Tyre test:

How important is it to have good tyres on your car? To answer this, we spent some time on the track with Continental Tyre SA, pitting premium brands against a few budget counterparts.

A premium brand versus budget counterparts.

DRIVE AN unfamiliar car on a racetrack shod with cheap tyres and try to stay on the tarmac … go! It’s a simple enough task, but for someone not accustomed to driving a manual car (yes, that’s me), never mind on a track, there’s nothing quite like a bit of speed, bad tyres and a wet circuit to scare the living daylights out of you.

The task had been designed by the folks at Continental Tyre SA to showcase the grip and handling ability of their premium tyres versus cheap budget Asian imports. Backto-back tyre testing was done at the Aldo Scribante Circuit in Port Elizabeth using two popular cars: The rear-wheel-drive BMW 3 Series and front-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta.

The purpose of the track day was to test the capabilities of different types of tyres, including the tread design, compound and construction to see what differences there are in performance and safety.

My initial thoughts meant I was quite naive about the importance of having good tyres. Sure, I knew you needed to have a decent amount of tread on them, but having a premium brand on your car really does make all the difference.

First up was the easy bit: Take the Fiesta and perform a slalom driving manoeuvre to test the grip and handling – first with a set of budget tyres, then swop cars and test the premium Continental tyres.

Race down the main straight, get it into third gear, hit 80 km/h and then perform the slalom – a rapid change of direction between traffic cones – as if you’re 007’s stunt driver. At least four cones had their life cut short that day after I roared over them in the Fiesta. May their souls rest in peace.

But what became evident after a couple of runs in the budget tyres and switching to the premiums was the lack of noise coming from the Continentals and undeniably more grip and control through the turns.

In contrast, the cars fitted with the budget tyres were more difficult to control – particularly in the wet, where the loss of grip happened much earlier, far more dramatically and a lot less predictably.

The ContiPremiumContact 5 was fitted to the Ford Fiesta, providing impressive all-round performance and safety thanks to what the folks at Continental tell me is macroblock tread design, optimised shoulder flexibility and rigid sidewalls. This culminates in sure-footed handling, reduced roll resistance and higher mileage in the long run.

Next was a flying lap around the track in the 3 Series … a clean change of underwear is optional.

That was the most fun I’ve had in a car in ages. Sure, I experienced distinct moments of near lunch loss but, on the whole, the positives far outweighed the negatives. My inner Lewis Hamilton reared his head from time to time as the car’s back slid out at a few corners – otherwise known as heart-inmouth moments.

Continental fitted its ContiSportContact 5 to the vehicles – a highly functional tyre that provides excellent performance, handling and control. The manufacturer says the tyre is made up of its advanced Black Chili compound and macroblock tread pattern, which are designed for short braking distances and excellent grip in both wet and dry

conditions. ‘When people buy a new car, it is usually equipped with a tyre specifically designed for that vehicle and is optimised to perform under all driving conditions,’ says Ryan Visagie, product communications manager at Continental Tyre SA. ‘When owners come to replace their tyres, they will often make an uninformed decision and buy an option that is significantly cheaper than the car’s original tyres.’

The result is that the performance levels of the car will deteriorate, and safety will be compromised. ‘Unfortunately, drivers only really get to experience this in an emergency situation where the cheaper tyre is simply not able to perform at the same level as the original equipment tyre,’ says Ryan.

At face value, a budget tyre can look just as good as a premiumbrand option, and should get the job done. But what you don’t see are the little compromises made in the development of the tread, tyre construction and the compounds used, all of which play a critical role in the performance of the tyre. Interestingly, there are around 60 different compounds in every tyre made by Continental.

Tyre testing is conducted in both wet and dry conditions to see how markedly different the tyres are – wet conditions are especially important. The best indication for use came in the straight-line emergency braking test where both the 3 Series vehicles, each shod with different brand tyres, were driven next to each other at 100 km/h before breaking. The consistent result was that the budget tyres took almost four additional metres to stop when compared to the same manoeuvre with the Continentals.

Ryan says that although the modern safety systems in both cars are able to assist the driver up to a point, the tyre is still the most important safety feature on any vehicle, as it’s the only point of contact with the road surface.

‘In the cars with budget tyres, the driver aid systems had to intervene much earlier and a lot more frequently than was required with the Continental tyres, making it difficult to slow the vehicle in time or stay on the road,’ explains Ryan.

My assessment might be based on a single track day, but the evidence was compelling. When my ol’ 2002 Merc needs a tyre upgrade, I’m definitely going to opt for a better-known brand with a good, err, track record.

Top, middle: There were significant differences in handling and stopping distances between the budget and premium brand tyres. Below: Tyres in the factory are carefully checked for faults before being sent to dealers.

Above: Both BMWs were driven at 100 km/h for the braking test. The budget tyres consistently needed four extra metres to stop the car. Below left: Continental Tyre SA is located in Port Elizabeth.