Experts Call For Tougher Tyre Regulations

[Jason[98.EL]]

It could be interesting I can see prices of tyres going through the roof and we see more unroadworthy cars on the road due to some not being able to get new tyres

Taken from carpoint

Tyre company says Australia at risk if it doesn't adopt new EU tyre policy
Australia is at risk of becoming a dumping ground for cheap, low quality tyres if it does not adopt the European Union's strict new regulations on car tyres.At least that's the message from leading tyre maker, Michelin.


From November 2012, the EU will require rating labels that make clear tyres' levels of grip, noise and air pollution to be attached to aftermarket tyres and new cars at their point of sale. According to current estimates, 30 per cent of the tyres on sale in Europe today would not meet the new standards – and 70 per cent would not meet even stricter standards to be introduced in 2016. North America is planning to adopt the EU policy at the same intervals.

Michelin Vice President Gary Guthrie told the Carsales Network that Australia is at risk of being targeted by manufacturers of cheap, low quality tyres if those tyres can no longer be sold in the EU and North America.

"The EU and North America are in the process of introducing the new regulations, Japan already has the new regulations, so Australia is at risk of not only being left behind but in fact having more low quality tyres than it does currently," he said.

"The Australian Government is yet to make clear its intentions about adopting the EU policy, and time is running out because the industry needs to be warned about such a dramatic change, so they can introduce tyres that meet the new rules."

Guthrie insisted it was a not ploy for the industry to sell tyres at a premium.


"In fact the contrary may be true.. If every tyre on the market meets these new regulations, it will effectively drive down the cost of good quality tyres. People still buy on price, only this time customers will have a much more transparent way of finding out about what they're buying.

"At the end of the day if the consumer is better informed they'll make a better choice. If they still decide to choose a cheap tyre even though they're sacrificing safety, well that's their choice but at least they're doing it knowing what they're giving up," Guthrie said.


The Michelin man said tyres have always been key to vehicle safety but the widespread introduction of stability control made the role of tyres even more crucial than ever before. A car's stability control system relies on tyres to determine the level of grip with the road before it can intervene and apply the brakes to prevent a skid.

"As we all know, the tyre is the only point of contact between the driver and the road and has a massive impact on the safety of the car," Guthrie said.


"But more than ever before, carmakers tune their vehicle's suspension and stability control systems to the tyre to be able to reach these new levels of safety that we're achieving. And customers can undo that in a flash by fitting poor quality tyres. The unfortunate thing is most customers don't know how to distinguish the difference between good and bad tyres. The public need to be aware of the difference between a good tyre and a not-so-good tyre."

The chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar, told the Carsales Network the industry was supportive of the proposed EU regulations.

"We don't want Australia to become a dumping ground for sub-standard tyres," he said.


"Tyres are fundamental to vehicle safety and unfortunately in Australia the majority of the motoring public perhaps aren't aware of just how crucial that is. Having a good set of tyres can save your life so the more information a consumer has, the better,"McKellar stated.


The FCAI is yet to lobby the Australian government about the new EU tyre rules McKellar revealed, but said: "as a general policy we tend to align ourselves with European regulations".

"Customarily, policies that are introduced in Europe flow to cars sold here anyway, but the issue of tyres is unique and there is potential for sub-standard tyres to be sold here if they're not regulated against."

Ironically, the least safe tyres are currently not covered under the EU guidelines – there is no policy yet on retreaded tyres or on tyres made for older (pre-1990) vehicles, but the EU is drafting guidelines to cover them.

"Given that average age of cars is higher in Australia than it is in Europe and North America, perhaps consideration should be given to expanding the regulations to cover tyres for older cars in Australia," McKellar said.

Excluded from the 2012 EU requirements are:
• temporary spare tyres (space savers)
• tyres made for rims smaller than 10-inches
• tyres made for rims larger than 24-inches
• race tyres and heavy duty offroad tyres
• retreaded tyres (proposal being drafted)
• tyres made for vehicles built before October 1990 (proposal being drafted)

[rancidpunx]

I think its a potentially good idea. I dont see why prices would rise though. Sure to become compliant with the regulations manufacturers would just have to change the side wall pattern during construction. But the big issues is who tests all tyres independently to give tyres a level playing field rating.
It should only get more expensive if the cheaper brands decide to "better" their products to achieve a higher rating.

Personally here in QLD I think rego should be cheapened $60 a year (ideally more, but thats another issue) and cars should get a roadworthy yearly before you can re-register it.
I see a lot of private clients cars weekly and I would say 60%+ would have at least 1 unroadworthy tyre and just think rotating them will be OK.
Tyre shops should have a way to sell tyres on finance at 0% interest to allow Joe Public to get new ones ASAP. Majority of people believe as long as the tyres are black they are all right.

[geckoGT]

I am going to be a bit hard line on this one. Personally I think it is a good idea, we have legislation that forces companies to inform you what you are eating yet we have no legislation forcing accurate information about the vital contact point our cars have with the road.

Personally I do not think it will result in a huge rise in the cost of tyres, the companies will find a way to make compliant tyres at a competitive price. Lets face it, the standard of dunlop sport max, toyo proxes T1R and bridgestone adrenaline etc will not be the base standard, tyres will still be cheaper than those. Hopefully we will see an end of cars being modified to produce a gazillion killerwasps and then be fitted with wanlii tyres worth $150 a corner.

I am also a supporter of yearly roadworthy inspections such as the NSW pinkslips, then perhaps we will at least have more cars on the road that at one point in each year have 4 good tyres and tail lights that work (in QLD we do not).

As far as I am concerned, if you can not afford compliant tyres you can not afford a car, take the bus.

[EDManual]

Good idea,

All those cheap asian tyres are absolute rubbish. Just for something to do I have tried the odd " Kenda" or whatever and find that now matter how much tread they have, they are have less grip than the baldest decent tyre, even in the wet...(apart from bald decent tyres in deep water of course)

[flappist]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

I am going to be a bit hard line on this one. Personally I think it is a good idea, we have legislation that forces companies to inform you what you are eating yet we have no legislation forcing accurate information about the vital contact point our cars have with the road.

Personally I do not think it will result in a huge rise in the cost of tyres, the companies will find a way to make compliant tyres at a competitive price. Lets face it, the standard of dunlop sport max, toyo proxes T1R and bridgestone adrenaline etc will not be the base standard, tyres will still be cheaper than those. Hopefully we will see an end of cars being modified to produce a gazillion killerwasps and then be fitted with wanlii tyres worth $150 a corner.

I am also a supporter of yearly roadworthy inspections such as the NSW pinkslips, then perhaps we will at least have more cars on the road that at one point in each year have 4 good tyres and tail lights that work (in QLD we do not).

As far as I am concerned, if you can not afford compliant tyres you can not afford a car, take the bus.

Absolutely.

[Grippy]

If it increases the quality level of tyres available it can only be a good thing

[Yellow_Festiva]

From November 2012, the EU will require rating labels that make clear tyres' levels of grip, noise and air pollution to be attached to aftermarket tyres and new cars at their point of sale.

With sooooo many varying road surfaces in OZ how will noise and air pollution be relevant?

The drone I get from the tyres changes pitch 5-6 times in the hour I drive from Sydney to the Southern Highlands to visit my folks.

I agree with the principles behind the article however.

[yift]

bring these laws in, it will only make the roads safer when people pay for theirs and others safety.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by EDManual

Good idea,

All those cheap asian tyres are absolute rubbish. Just for something to do I have tried the odd " Kenda" or whatever and find that now matter how much tread they have, they are have less grip than the baldest decent tyre, even in the wet...(apart from bald decent tyres in deep water of course)

Kenda make good mountain bike tyres, didnt know they went and did car tyres aswell. Seems like they should stick to bikes though.

Should be interesting to see how his turns out, so far it could be a step in the right dirction.

[Scott]

Tyres save lives and that is obvious. I used to spend BIG money on my tyres and pretty much exclusively used Continentals... but at $800-$1000 a corner now I just can't swallow it.

Whilst I'm all for strict regs, I think it's a bit rich for Michelin to worry about Australia getting cheap tyres when it is obvious that they (and others) have milked Australia for years with excessive prices compared to the rest of the world.

A quality set of Michelin/Toyo/Yoki/Goodyear/Conti etc should cost less than a grand here, I think they are more concerned with falling sales in their high-margin regions than anything else.

Here's a thought - sell us good tyres at a good price!

[Jason[98.EL]]

could a mod fix the title please

should read

Experts Call For Tougher Tyre Regulations

and i think the yearly roadworthy or pink slip thing is a great idea as well

I liked the idea of getting cheap finance ect on the purchase of good quality tyres ect cant see it happening though

as for the price i recently fitted 4 x 225/65 15" to my el
the first 2 cost me $165 each and the other 2 cost me $130 each (purchased from 2 different places ) the first 2 were done due to getting a flat and them not wanting to repair it so i needed to replace the tyre asap i got the 2 front ones replaced at that time to keep the tread the same

Jason

[aussie muscle]

maybe we shouldn't adopt the EU standards so we CAN get the market dumped tires, cheap tires for all!!


low quality tires with tread is better than a high quality tire that's worn out.

[Bearman]

Australia is at risk of becoming a dumping ground for cheap, low quality tyres...... (Quote from the first half sentence in the Carpoint report)

^^^You mean we're not already???^^^

I agree with Michelin entirely.

How may times have I seen cars running tyres I wouldn't put on a wheelbarrow??

I've seen it recently in Ford dealers on their second hand stock, bizzare branded tyres I've never heard of and guaranteed to be cheap and nasty crap.

In one yard there was an F6 Ute with 35,000km on the clock. The fronts were a pair of new tyres with some brand name that sounded like #29 on the Chinese take away menu, the rears were 50% worn Falkens (probably second handies thrown on) and the spare was another tyre that was 70% worn. I didn't recognise the tread pattern. The rim still looked brand new so obviously the new OEM Dunlop had been peeled off to make up a set or pair for some other car. How dodgy is that???????????

The irony is you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a decent tyre.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

First tyres I had on my VK commodore were POSITRACTION... the name had nothing to do with the grip level, in fact it was the direct opposite of what the name implied.

In the wet, these things generated more spin than a politician announcing a tax hike.

In the dry... well there actually was sweet bugger all difference, give them the slightest incline and whoosh! away they went!

After nearly collecting a power pole, I saw why 'decent quality' tyres were a good idea.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

low quality tires with tread is better than a high quality tire that's worn out.

Maybe so but why is it that quality tyres without tread are an option? Since when is an illegal and unroadworthy car an option or a factor that requires to be considered? This type of car only demonstrates one thing, that the process of ensuring roadworthiness is lacking which is something the government needs to address, not the tyre companies. Here is a thought, perhaps if everyone had a decent quality tyre with tread we would all be better off.

Like I said, I have a very hardline approach and to be honest I can not see myself relaxing my view. As far as I see it, if you are too cheap to buy tyres that are at least equivalent spec tot he OEM tyres your car came with, get off the road and walk.

[vztrt]

Interesting that re-treads don't have to comply to the law, but will still be able to be sold.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As far as I see it, if you are too cheap to buy tyres that are at least equivalent spec tot he OEM tyres your car came with, get off the road and walk.

If we're being black and white, most of the cheapies "quote" equal or better specs than the OEM's.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1-X-245-40-18...item415387d3b7

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by GTP006

If we're being black and white, most of the cheapies "quote" equal or better specs than the OEM's.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1-X-245-40-18...item415387d3b7

So they exceed the standard of Dunlop Sport Maxx (they claim FPV)?

Yeah right, I take it you were being sarcastic.

[flappist]

Until the general mentallity that the look of the rims is more important than the quality of the tyres there will always be a problem.

[The Monty]

I think this is a good idea, anyone that has bought a car with Doublestars would agree.
These little rubber things are what holds our life in their hands everytime we drive, including your kids. I always see cars running dodgy brands, and ask myself, why arent they just made illegal?

[Airmon]

I'm all for it, the amount of crap tyres that are getting around on peoples cars more and more is a bit worrying. Sure some of them may be alright, but many are downright dangerous.

I would be keen just to have an independent testing criteria, as currently all we have to go on is price and opinion, which is often biased.
And who knows, we may be surprised and many of these cheaper tyres will make the cut. I don't really have a problem with where the tyres are made, but how they're made and what they're made from, this sounds like a great way to get rid of the bad eggs, wherever they're made.

It may make tyres more expensive, but if you shop around for 5 minutes, the difference between the no-name tyre and something like a Bridgestone RE92 can be less then $10 or $20.

[FTE72]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As far as I see it, if you are too cheap to buy tyres that are at least equivalent spec tot he OEM tyres your car came with, get off the road and walk.

Agree 100% and dealers of 2nd hand vehicles get away with this too often.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if you were to lose control of your car and it was written off, and the Insurance company found that loss of control was due to tyre failure/lack of grip and these tyres were under rated for the vehicle(ie speed or load rating) the car is not roadworthy, why should the Insurance co. payout?

[Scott]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

So they exceed the standard of Dunlop Sport Maxx (they claim FPV)?

Yeah right, I take it you were being sarcastic.

I'm not being sarcastic - you mentioned "atleast equivalent specs", and the specs I buy tyres on is Width/Profile/Diam/Speed/Load [add brand name], and they "quote" equal or better specs than the factory fitted Dunlops.

Whether their specs are real or not I don't know, and what their wear life or QC is like I don't know either. What it does highlight is that when Average Joe is shopping for tyres and compares two "equivalent" tyres, one at $120 and the other at $500, he will have a pretty clear answer on which to buy.... atleast the first time he buys them anyway.

I looked at 245/40/18's BTW and there are 3-4 on ebay for sunder $130ea that meet or exceed the factory Dunlop specs.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by FTE72

Agree 100% and dealers of 2nd hand vehicles get away with this too often.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if you were to lose control of your car and it was written off, and the Insurance company found that loss of control was due to tyre failure/lack of grip and these tyres were under rated for the vehicle(ie speed or load rating) the car is not roadworthy, why should the Insurance co. payout?

Speed and load rating yes as these are specs that you have to comply to when fitting tyres. I am pretty sure the insurance company would not pay as you have not maintained the vehicle as they insured it (to original manufacturer specs). Grip is another thing, no specs exist so unless the tyres are obviously worn to illegal levels, they have no way of proving they do not meet manufacturer specs, although it looks as though this may change.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by GTP006

I'm not being sarcastic - you mentioned "atleast equivalent specs", and the specs I buy tyres on is Width/Profile/Diam/Speed/Load [add brand name], and they "quote" equal or better specs than the factory fitted Dunlops.

Whether their specs are real or not I don't know, and what their wear life or QC is like I don't know either. What it does highlight is that when Average Joe is shopping for tyres and compares two "equivalent" tyres, one at $120 and the other at $500, he will have a pretty clear answer on which to buy.... atleast the first time he buys them anyway.

I looked at 245/40/18's BTW and there are 3-4 on ebay for sunder $130ea that meet or exceed the factory Dunlop specs.

That may be their claim, that they meet specs but that is purely in terms of size, speed rating and load rating. To claim they meet specs in terms of grip and performance is ridiculous and false advertising, I guess it is all in the wording. If these tyres were so damn good for that price, don't you think FPV would be fitting them and keeping $1000 more profit per vehicle?

This situation is exactly why we do need these new standards, so companies can not make unsubstantiated claims about their tyres.

[MAD]

I like the idea. I've wondered how the POS Chinese tyres were allowed to be on our roads. I had roadworthy tyres on my XF that would spin up in the wet 3rd under medium acceleration. This car was dynoed at a huge 74.1rwkw. That was a set of Falken ZE-326.

If you cant afford 4 tyres at once, buy two one week then the other two in another week or so. You could even look at second hand tyres as a stop-gap until you can afford new tyres. Set aside $20-$30 per week, for vehicle maintenance, in your budget instead of shitting yourself when the rego bill shows up or you need new brakes or tyres.

I've often wondered why cant the tyre companies reduce the huge range of tyres they have and only produce the best one for each job. Surely having moulds for less tyre designs would equal cheaper operating costs.

[fmc351]

Id like to see some stats on whether accident rates reflect the implication. Whether legal or not, people do drive on bald tyres if they cant afford new ones. In the wet, Id say a bald tyre is worse, esp in Qld with the puddles that form in minutes during summer.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

This situation is exactly why we do need these new standards, so companies can not make unsubstantiated claims about their tyres.

I don't think they make any "un-substantiated claims", certainly not that I have read atleast. I agree though, two brown dogs don't neccesarily behave the same.

I'd like to see a minimum standard introduced that included traction/treadwear/noise and the whole box and dice if for nothing more than being able to buy exactly what I want. The normal (or are they premium compared to sungwotsong tyres?) manufacturers should come to the party on price if they want to whinge about market share though.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by flappist

Until the general mentallity that the look of the rims is more important than the quality of the tyres there will always be a problem.

Agree 100%. My old man worked at a few different tyre stores in the last years of his working career. Things actually became a lot harder as people wanted 20" wheels but would only pay peanuts for cheap tyres .. then be back within an hour or so complaining that they were noisey or excessive vibrations, etc. Things were actually a lot easier in the late nineties when 15" was the norm and most people didn't bother with mags on daily drivers.

[GasoLane]

I may be cynical but but reading between the lines it looks like Mr Gary Guthrie's Aust sales are not what he would like them to be.