Autoexpress Tyre Test 2006

[Genie47]

Autoexpress is UK so it has a European context to it all. Yes, it rains a lot in Britain. Aquaplane and wet handling is featured. I wouldn't say the same for dry California. People in Vancouver or Toronto might need this review but not in the dry Mid-West or California.

[Genie47]

It is a UHP tire. Definitely an underdog in the noise department. Ask anyone who likes comfort tires.

[Genie47]

Mine is the cheapo from the middle of field of the 2004 and 2005 tests. Barum Bravuris.

 

Case in point for Kelpie. The Bravuris scores very high on straightline aquaplane but poor in curved aquaplane and dry handling (overheated in the torture dry handling). Braking is in the middle ground. Also scored highest in quietness!

 

My conclusion? A comfort tire disguised as a UHP tire.

[Kelpie]

The funny thing is when you look at those brands that scored high in aquaplaning, they have wide groves and cuttings just like Kumho KU31. So what is wrong here, since tread pattern plays a part.

 

Regards,

[Kelpie]

Braking is all about contact. Aquaplaning is all about water eviction. Braking is more of a compound issue whereas aquaplaning is more about thread design. But then again, thread design does contribute to braking because more eviction channels might mean less contact.

 

I would say the KU31 got it right in the compound department and also the thread department for braking but not for water eviction.

 

BTW, I suspect the weightage on aquaplaning is very high. Autoexpress' tests are aped by this German magazine called Autobild. Germans travel very fast on their autobahns. To aquaplane at those speeds.....

 

I would say for most of us here and looking for value. Get the middle of the field performer in aquaplaning. We don't hit more than 110 locally or more than 150 up north.

 

1. I have the same thought that they placed heavy emphasis on aquaplaning to make certain brands look good.

 

2. Anyway, aquaplaning all bluff one lah, where got road conditions that have don't know what kind of water level over distances one? A flood is more like it. Even the best tyres also can't tahan high water level over distances. You want to try >110kph on high water level, better think twice.

 

Regards,

[EventH]

There are quite a number of roads in singapore that flood on the sides in a heavy downpour.

Imagine when tyres on one side hit these deep puddles ... aquaplaning is still relevant.

[Genie47]

You have not experienced those really heavy downpours, eh?

 

The type that you have higher RPM just to have 90kph.

 

Trust me, it is very relevant in this region. You don't need a flood. You go up the expressway ramp like let's say BKE>SLE and it is going uphill. The water doesn't just drain off to the drains. There is so much water, they are flowing down towards your car as you huff and puff upwards.

 

The AYE stretch after Jurong Town Hall exit towards Tuas is another monster. Have the rains coming down and I count 3 ramps till Tuas. You suddenly feel why your car suddenly like no power. The tires have to push the water away just to maintain contact. This is where aquaplane resistance comes in.

[Kelpie]

You have not experienced those really heavy downpours, eh?

 

The type that you have higher RPM just to have 90kph.

 

Trust me, it is very relevant in this region. You don't need a flood. You go up the expressway ramp like let's say BKE>SLE and it is going uphill. The water doesn't just drain off to the drains. There is so much water, they are flowing down towards your car as you huff and puff upwards.

 

The AYE stretch after Jurong Town Hall exit towards Tuas is another monster. Have the rains coming down and I count 3 ramps till Tuas. You suddenly feel why your car suddenly like no power. The tires have to push the water away just to maintain contact. This is where aquaplane resistance comes in.

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Please don't call me Singapore citizen. I'm actually a Singapore gahment financer. I finance their salaries, their silly corporate mergers and ill-prepared hostile takeovers of foreign loss producing companies.

 

1. Perhaps I've been taking thing for granted as I've not experienced what exactly is an aquaplaning yet. Even in North where there is heavy downpour, 80kph still can be done. So far, I've not encountered flood in SG where those flooding days in SG, I was out of town.

 

2. Frankly, I'm considering the next change to Kumho KU31 but that review make me pondering very hard...still don't understand why it scores lowly (the last!)under aquaplaning when its has good water dispersing tread marks and it brakes well under wet.

 

Regards,

[EventH]

the scores are relative with the top tyre getting 100%

 

in real terms, eg in the str aquaplaning test, top was 50mph while the bottem Kumho was 40mph before loosing control in the wet.

[Kelpie]

the scores are relative with the top tyre getting 100%

 

in real terms, eg in the str aquaplaning test, top was 50mph while the bottem Kumho was 40mph before loosing control in the wet.

 

1. Is this significant? under such condition is 50mph or even 40mph a normal speed that a driver would attempt over water locked roads?

 

2. Went to Auto expo yesterday and very disppointed with it. Luckily it is free admission. Don't find any good buy nor wide selection for comparison. Basically a PI show for those who wanted to buy PI cars.

 

Regards,

[Rickyokc]

i see the test is not comparing apple to apple . look at the model some uhp some are gp tyre .how can one compare them.i doubt the professionalism of this mag.i think the german mag are more pro

[EventH]

Actually 40~50mph (64~80km/h) is significant in the sense that they are working in the basis of controlled road conditions. Remember they are talking about speeds b4 losing control.

In the real world, even expressways are often less than ideal with unevenness, potholes, different gradients/inclines, different surfacing, and the occasional metal covers.

 

Maybe the better aquaplaning resistant tyre will give a slightly greater margin of error.

[Genie47]

You don't know what you are talking about. Comparison is based on at least one constant. Here, the constant is the tire size that is available across all the brands and their models.

 

So, you find it hard that a comfort GP tire can beat a UHP tire in traction and braking?

 

The magazine is looking for value gem tires. Not who is the most kick4ss tire that other people dig. If they did that, then they are no different from our local mags which are basically car fashion mags.

[Kelpie]

You don't know what you are talking about. Comparison is based on at least one constant. Here, the constant is the tire size that is available across all the brands and their models.

 

So, you find it hard that a comfort GP tire can beat a UHP tire in traction and braking?

 

The magazine is looking for value gem tires. Not who is the most kick4ss tire that other people dig. If they did that, then they are no different from our local mags which are basically car fashion mags.

 

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.

 

This doesn't make sense. a Comfort tire cost much less than a UHP, if a comfort tire can outshines all UHPs, then why need to manufacture UHP? Just sell comfort tire will do. What we're trying to say here is, the review is just not sensible and no one will believe it 100%. I think they have realized their mistakes in year 2006 as you can see that the representatives in review 07 are more balanced and are UHP rather than rojak one in year 2006.

 

Regards,

[Genie47]

Let me explain one phrase to make everyone understand.

 

Sampling size.

 

Test exclusively for UHP tires and the sampling size gets small. Test exclusively for GP tires and the sampling size gets small.

 

So you understand what I am getting at everyone?

 

In order to get a big performance picture you must have the correct sampling size. In their case, they chose UK's commonly available tires w/o going all the way to the Falklands.

 

To look at a review objectively, it has meet the criteria of at least a constant and sampling size.

[Kelpie]

1. Aiya, I know where you are coming from lah.

 

2. Lets put it this way (since I know you, don't want to offend you ), Tyre test is not just about sampling size if you also look at other reviews, using sampling size for comparison is not the norm. It is at best, autoexpress own way of performance measurement which I find it inappropriate. If you are coming soley from sampling size, which doesn't help me in choosing a UHP, is also not wrong.

 

3. By the way, hows your BB doing so far?

 

Regards,

[Genie47]

They campalang because to choose either and the sampling size will be too small to make a proper comparison.

 

I know. There are mags that lump all the UHP tires of the same size together to compare. Confirm can get at least 10 tires to test. Most of the fashion mags are performance fashion oriented.

 

But nobody in these fashion mags wants to test GP tires for the typical grocery collector. So how? Autoexpress have no choice to champalang loh! If don't test this way, how to get the non-performance oriented grocery collector driver to buy?

 

BB is fine. I nearly wanted to kill her this weekend.

[Kelpie]

They campalang because to choose either and the sampling size will be too small to make a proper comparison.

 

I know. There are mags that lump all the UHP tires of the same size together to compare. Confirm can get at least 10 tires to test. Most of the fashion mags are performance fashion oriented.

 

But nobody in these fashion mags wants to test GP tires for the typical grocery collector. So how? Autoexpress have no choice to champalang loh! If don't test this way, how to get the non-performance oriented grocery collector driver to buy?

 

BB is fine. I nearly wanted to kill her this weekend.

 

1. Still headache on which tyres to change come late Jan. Wanted to go 17" but want a little more comfort, so looking at changing from stock 205/55R16 to 215/50R17 (variance 2.4) or 205/50R17 (variance 0.8).

 

2. Oops, actually I'm talking about your BB tyre lah . BB got UHP or not?

 

Regards,