Tyre News

What to do: choose a set of all season tyres that last all year, or go for full winter tyres? That’s a question many drivers are asking themselves right now especially in countries that have legislation around winter tyres. But both of these types of tyres have one fundamental thing in common, which is that the side of the tyre needs to carry a “M+S” or 3PMSF marking (depending on the regulations in each country) that identifies the type of tyre, avoids motorists collecting fines, and guarantees safety even in winter.

The tyre boffins at Auto Bild have been busy of late. In addition to recommending the best car, SUV and high-performance tyres for the coming winter, the German car magazine’s testers have taken a look at all-season tyres. They fitted 32 brands of size 205/55 R16 tyre to a VW Golf, and after an elimination round of wet and dry braking tests evaluated the 14 top performers in wet, dry and snow conditions. They gave five of the candidates Auto Bild’s top ‘exemplary’ rating and judged these tyres every bit as good as summer or winter tyres.

Almost one in three parents could be driving their kids around on dangerous tyres, according to new research from Protyre. The alarming findings come from a new online YouGov survey commissioned by Protyre – the UK’s fastest growing tyre retailer– as part of this year’s nationwide Tyre Safety Month. In the YouGov survey, Protyre found that just under a third of British parents with children aged 18 and under who own a car admitted to only checking the safety of their tyres every three months or  less, with some not checking them at all. Further survey findings showed that parents regularly check more visible child safety equipment, such as seat belts and car seats than they did their tyres.

Most drivers are happy with the size of their current car, but one in 10 want a bigger car next time, according to research into buyers’ intentions by the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk. Analysis of motorists' plans for their next car also reveals significant differences between the satisfaction of men and women with the size of their current vehicle along with contrasting aspirations for upsizing or downsizing next time. Overall, 71.9 per cent of drivers are already in their 'Goldilocks car' - just right, rather than too big or too small. But breaking down the figures between men and women reveals that men are more likely to aspire to a bigger or smaller next car. And women appear less concerned than men overall when it comes to changing the size of their vehicle. 

Drivers who like to push their cars may benefit from winter tyres during the colder months. But which tyre is right for the job? In order to find out, Auto Bild Sportscars fitted a dozen brands of winter rubber to a VW Golf GTI.

A poll commissioned by Halfords has found that 6.5 million cars are being driven with faulty wiper blades. The data based on a OnePoll survey of 2,000 motorists found that 20 per cent don’t know when their wiper blade needs to be changed, while 15 per cent were worried about driving in the rain and cited it as a reason that they put off driving during the autumn and winter months.