Tyre Ratings

[Westy36]

Reading a recent thread about Crosstar tyre availabilty had me thinking and raised some questions:

How relevant are the ratings on tyres, eg is a grade B tyre really night and day difference to a grade D ?

If the best tyres from 1999 were tested today how would they fare? What label would they get?

EU tyre labelling is manufacturer self certified, and given that we know some major firms are not always truthful with the public, thinking of VAG Dieselgate, should we take the grades as an approximation rather than fact?

[Jocko]

How relevant are the ratings on tyres, eg is a grade B tyre really night and day difference to a grade D ?

Are you talking about the Grip, Noise, Fuel efficiency ratings?

Tyre ratings to my mind are, in fact, the letter at the end of the size, which is a speed rating.

Speed Rating   Max Speed (Mph)
Q                         99   
R                         106   
S                         112   
T                         118   
U                         124   
H                         130   
V                         149   
W                         168   
Y                         186   

[Westy36]

Good point. No, I was referring to the EU tyre labelling. Wet braking, fuel and noise.

It's just opinions really. There has been some strong talk of how much better a 'B' fuel rating is than a 'D' rating for example. But given they're self cert are they really worth the forensic attention they seem to get?

For example, I recently purchased a 2003 Vauxhall. It came fitted with Aptamy are fitted at the front and I think Jinyu at the rear. I have to say, they are quiet and stick to the road well even in wet conditions. Road safety is something I take very seriously, but the chinese tyres on my old Vauxhall are actualy really good.  I wouldn't have chosen them, but do we just get hung up on the EU labels and brands.

[ColinS]

This subject has been thrashed to death but as I mentioned in a previous thread:

There is no such thing as a silent, good gripping tyre that will last 100K miles and give good mpg.  It's a trade off between them.  You pay your money and make your choice.

I personally rate them in the following importance, but this is just me:

1) Grip
2) Longevity
3) MPG
4) Noise level

Although since that post I am tending to move "Noise level" up the list.

[sparky Paul]

The Jinyu tyres are actually very good, and when included in tyre tests against 'western' brands, turn in a respectable performance. They also appear under the brand "Evergreen", they are exactly the same tyre.

The performance labelling is manufacturer assessed, and as far I can tell, it's all made up - especially on stuff from the far east. To be honest, I don't believe any of them. You can find all the old annual Autocar tyre tests on the internet, they make some interesting reading.

Most of these Chinese tyres perform pretty well in the dry, probably because they are soft-ish compounds. However, many are not so good in the wet, and some of them are downright dangerous. Many of the cheapest manufacturers also change their brand names on a regular basis, so you can't keep track of the bad reviews on https://www.tyretest.com/

Cheap tyres can be okay if you can choose them carefully, but if you are having fitted whatever the local tyre bay has in cheap this week, it's like playing russian roulette.

Just my two penn'orth...

[peteo48]

Some people call these cheap tyres "Ditch Finders." I am very sceptical about the ratings given that they don't appear to be independently verified. I have read the odd Which report which specify "Do Not Buy" for certain tyres and yet, when you look at the ratings they seem to be very good.

I prefer to stick to big name brands.

[culzean]

Some people call these cheap tyres "Ditch Finders." I am very sceptical about the ratings given that they don't appear to be independently verified. I have read the odd Which report which specify "Do Not Buy" for certain tyres and yet, when you look at the ratings they seem to be very good.

I prefer to stick to big name brands.

Have had experience of cheaper tyres in the past,  and they were not good experiences.... The tyre ratings can be the equivalent of students marking their own exams.......

[Jocko]

I stick to branded tyres when I buy. Mind you I have had some dodgy tyres in 50+ years motoring. At one time remoulds were the cheap option. You also got "retreads", where a bald tyre had a new tread cut into it. You could even buy a tool to do your own. Never used them! This was before tyre tread legislation became law.

 As an aside, most aircraft tyres are remoulds as they are remoulded 5 or 6 times in their life.

[sparky Paul]

If you want the very latest tyre technology, you have to stick to the top brands who do most of the research. If I'm lucky and find some good branded tyres at the right price, I'll fit them, but I generally stick to mid-range brands of the big tyre manufacturers.

I think we've all had a dose of bad tyres over the years, but it is fair to say that these cheap tyres are now a lot better quality than they have ever been. The days when you couldn't get them to balance seem to have gone, those I've fitted in recent years seem every bit as good as western made tyres and balance easily.

I've tried a number of different Chinese tyres on and off over the years. Last ones were a pair of 'Boto' branded Chinese tyres I put on the back of the old Jazz, but ended up swapping them to the front... they were generally fine, but a bit lively if you pushed them in the wet. They can do less damage up front, the last thing you want is the back end breaking away in the wet.

[sparky Paul]

I stick to branded tyres when I buy. Mind you I have had some dodgy tyres in 50+ years motoring. At one time remoulds were the cheap option. You also got "retreads", where a bald tyre had a new tread cut into it. You could even buy a tool to do your own. Never used them! This was before tyre tread legislation became law.

It's still legal to do this, but the tyres must be designed to be regrooved and are marked on the side wall as "REGROOVABLE" - generally, these are commercial tyres. It's illegal to regroove a car tyre, and modern tyres have so little rubber between the treads and the plies that it is almost impossible anyway.

The legislation on remoulds has been really tightened up in recent years, shutting down many manufacturers. Modern remoulds are much better quality, and of course use less raw materials in their manufacture, if that is important to you.

[TnTkr]

In Finland remoulded car tyres have some share of the market, and we even have couple of domestic companies making those. I've had some remoulded tyres coming with the car, but they've felt so horrible to drive, that I 've always got rid of them pretty soon.

[culzean]

In Finland remoulded car tyres have some share of the market, and we even have couple of domestic companies making those. I've had some remoulded tyres coming with the car, but they've felt so horrible to drive, that I 've always got rid of them pretty soon.

We have Nokian winter tyres ( on steel rims ) for our cars,  have to say they are fantastic on snow.  Finland should be be proud of their own tyres.

[madasafish]

AutoExpress has regular tyre tests on line for free.

[olduser1]

As others commented stick to known tyre brands the only part of your car to contact the road surface. As regards tyres from C*** I wouldn't want them on a wheel barrow.

[sparky Paul]

AutoExpress has regular tyre tests on line for free.

That's probably the one I was thinking of, not Autocar