the wet is determined by 2 main factors.

1. A softer compound will give better grip in all conditions, but this is often a trade off against durability, as a softer tyre will wear out far quicker.
2. The ability of the tyre to disperse water to allow the rubber to make contact with the road, rather than just aquaplaning. Many low quality tyres achieve excellent water dispersal simply because the tread is made up of smaller blocks, meaning that less rubber is actually in contact with the road. In dry weather this could lead to very low grip. Better quality tyres have tread patterns that push the water out to the side of the tyre, rather than just small tread blocks that cut through it

I used this guide to help me decide which tyres to buy: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/60111/tyre-test-2012

bigjl

I put Dunlop Sport Blue Response on the wifea Clio a few months ago.

Very happy.

Out performed the more expensive Michelins.

Priced at slightly more than your usual cheapies.

Worth the extra couple of quid per corner.

The Clio has had a set of Continentals Contacts on it which wore quickly and were lacking in the wet. Very quiet though.

A set of Avon Zv3 which were again very nice tyres but had same issue with wear on the front of the Clio, not uncommon on the 1.5 dci.

Then i put on two Hankooks on the front. They were much better in regards shoulder tread wear.

Tyres were usually rotated every 10k. To even up the wear on the fronts. Hence why normally changed as a set.

The Avons wore the quickest on the front.

The Dunlops scored very highly in those EU tyre tests.

And you could feel an improvement straight away. Quieter and smoother.

Car never goes far or at high speed very often.

But i would recommend these Dunlop to anybody.

Suspect they will still be on there when the car is sold.

EdGasket

"the tyre was squarer and slightly wider and protected the alloy wheel nicely."

That's an interesting concept Bigjl. So you care more about scratching your alloy wheel than weakening the sidewalls of your tyres and increasing the chances of a blowout?

Jamie_Carter

EdGasket wrote: »

Sorry but I totally dispute that. Speed is only one factor, weight and loading also come into it plus my insurance would be invalidated if I do not fit at least the minimum specification tyres. There is a sticker in both door jambs stating MUST be fitted with an H rated tyre.

The letter is the speed rating, and not the load rating. The load rating is the number just before the speed rating:
http://www.blackcircles.com/general/load-rating


Have you checked the wording of your insurance policy?

EdGasket

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

The letter is the speed rating, and not the load rating. The load rating is the number just before the speed rating:
http://www.blackcircles.com/general/load-rating


Have you checked the wording of your insurance policy?

Yes and I have to agree that the car is 'standard' with no modifications. I would say fitting tyres below the level recommended by the manufacturer disqualifies it from being 'standard' and unmodified.

The loads that the tyre can withstand on braking and acceleration is part of the speed rating. The figure you refer to is the weight capacity.

It doesn't matter what speed you can legally do. The law states that the tyres fitted must be suitable for the maximum speed of the vehicle concerned.

The Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2001
Quote:
16. Tyres
6. Each wheel on each axle shall be equipped with a tyre which has a load capacity such that when the axle is loaded to its maximum permitted axle weight, the weight transmitted to the road surface by that tyre does not exceed that load capacity.

7. The speed capability of all tyres fitted shall be not less than the maximum design speed of the vehicle.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2...chedule/3/made

Iceweasel

EdGasket wrote: »

"the tyre was squarer and slightly wider and protected the alloy wheel nicely."

That's an interesting concept Bigjl. So you care more about scratching your alloy wheel than weakening the sidewalls of your tyres and increasing the chances of a blowout?

Some tyres are specifically designed to protect the rims they usually have the letters FR in the specification - Flange Rib.

You can 'overtyre' a car and no one will have an issue with that - for example fitting a higher W speed-rated tyre instead of a V rated one.

And/or fitting a tyre with a load rating of 94 rather than 91.

But fitting a lesser capacity tyre would be an invitation for an eagle-eyed insurance dude to reject (or reduce) any accident claim.

Having tyres with a less capability than the car manufacturer recommends surprisingly would not fail an MOT, as the tester doesn't even check the spec of the tyres unless he's testing a class 5 or 7 vehicle.

bigjl

EdGasket wrote: »

"the tyre was squarer and slightly wider and protected the alloy wheel nicely."

That's an interesting concept Bigjl. So you care more about scratching your alloy wheel than weakening the sidewalls of your tyres and increasing the chances of a blowout?

You are pretty ignorant if you are unsure what i meant.

Cheap tyres tend to be narrower than expensive ones.

Put simply, especially for you, a Pirelli(and indeed the other OE fitment Dunlop) 275/40/19 is WIDER than an Accelerra 275/40/19.

Also a Pirelli(and indeed other OE fitment Dunlop) 245/45/19 is WIDER than an Accelerra 245/45/19.

Get the concept now.

The lack of width in the cheaper tyre results in the sidewall taking on a more rounded apppearance.

As if it is fitted on a wider wheel than specified.

You know like the VeeDub lads do.

Not too complicated for you?

Need some pictures?

As the OE higher quality tyre is not made to be cheap the tread area is much wider, this results in the sidewall of both the Dunlop and Pirelli tyres taking on a squarer shape when mounted on the same wheel.

I suggest you wind your next in a bit.

Acting the smart !!!! doesn't work out so well when you know nothing.