Mad About Cars

Tyre choices are an important aspect of motoring, and with many budget tyres being temptingly cheap compared to brand name rivals.

Budget tyres may seem to make sense financially, but in recent tests by Autocar a set of budget tyres were found to perform far worse than their branded counterparts.

When used under extreme conditions such as harsh braking, along with aquaplaning, the budget tyres on test were found to perform far worse. In one of the most alarming statistics, the worst finishing ‘Linglong’ tyre was still travelling at 27.8 miles per hour after the car fitted with a branded tyre, a Continental’ had stopped.

Typically, budget tyres represent a false economy for the driver, in terms of lower production standards, higher rates of wear, and far worse performance in adverse weather conditions, along with high speed performance driving.

A more realistic way to try and save money on tyres would be to consider the wide range of mid-range tyres that are available, many of which offer comparable performance to branded tyres but at lower cost.

Another consideration may be the internet, many tyre shopping website now exist where customers can buy tyres directly, with most websites including fitting and balancing in the purchase price.

For any driver, wet roads present a particular hazard that must be accounted for. Grip is reduced, and in heavier rain there is the ever-present risk of standing water on the road, which in a worst case scenario could cause a car to aquaplane off the road.

Of course, good driver awareness and anticipation is important in such conditions. But a good choice of tyre will help assist the driver, and Goodyear’s Hydragrip tyre is designed for such conditions.

The key feature of the tyre is Goodyear’s patented tread design, which has been engineered to disperse water as efficiently as possible, maintaining the tyre’s contact with the road, this technology is also designed to be effective throughout the tyre’s lifespan, and is also designed to maintain efficient contact with the road during braking, meaning that grip is maintained as much as possible in the event of emergency braking. The edges of the tyre also feature biting edges on the sides of the tyres, which offer good levels of grip without compromising the strength of the tyre.

Although this is a premium tyre, prices are still very competitive compared to rival brands, meaning that the Hydragrip offers excellent value for money. The tyre is available across a wide range of fitments between 14 and 16 inches, with tyre profiles and widths covering most general production cars.

On a personal note, I have used these tyres on my Peugeot 406 HDi for just under a year, and found them to be a very good choice. They have drastically improved the car’s grip and control, especially in wet conditions, with low levels of road noise. The tyre also wears well; with 15,000 miles covered the rear tyres have plenty of life left in them whilst the busy front tyres are still well in excess of the legal minimum, with many thousands of miles motoring left.