Ok, so you might be asking why is a tyres review appearing on a blog about car care? At some point I may have wondered myself, but from recent experiences I can personally vouch for the fact that car care is more than just about how your vehicle looks, it also encompasses its performance as well your own safety when driving. In this post I share with you how a recent blow-out and changes in tyres to Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance has made a real difference to me, my vehicle and my family.
I have split this into 2 parts – Part 1 below gives the background to writing this tyres review including the findings from the blow-out and Part 2 details more about the performance of my final choice of tyres – the Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance.
Six months ago I was on the way to a really important meeting when I noticed a significant increase in rumbling road noise followed shortly after by a violent veering of the steering in my trusted VW T4 2.5 TDi. I pulled over and sure enough I had suffered a tyre blow out. Unfortunately as it was such an important meeting I was suited and booted and not in any position to get down on my knees and change my tyre. The tyres I was running had come with the vehicle from when I bought it and were made by Sunny, being 235/40R18.
I called the RAC who promptly turned up to help change over the tyre. The guy from the RAC seemed a little shocked at what he saw. It would appear that the tracking on the front must have been wildly out and on removing the blown tyre it was clear to see the inside edge was worn down to the metal in the tyre and had caused the blow-out. What is even more shocking is that it had only had the MOT done a couple of months earlier, in which some wheel work had been identified and it must have been after this that the tracking had gone wrong. So in 2 months my tyres had gone from MOT pass to blow-out in less than 2 months.
What’s even scarier is that the RAC guy advised the opposite tyre was in the same condition and could go at any moment. Only the day before I had also been on a long journey, absolutely fully loaded (i.e not more space in the back) with heavy liquid car care products, on the M1 at 70mph with my wife and 2 children in the cab (it’s the crew bus version of he T4). I just did not want to think about the consequences had the tyre blown on that journey.
Tyres Review – Difference In Road Noise
I immediately drove to the nearest tyre garage and although I had not had time to look as any tyres review, had 2 new tyres fitted to the front – these were made by Arrowspeed.
Now the van, although most times feeling like a car to drive had never been the quietest and I had always put this down to it being – a van. However no sooner had I changed the tyres I noticed a distinct change in noise like a real horrible rumbling noise and over the weeks it got louder and louder – but this was coming from the back of the vehicle. I had the bearings checked but was advised there was nothing wrong with them.
Being conscious of the recent tyre blow, I now checked round my tyres more often and spotted a difference in wear pattern in the middle of the tyre – a bit strange I thought so I had it checked out. Sure enough once up on the ramps it was plain to see that the two back tyres were nearly smooth in some middle spots and totally ok around the rest of the tyre.
Click over to Part 2 of this tyres review to find out more to about my final choice of tyre and the difference they made to the performance of my trusted T4. Tyres review – part 2.
