Lets now discuss about this statement. Tyre noise are caused by the escaping air rushing out from the tyre tread. The wider the tread grooves the more air will be pushed out causing a louder "
wooong" sound. Saying that a noisy tyre is a lousy tyre is not entirely correct as most layman who are not familiar with tyres will think this way. If the tyre is noisy this means that the tyre tread groove is wide and this also means that it will enable the tyre to expel water more efficiently that quiet tyres. Noisy tyres usually have V shaped grooves for better water dispersion but the tyre noise level can be high. High performance Japanese tyres have a tendency to be a bit noisier but it gave good wet and dry traction. These type of tyres are better suited for performance based cars or drivers who want better grip and don't mind louder tyre noise. European tyre manufacturers on the other hand have developed quieter performance tyres that use wide grooves in the middle that are able to disperse water in a straight line and reduce the tyre noise. However these tyre are usually a lot more expensive than the Japanese made tyres.
I feel that the basics of buying the right tyre for your car is not well understood. Buy the tyre that suits your car and your driving style.
If you are driving a family car, buy a comfort based tyre as these offer a slightly narrower groove pattern and is less noisy. the wet weather grip may not be as good as performance tyres but these tyres last a lot longer and you aren't exactly driving this car at crazy speeds.
If you are driving a small car to save fuel, buy an Eco based tyre (if possible) or a comfort based tyre. These tyre are cheaper and longer lasting than the performance based tyres. Avoid hard compound tyres and avoid low end Malaysian made tyres such as Sime and Silverstone. These are notorious for hard compounds, poor grip in the wet and dry and have a tendency to blister.
If you are driving a large luxury car, buy a semi performance tyre that is geared towards comfort but with the performance edge such as Continental ContiSport or the Michelin Pilot series.
tyre shop employees are not always the best people to get advise from as they are driven by profits, the brand they are representing and many of them simply lack the technical knowledge on tread design, tyre compound, brand (not all unknown brands are bad! and not all established brands are good).
it is equally important to educate the public on how to choose the right tyres for the right vehicle, expectation, road condition and attitude AND to educate the public how to care and maintain the tyres. many general public commuters have no clue about tyre cares and simply just ignore it even good brands like Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear often publish safety and maintenance information brochure together with the purchase. lack of communication and campaign that involve tyres retail shop also another missing puzzle in the picture.
ReplyDeletebeing a seasonal enthusiastic driver whom once stucked with eco tyres for couple of months and managed to survive from SIC track day with the eco tyre, does give me some education on that department about choosing the right tyre for the right job. often Malaysian just want to buy cheap tyres, hardly a few would even do a Google search about the available brands, model and specs that each manufacturer has to offer for their vehicle. it is quite sad that the automotive industry and motorsport industry in Malaysia is hard to take off, mainly come to blame is the attitude of the drivers, tyres manufacturer and as always -- the bloody government!