A recent survey commissioned by Apollo Tyres reveals that driving enthusiasts now value ride comfort almost as much as performance when it comes to replacement tyres. When asked about their priorities for replacement tyres, 34 per cent of respondents who “love” or “like” driving cited ‘high-performance grip and traction’ as their top priority, while 23 per cent mentioned ‘ride refinement and low noise’.
Comfort takes the front seat
Interestingly, nearly twice as many enthusiast drivers prefer ‘a smaller wheel with a larger-profile tyre that offers enhanced comfort’, with 45 per cent choosing this over ‘a larger wheel and a low-profile tyre that looks great on the vehicle’, a configuration favoured by only 21 per cent.
For Apollo Tyres, these findings from the OnePoll survey of 1,000 respondents underscore the “importance of comfort to those who are most likely to purchase high-performance road tyres.” This challenges the traditional notion that high-performance tyres, known for their rigid structure and stiff sidewalls, provide lower ride refinement.
Key factors for all motorists
The survey also showed that for all motorists, the most important criteria when selecting replacement tyres are ‘price / affordability’ (65 per cent), followed by ‘safety – short stopping distances’ (44 per cent), and ‘year-round grip and traction’ (41 per cent).
The best of both worlds
Earlier this year, Apollo Tyres launched the all-new Vredestein Ultrac Pro, an ultra-ultra-high-performance (UUHP) summer tyre designed to offer both advanced handling capabilities and superior driving comfort. It achieved this unique balance through an advanced new tread compound and an innovative structure, including a rethought bead area and a larger ‘flex-zone’ in the sidewall.
The Ultrac Pro was recently put to the test by independent Spanish testing and engineering company Applus+ IDIADA. They compared the Ultrac Pro with three top-performing UUHP tyres and three leading comfort-focused UUHP tyres. The Vredestein tyre outperformed all but one of the performance-focused tyres in the ‘Limit Handling’ assessment, with less than 1 km/h difference in entry and exit speed compared to the top tyre, and also outshone the comfort-centric tyres in the ‘Ride Comfort’ tests.
“Our survey highlights that performance-car drivers seek greater versatility from their tyres,” says Yves Pouliquen, group head of sales and marketing at Apollo Tyres. “Many will commute in the same car they take on track or use for a spirited weekend drive. The Ultrac Pro is the first tyre to meet this broad range of requirements so effectively.”
