Dry braking
HAULING OUT the anchors in a straight line should be fairly easy in a modern car; plant your right foot and let the ABS do its thing. But watching our cheapie Hifly try to arrest the pace of a hurtling Tucson was like a dog rushing in for a morning pat on freshly lacquered floorboards. The only vigorous thing was a wagging tail – and plenty of Renato wheelwork to keep things facing forward. And it wasn't even the longest-stopping tyre. “I was about to come in and ask if there were different tyres on either side,” he joked of what was a classic arm-crossing catch. The braking test starts at 110km/h when Renato slams the middle pedal towards the firewall. By the time the Tucson is doing 100km/h the ABS is in full swing, leaving the tyres as the only variable between a change-of-undies moment and insurance forms. Between best and worst there’s more than a long-wheelbase S-Class in it, providing a stark reminder of the value of good boots. Consistency also comes into play during 40-plus hard dry stops (four per tyre). While Renato liked the repeatability and front-to-rear balance of the Hankook, he was not entirely convinced by the stopping ability. “Even with the dry braking I was a fair way into it when I was pulling up,” he said. At a bumper or two past 45 metres, the Hankook was a clear tailrunner for dry braking. The Kumho also performed poorly, although Renato felt there was good initial bite up front before the rears began locking early, keeping the ABS busy trying to sort things out. At the pointy end, five tyres were separated by less than two metres. Continental’s UltraContact maintained its excellent feel and stopped short of 41m, but it was still more than half a metre further than the Bridgestone. Renato liked third place getter Toyo, noting the initial grip was terrific, but it still couldn't match the Conti PremiumContact. And he found the Maxxis made up for its lateral sloppiness with excellent braking performance. “Its longitudinal grip seems to be way better than when you tip into a corner.”