Summer Tyres

I've posted a couple of times about Winter Tyres. I'm a big fan - at least in Winter. Even in the slightly warmer weather we have had recently they have still performed well and it has been claimed that they can be used all year around in the UK climate. To a point, this is true, but they do have their downsides. Mainly this is because they don't brake as well as Summer Tyres in warm dry conditions as well as tending to wear faster in warm weather. Also, if they are warn down below 4mm they don't actually work properly as Winter tyres when the time comes around. I have the Michelin Primacy tyres in the shed for our family car so swapping them over is a case of a trip down to the tyre fitting centre. However, the small car I use for commuting needs new Summer tyres as I had to chuck the old ones out last October due to wear / degraded rubber which means an expense - and a choice.

Fortunately, ADAC (the German equivalent of the RAC) have published a review of tyres in my size. I find these tyre tests very useful: mainly because they are done very objectively and not just by some auto magazine yob hurling a BMW around a test track. They are also weighted quite sensibly with 20% of the score based on dry road performance, 40% in the wet, 10% each for noise and rolling resistance and 20% for the wear rate. They will also downgrade an overall score if a particular element is particularly poor: mainly this is due to the performance in the wet as manufacturers increasingly try to reduce rolling resistance. The interesting thing with these scores is that it is possible to provide your own weighting. For example, considering I had to throw 2 tyres out through age rather than low tread I may not be so bothered about the wear rate. Similarly, given the rising cost of fuel I may favour a tyre with a lower rolling resistance.

In fact, the rising cost of fuel and impending legislation means that all of the tyres tested have good rolling resistance. They are all very close in this respect apart from one tyre, the Pirelli Cinturato P1, which is notably better but does not appear to be widely available in the UK at the moment (it is a new product). However, the Pirelli does appear to suffer slightly in the wet which is a major concern for me. Aside from that, the other tyres don't have much to chose from but, in the handling stakes, there is a clear winner: the Continental Premium Contact 2. This has been around for a few years (I had them fitted to my old Honda) but they are now available in smaller sizes and, fortunately, they appear to be very commonly available.

I think there is a great tendency in the UK for people to save a few pounds and fit the cheapest tyres possible. I think this is a hugely false economy. Aside from the safety factor it is possible, for a few pounds difference, to improve the basic handling of a vehicle in a way that would have cost hundreds or thousands of pounds when new. Hopefully, these tyres will prove a wise investment and at least I have something suitable lined up when I need to fit the Winter rubber.