TYRE REGULATIONS:A tyre test has led to concerns over the safety of budget brands sold in Ireland, writes PADDY COMYN
THERE ARE concerns over the performance of a number of budget Asian tyre brands, many of which are readily available on the Irish market.
Tests in UK publication Autocar revealed a marked difference in performance between a premium European brand and a range of budget tyres from China, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Five budget brands – GT Radial, Linglong, Nankang, Triangle and Wanli – were tested against a tyre from German manufacturer, Continental, in a test involving wet and dry handling and braking, aquaplaning and high speeds.
One of these brands, Linglong, performed particularly poorly in a wet braking test at 80km/h.
Where the premium brand tyre had come to a full stop, the car with Linglong tyres was still travelling at over 40km/h.
“It was quite staggering how short they fell against the established mark. I would be quite shocked to drive a car with those tyres fitted. In wet conditions, both laterally and longitudinally, say, going around a corner and when you brake, these tyres struggle, because their compound has not been engineered to the same degree,” Autocar’s senior tester Jamie Corstorphine told The Irish Times.
“We would say, subjectively from doing the wet handling circuit, that you could go through a corner and you would be right at the edge of grip and as you tried to accelerate or brake you would lose traction in both directions and would move offline – and in real-world driving, this could cause you a problem.”
According to the managing director of Continental Tyres’ Irish operation, Paddy Murphy, there is cause for alarm.
“There are a lot of these tyres out there and, as the economy tightens, people are bound to be looking to cut costs. The concerns we have are that the results of these tests were pretty frightening. The consumer’s knowledge of these tyres is very low. They may be legal on tread depth, but they aren’t performing on the car.
“Some of these tyres can go on sale in Ireland without any testing. We are calling for some regulation or testing to be done on these tyres. We are also calling on the Government to look at the speed index on tyres too,” says Murphy.
Rival firm Bridgestone agrees that there is a danger in opting for cheaper brands.
“The extra cost of a branded tyre should not be viewed as a luxury, even in these difficult times. Good tyres are an investment in safety, and it is definitely not an area to cut costs in.
“Bridgestone carries out research and development on every continent to make sure that its tyres match with local conditions; Bridgestone works with vehicle manufacturers in Europe to tweak tyres precisely to match a car’s handling and performance characteristics.
“This does not happen with very cheap tyres,” says Colm Conyngham, marketing and public relations manager of Bridgestone Ireland.
According to experts, some of these manufacturers are meeting the demand for low rolling resistance tyres which keep emissions low, but there is a trade-off in other areas.
Dave Naughton, President of the Irish Tyre Industry Association said: “we are disappointed to hear that tyres such as these which are on sale have performed badly in this particular test.
“Obviously there will be limitations to a budget tyre. We would encourage buyers to always look for tyres that have been E-marked, but also to be aware that you will get premium performance from a premium tyre.”
“If you are putting a high emphasis on rolling resistance, there is poorer wet weather grip. Our observations have shown that this is often the case with some of the far eastern tyres,” says Roger Sanders, a technical expert with Continental Tyres.
“All tyres have to be E-marked. This controls the dimensional quality and also makes sure the tyre meets the load and speed capability as marked on the tyre sidewall. Providing that the tyre carries this E-number, and the number itself is a replication of the certificate of conformity number, then it meets regulations,” says Sanders.
However this looks set to change, thanks to new legislation that has been introduced by the European Parliament which will force tyre manufacturers to produce more eco-friendly tyres. Tyre companies will have to produce tyres that cut down on CO2 emissions and noise. Tyre pressure monitoring systems will also become compulsory for cars.
One of the key measures of the regulations requires reductions in tyre rolling resistance levels. Lower rolling resistant tyres, together with tyre pressure monitoring systems fitted as standard equipment to vehicles on European roads, will reduce fuel consumption and could lead to savings of between five and seven million tonnes of CO2 annually or reduce emissions by about 5g/km.
The regulation also sets minimum levels for passenger car tyre wet-grip performance, helping to secure minimum braking properties.
“The regulations are pretty tight and the whole of the tyre industry is concerned that we can meet all the objectives of the proposal.
“[Asian brands] will have to plough money into the development costs themselves, which makes them less of a budget tyre,” says Sanders.
The new regulation will apply from November 1st, 2011, a year earlier than the Commission proposed. But various transition periods are provided for, in some cases until 2018, to enable the car industry to adapt to the new requirements.
The new regulations have been welcomed by the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA).
“The implementation of this legislation will be challenging, but the tyre industry is ready to meet the challenge in light of the consumers’ and citizens’ interests,” said ETRMA President Francesco Gori.
It has been a torrid time for tyre manufacturers. Bridgestone, the world’s top tyre maker, posted an 86 per cent fall in quarterly operating profit, while France’s Michelin posted a drop in 2008 net profit.
Earlier this month, Continental announced that it wants to cut 2,000 jobs and close production at two high-cost European tyre manufacturing sites, blaming the crisis in the car industry.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported last week that China’s tyre manufacturers, by contrast, are operating at full capacity after demand picked up for tyres following a surge of vehicle sales in light of government stimulus measures.