Why are modern tyres so rubbish in the UK?
Discussion
For flips sake. All these slick look, highway rib type tyres.. Why? With the exception of winter or 4x4 tyres there is not a lot now that will out perform the tyres that were in use decades ago. Admittedly I'm talking adverse conditions like snow, ice, mud. However my fathers morris minor never got stuck and never crashed on snow, ice, mud. So why have we gone backwards? Why the bias towards dry road handling? Even my old Mini never got stuck on 12 inch wheels!
HertsBiker said:
With the exception of winter or 4x4 tyres there is not a lot now that will out perform the tyres that were in use decades ago. Admittedly I'm talking adverse conditions like snow, ice, mud. However my fathers morris minor never got stuck and never crashed on snow, ice, mud. So why have we gone backwards? Why the bias towards dry road handling? Even my old Mini never got stuck on 12 inch wheels!
You've cited a couple of sub 800kgs cars on narrow blocky tyres. You may as well compare them to bikes.Put the same tyres on a Golf 7 and you'll soon find that modern tyres do perform much better in most normal driving conditions. If you want a tyre that works in all conditions, put on a proper all season tyre, which will out perform your dads morris minor tyres in ALL conditions.
Slightly off topic but better than starting a new thread, I'm sure I read on an American forum about them getting 40k miles - not kilometres. And that they get a warranty with the tyres if they don't last atleast x amount of miles. Are both of these true?
Is it down to the road surfacing in the UK?
Is it down to the road surfacing in the UK?
smiffy180 said:
Slightly off topic but better than starting a new thread, I'm sure I read on an American forum about them getting 40k miles - not kilometres. And that they get a warranty with the tyres if they don't last atleast x amount of miles. Are both of these true?
Is it down to the road surfacing in the UK?
You buy tyres in the UK that will last longer then thatIs it down to the road surfacing in the UK?
They are made of Teflon though
smiffy180 said:
Seriously? I've been getting 10k miles on my last car (1.6tdci focus) driving like a granny. I must be buying wrong ones 
Seriously. I'd need to double check they were Primacy, but they were Michelin. Oh, and it was mostly motorway at 60 in rush hour.The Bridgestones have done 25k so far... Even the winters have managed 12k.
Max_Torque said:
Except that modern tyres are perfect for the UK, as they now have better grip characteristics for 99.99% of the average motorists driving.
For that 1 day every 3 years when it snows heavily, either:
1) learnt to drive properly
or
2) Stay in bed
;-)
Here speaks someone who presumably never ventures north of the Humber or west of Exeter.For that 1 day every 3 years when it snows heavily, either:
1) learnt to drive properly
or
2) Stay in bed
;-)
valais said:
Seriously. I'd need to double check they were Primacy, but they were Michelin. Oh, and it was mostly motorway at 60 in rush hour.
The Bridgestones have done 25k so far... Even the winters have managed 12k.
I hate you The Bridgestones have done 25k so far... Even the winters have managed 12k.
Cheers though I'll have to have a read into what tyres to get next
HertsBiker said:
For flips sake. All these slick look, highway rib type tyres.. Why? With the exception of winter or 4x4 tyres there is not a lot now that will out perform the tyres that were in use decades ago. Admittedly I'm talking adverse conditions like snow, ice, mud. However my fathers morris minor never got stuck and never crashed on snow, ice, mud. So why have we gone backwards? Why the bias towards dry road handling? Even my old Mini never got stuck on 12 inch wheels!
Modern 165-width tyres cope perfectly well with the worst a northern winter can throw at my 309 (I find 175s on the Jazz and the Maestro struggle to get the car moving in identical conditions but they drive OK once going, so draw your own conclusions as to the cause of 'the issue' from this minimal research ) 
.Oh, and my Mini 1000 would get through snow up to 18" deep on its 165/70R10s when needed; that width of tyres again??
king good. I think we're thoroughly spoiled! 
A few things which haven't been mentioned yet.
Modern cars are bigger, heavier, and faster. They also have big brakes to decelerate their large mass from the high speeds they are able to acheive. Tyre rolling circumference is also getting bigger because it makes gearing easier and decreases engine RPM and drivetrain losses.
Due to the increased weight and speed, load and speed ratings get higher and the tyres get wider and lower profile. Due to the larger brakes (and fashion) wheel diameters increase etc etc...
Modern cars are bigger, heavier, and faster. They also have big brakes to decelerate their large mass from the high speeds they are able to acheive. Tyre rolling circumference is also getting bigger because it makes gearing easier and decreases engine RPM and drivetrain losses.
Due to the increased weight and speed, load and speed ratings get higher and the tyres get wider and lower profile. Due to the larger brakes (and fashion) wheel diameters increase etc etc...
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