- Difference between conventional and cheap Chinese tires when braking
- Economy tires have additional braking distances, equivalent to the length of a double-decker bus.
With the cost of driving on the rise as a result of rising fuel prices, increasing vehicle excise taxes and exorbitant insurance premiums, the last thing any driver wants to hear is that they need to buy new tires.
With the country’s roads in poor condition and potholes abounding across the country, many motorists are forced to fork out the inevitable cost of fitting new tyres as a result of punctures.
While it may be tempting to save money and opt for cheap tyres, experts have shown the risks drivers face if they choose to fit cheap Chinese tyres to save money, as the difference in braking distance is equivalent to that of a double-decker bus.
The braking distance when braking from 100 km/h is longer than that of a double-decker bus when using cheap Chinese tyres compared to conventional tyres, What Car? found during controlled tests.
What Car? recently conducted a test of the latest summer tyres, which revealed that choosing cheaper products could mean your car takes almost 10 metres longer to stop from 62mph in dry conditions.
Their controlled tests found that the same car, a VW Tiguan, fitted with the best-performing tyre, the Continental PremiumContact 7, made in France and costing £143 including fitting, could stop from 62mph in dry conditions in 34.5 metres.
By contrast, the worst, a Chinese-made GT Radial tyre costing £121, took almost 44 metres to come to a complete stop.
Continental tires scored the highest overall at 86 percent, topping the rankings for both braking and handling in all conditions.
It performed best in both dry and wet braking tests, managing to stop the test vehicle from 80 km/h in wet conditions in just 33.5 metres.
The GT Radial was also the worst on wet roads, taking 44 metres to stop from a slower speed of 50 mph.
“Again, that’s roughly the same length as a double-decker bus, and in an emergency situation it could mean the difference between avoiding a collision and having a nasty accident,” the report said.
The £126 Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 SUV tyre was the second highest rated product overall (85%), ahead of the £165 Michelin Primacy 4+ (71%).
| Range | Name of the tire | Tire manufactured in | Price includes assembly | Braking distance at 50 mph in wet conditions | Braking distance from 62 mph dry | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact Premium Continental 7 | France | £143 | 33.5 meters | 34.5 meters | 86% |
| 2 | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 SUV | Korea | £126 | 34.5 meters | 35.8 meters | 85% |
| 3 | Michelin 4+ Primacy | Italy | £165 | 35.7 meters | 36.4 meters | 71% |
| 4 | Firestone Roadhawk 2 | Italy | £129 | 38.2 meters | 37.8 meters | 70% |
| 5 | Yokohama BluEarth-XT AE61 | Japan | £146 | 37.8 meters | 37.9 meters | 59% |
| 6 | EffexSport TH202 Triangle | Porcelain | £93 | 40.7 meters | 39.2 meters | 57% |
| 7 | GT Radial FE2 All Terrain Vehicle | Porcelain | £121 | 43.9 meters | 39.6 meters | 55% |
| 8 | Landsail LS588 Sport Utility Vehicle | Thailand | £113 | 38.1 meters | 39.1 meters | 47% |
| Source: WhatCar? | ||||||
The What Car? tests consisted of six track tests conducted under controlled conditions: braking and handling in dry and wet conditions, aquaplaning and noise measurements, plus a rolling resistance test to determine the impact on fuel efficiency and a price rating.
Scores were weighted so that crucial braking and handling tests accounted for 80 percent of the overall score, with rolling resistance and price accounting for the remaining 20 percent.
Despite having the longest stopping distances, the GT Radial’s score of 55 percent was not the lowest overall when all test parameters were considered.
That unwanted award went to the cheapest tyre of all, the £113 Landsail LS588 SUV, which is a Chinese brand made in Thailand and received just 47 per cent.
The cheapest of the eight tires tested, the £93 Chinese-made Triangle EffexSport TH202, was third from bottom with an overall score of 57 percent.
The test vehicle was a car tested under controlled conditions. The model chosen was a Volkswagen Tiguan, one of the best-selling family SUVs, fitted with a tyre size common in this segment: 235/55 R18.
It was found to offer the lowest levels of grip in wet conditions and also took 39 metres to stop from 100 km/h when braking on a dry road. This means that the car was still travelling at 33 km/h when the same vehicle fitted with Continental tyres came to a complete stop.
Claire Evans, Consumer Editor at What Car?, said: “Tyres can seem like an expensive purchase, with some costing over £150 each, but buying the best tyres can provide significantly better handling and braking, which can help prevent accidents on the road.”
The test vehicle used was a Volkswagen Tiguan, one of the best-selling family SUVs, and a common tyre size for this segment was used: 235/55 R18.
