Tyre test - why budget tyres could kill - The tests

04 August 2010
Budget tyres could cost you dear

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We put the six tyres through four tests to see how they reacted under pressure, and to find out how much road noise they generated. Read on to see how the various tyres got on.

The tests
These are the tests we subjected each of the tyres to.

• Dry braking
How many metres did our Vauxhall Meriva take to stop on a dry surface?
• Wet braking
How many metres did our Vauxhall Meriva take to stop on a wet surface?
• Lateral grip
Using a g meter, we tested how well the tyres would hang on through corners.
• Noise
Not a safety issue, but important nonetheless. How noisy were the tyres at 70mph?

Here are the results...

Test 1 Dry braking
Using the latest GPS-based timing equipment, we measured how many metres it took for each tyre to stop the Meriva from 70mph on a dry stretch of road.

Test 2 Wet braking
The same GPS-based timing gear was used to measure how long it took each tyre to stop the Meriva from 70mph on our test track’s purpose-built straight-line wet grip facility.

Test 3: Lateral grip
Measuring maximum lateral grip using a g meter shows how well the tyres hang on through corners, or when swerving to avoid a collision. The greater the number, the better the grip.

Test 4: Noise
Not a safety issue, but important nonetheless. Cabin noise was measured at 70mph using a decibel meter. The lower the figure, the less road noise the tyres produced.