New Tyre Regs You Might Find Interesting

[Bluesman]

We have got some important news to bring you about the way you buy your tyres.

On 1 November 2012 a new law came into force which enables you to make a more informed decision when you choose your new tyres. It could help to make your driving safer and even save you money.

Thanks to the EU Tyre Labelling Regulation, every tyre manufactured after 1 July 2012 and sold in the UK must be labelled according to its performance in three key areas – fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise emissions.

This means that for the first time, whether you are buying an economy, mid-range or premium brand tyre, you will be able to make your decision based on facts, not just price or brand.

You will clearly be able to see how much further you will travel if you brake in wet conditions using a budget tyre as opposed to a premium tyre. With the large amount of wet weather recently this can be highly reassuring given that a car fitted with four ‘A’ rated wet grip tyres offers up to four car lengths (18 metres) shorter stopping distance than a car fitted with four ‘G’ rated wet grip tyres when travelling at 50mph.

To help you understand the new law, we have put together a guide which tells you everything you need to know. You can visit the tyre labelling guide on our website by clicking here. In addition searching for tyres on our website displays the fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise emission ratings for every tyre so you can compare for yourself prior to purchasing!

Mike

[abs66]

Nice info, cheers Mike.

[Chris Skelton]

Be much MORE interesting if Local Councils had to issue Noise levels of the lousy noisy road surfaces they use!

Silent surfaces DO exist. Just that they don't get used!

Just imagine how much longer your tyres would last if they weren't running on embedded gravel!

[Bluesman]

Be much MORE interesting if Local Councils had to issue Noise levels of the lousy noisy road surfaces they use!

Silent surfaces DO exist. Just that they don't get used!

Just imagine how much longer your tyres would last if they weren't running on embedded gravel!

You are so right.

There are a couple of silent sections on the M4 & the M3 near me and while driving on them I noticed that people were actually moving to the lanes with the quiet surface so I thought why not do all lane of one in noiseless surface it may well cut out those selfish people that think lane one is only used to get on the motorway and to get off it. Mike

[Chris Skelton]

Bristol had an 'experiment' with some areas of Silent Surface, saying it was

As cheap.

As hard wearing.

drained well, etc.

So? Where IS it?

Sounds like a tale, but apparently having noisy surfaces is a deliberate policy on the grounds that we'll all think we're driving faster if it's noisy! (I kid you not!)

Well, THAT hasn't worked!

Please .....nice quiet roads?

I live 100 yards up a hill from A4 and a mile from M5. Can hear the tyre noise all the time- NOT engine noise (mainly!)

[TigerFish]

I shall keep my eye out for all those customers in kwik fit climbing up the storage racks so that they can compare the labels on all the tyres they could choose from. I suspect it won't happen somehow.

For the majority it will still be whatever is the cheapest or on special offer, for most of the remainder it will come down to what is already on the other three corners, and then the odd few that have a specific favourite.

[Bluesman]

I shall keep my eye out for all those customers in kwik fit climbing up the storage racks so that they can compare the labels on all the tyres they could choose from. I suspect it won't happen somehow.

For the majority it will still be whatever is the cheapest or on special offer, for most of the remainder it will come down to what is already on the other three corners, and then the odd few that have a specific favourite.

Didn't think of that when they made that stupid lot up, but still I am sure there are half a dozen floors of civil servants making sure its implemented and dreaming up even dafter ones. Mike

[Maduggo]

I don't think its a bad idea at all, helps me a lot as i choose my tyres online and then get a fitter to pop the beggers on.

Those that call at a tyre shop will probably go down the route of what is on offer like TigerFish reckons.

As for road surfaces, i remember reading somewhere a few years ago that the rougher stuff was to be used on tighter bends and at junctions for extra grip in all weathers and that it was to be of a different colour to other surfaces, and that the smoother surfaces used on the M and A roads.

The roads up where i am are like one long sheet of sandpaper of various grades though, good for eating up car tyres, the rough grip is great fun on a motorbike although £400 for 2 tyres is not funny every 5k miles.

[mikeyv]

Didn't think of that when they made that stupid lot up, but still I am sure there are half a dozen floors of civil servants making sure its implemented and dreaming up even dafter ones. Mike

You're on my wavelength there.

If you pay somebody to come up with ideas to alter things, they are never going to say "you know what, the system is now perfect, I resign from my very well paid job."

What you get are ever more outlandish schemes to justify their existence.

It's not just government either, Industry suffers from the same malaise, with perfectly good working systems being scrapped just as people have got used to them and ironed out all the bugs.

All of this nonsense costs big money, and we pay the price on the end products.

[JellyBean]

Good posting, Rythm & Bluesman. Thanks.

I had a peruse of Black Circles website and found that Falkens have a better rating for wet road grip than the Bridgestone Turanzas currently fitted to my LS. I was very pleased with the Falkens I had on my last LS and will surely buy them for the current car.

Oh yes, nearly forgot... Falkens are £356 for two (fitted) and the Bridgestones £548.

[Malc]

Treadmark Canterbury have very recently quoted me £94.95 per corner for Falkens 225/60/16 (incl vat and valve, disposal etc.)

Malc

[Bluesman]

Good posting, Rythm & Bluesman. Thanks.

I had a peruse of Black Circles website and found that Falkens have a better rating for wet road grip than the Bridgestone Turanzas currently fitted to my LS. I was very pleased with the Falkens I had on my last LS and will surely buy them for the current car.

Oh yes, nearly forgot... Falkens are £356 for two (fitted) and the Bridgestones £548.

I am paying £100 a corner fitted and balanced. Are you using the 17s? Mike

[JellyBean]

(S'funny, my pound signs come out all funny.)

The prices I quoted were both for an LS460, so they would be 18s.

Meanwhile, I am amused to see that a pair of Accelera tyres for an LS460 cost 218 GBP, and a pair of Bridgestone Turanza 570 GBP.

AND THEY HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME FUEL ECONOMY, WET ROAD GRIP, AND NOISE RATINGS!

[cruisermark]

(S'funny, my pound signs come out all funny.)

The prices I quoted were both for an LS460, so they would be 18s.

Meanwhile, I am amused to see that a pair of Accelera tyres for an LS460 cost 218 GBP, and a pair of Bridgestone Turanza 570 GBP.

AND THEY HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME FUEL ECONOMY, WET ROAD GRIP, AND NOISE RATINGS!

I have to agree with that - i was just browsing 245/45/18 size (i dont need any) and £61 budget tyre is rated at C/C/71DB

my current bridgestones are supposed to be rated at E/E/72DB and cost £167

even if they wear twice as fast they still work out cheap

im a bit confused now

[Bluesman]

(S'funny, my pound signs come out all funny.)

The prices I quoted were both for an LS460, so they would be 18s.

Meanwhile, I am amused to see that a pair of Accelera tyres for an LS460 cost 218 GBP, and a pair of Bridgestone Turanza 570 GBP.

AND THEY HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME FUEL ECONOMY, WET ROAD GRIP, AND NOISE RATINGS!

Naughty naughty boys, your looking for logic in a government directive and no matter how hard you look you wont find it. Mike

[darkoracle]

I shall keep my eye out for all those customers in kwik fit climbing up the storage racks so that they can compare the labels on all the tyres they could choose from. I suspect it won't happen somehow.

I think they might have something called lookup tables. Oh and what's that other thing called?... Interweb, Internet... something like that anyway.

[TigerFish]

I shall keep my eye out for all those customers in kwik fit climbing up the storage racks so that they can compare the labels on all the tyres they could choose from. I suspect it won't happen somehow.

I think they might have something called lookup tables. Oh and what's that other thing called?... Interweb, Internet... something like that anyway.

You think they have lookup tables, or know they have lookup tables?

The majority don't use the web, they use a telephone, phone, tellingbone.... Something like that..... to call the supplier. The supplier may or may not read out the lookup table they may or may not have :P

The tests themselves, the variables are huge (winter tyres can be tested in temps anywhere between 5 and 20 degrees IIRC, summer/all weathers somewhere between 5 and 35 degrees). One end of those ranges to the other would make a huge difference just with the same tyres, let alone different tyres.

[JellyBean]

"Naughty naughty boys..."

Perhaps you are right! Those Government fuel consumption figures are all a bit unreal, too.

It would be good to see how the ratings are achieved. After all, something just at the top of an C rating is probably not noticeably different from something that's just squeaked in to the bottom of the B rating.

I reckon that these scare stories about how cheaper tyres are so inferior are put out by the Big Boys whose giant advertising budgets make their offerings so expensive.