I was looking up tyre stats and came across something curious.
Two tyres, same manufacturer, same compound, same size, but different ratings and price. One being A A B, the other being B, C, B.
After going through the tyre stats I finally found the difference. A different initial tread depth. One being 7mm, the other (lower rated) being 7.8mm.
I am aware that tyre ratings are self-certified by manufacturer, but this also seems to imply that:
1: Ratings are based on a very specific tread depth and that the ratings are totally variable throughout a tyre's life (Even after 0.8mm of wear the ratings are different).
2. There is an incentive for tyre manufacturers to start with a tread depth that gives a better rating at the cost of total tyre life.
So, in effect, tyre ratings are more useless than we realise and have very little information that relates to the tyres performance throughout it's life.
Does the above tyre with the lower rating become an AAB tyre for a brief moment after it wears down to 7mm? What is the fall-off in rating/performance for every mm of wear?
I did read that tyres used to come with much greater tread depth. So are some manufacturers starting with less tread depth to get that better rating for marketing?
If those ratings are only for a specific point in a tyres life, it seems to suggest going for the most tread depth is more beneficial (for most general purposes).
I guess at the end of the day the best source for comparison are tyres tests. But even these are skewed towards "track performance".
Two tyres, same manufacturer, same compound, same size, but different ratings and price. One being A A B, the other being B, C, B.
After going through the tyre stats I finally found the difference. A different initial tread depth. One being 7mm, the other (lower rated) being 7.8mm.
I am aware that tyre ratings are self-certified by manufacturer, but this also seems to imply that:
1: Ratings are based on a very specific tread depth and that the ratings are totally variable throughout a tyre's life (Even after 0.8mm of wear the ratings are different).
2. There is an incentive for tyre manufacturers to start with a tread depth that gives a better rating at the cost of total tyre life.
So, in effect, tyre ratings are more useless than we realise and have very little information that relates to the tyres performance throughout it's life.
Does the above tyre with the lower rating become an AAB tyre for a brief moment after it wears down to 7mm? What is the fall-off in rating/performance for every mm of wear?
I did read that tyres used to come with much greater tread depth. So are some manufacturers starting with less tread depth to get that better rating for marketing?
If those ratings are only for a specific point in a tyres life, it seems to suggest going for the most tread depth is more beneficial (for most general purposes).
I guess at the end of the day the best source for comparison are tyres tests. But even these are skewed towards "track performance".
