Cheap Chinese Tyres Bordering Dangerous
Wednesday, 14. July 2010
New tyres must meet European standards for safety and a raft of other basic regulations covering grip, economy, speed etc. British standards cover re-treads and remoulds as well as puncture repairs so many motorists look to replace their current tyres with the cheapest they can find, believing that all tyres that are sold meet basic standards and that the standards mean that whilst the cheepo tyres might not last quite as long, or have the same grip as a tyre costing twice as much, that they are perfectly safe to use. Well the situation isn’t that straight forward. It is believed that poor quality Chinese tyres are finding their way into the UK that are possibly below the basic standard set down by the EU and therefore sold illegally. And some that supposedly meet the basic standards, such as Wanli, perform very badly in just about every test except of course cost. As a result there is a change in law about to be introduced that will force manufacturers and retailers to provide a graphic guide with regard to fuel efficiency, wet braking and tyre noise. The graphic will show grades from A to G for fuel efficiency and a decibel rating for noise making it easy to compare tyres. Auto Express who have been campaigning for this want an easy to read graphic stuck on each tyre but the manufacturers are suggesting that they just want the information on their websites. Personally I’d rather see the stickers on the tyres but at least it’s a step in the right direction and may cause tyre buyers to think a little more about the tyres they are fitting on their cars. Any views or bad experiences with cheep tyres please let me know. By Graham Hill
