Dangerous cheap tires

Dangerous cheap tires

The tire tests of the ÖAMTC and its partner clubs are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. For this occasion, 50 summer tires of size 205/55 R16, which are mainly used in the lower middle class, were tested. At the same time, the evaluation criteria have now been redefined. "For the first time, sustainability criteria are also included in the standard evaluation of the tire test. But the most important thing is and remains driving safety, which makes up 70 percent of the evaluation," explains ÖAMTC tire expert Steffan Kerbl. The environmental aspect now accounts for 30 percent of the overall rating. The result: Ten tires performed “good”, 21 “satisfactory”, twelve received “sufficient” and seven received “not sufficient”.

The environmental balance of tires includes well-known criteria such as predicted mileage, fuel consumption and noise. “Criteria such as abrasion and the weight of a tire as well as the criterion of sustainability are new here,” explains Kerbl. In addition, as part of the test, a pollutant analysis of all 50 test products was carried out for nitrosamines and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). The encouraging result: no harmful substances were discovered in any tires. In the environmental rating, the “Michelin e.Primacy” is the only one to score “very good” – with an expected range of 71,500 km. Unfortunately, this only results in “sufficient” driving safety values ​​(in the wet). The better all-rounder here is the “Primacy 4+”, also from Michelin. It scores “good” in terms of environmental performance – but at the same time also in terms of driving safety. The “Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2” and the “UltraContact” from Continental also stand out positively here. The “DoubleCoin DC99” also does well in terms of environmental performance, but due to the poor driving safety values ​​it ends up being “not sufficient”.

When dry braking from 80 km/h to a standstill, there was a remarkable seven meter difference between the best and worst tires. The values ​​were more dramatic when it was wet, says the mobility club's tire expert: "There was a shocking 25 meters of braking distance between the best and worst tires when wet. This means that if the first vehicle with the 'Continental PremiumContact 6' comes to a stop, a vehicle behind it would impact the 'DoubleCoin DC99' at around 52 km/h." These speeds are comparable to a EuroNCAP crash test. Many of the worst tires in the wet tend to be cheap tires. “In your own interest, you shouldn’t save money here,” says Kerbl. The “Continental PremiumContact 6” and the “Nokian Tires Wetproof” achieved the best values ​​in terms of driving safety. All seven tires rated “insufficient” failed due to wet braking. Steffan Kerbl draws the following conclusion: "There is no such thing as a perfect tire - but there are many good and satisfactory ones. The decisive factor is your personal driving profile. The price should be secondary in terms of safety - in an emergency, a significantly shorter braking distance can decide whether there is a crash or not."