Autopoint Autonews
Motorists leaving it longer to change tyres, says ContinentalCold weather tyres to be recommended in current temperaturesIn a year when new car sales fell by 62%, sales of tyres in Ireland fell by 15 - 20%, according to Continental Tyres. General Sales Manager Paddy Murphy said all indications were that motorists were leaving it longer to change their tyres. “If 95,000 motorists decide not to change their cars, you might expect the tyre market to benefit,” he said. “This isn’t happening, and that’s worrying. Clearly, the economic recession has led many consumers to delay new tyre purchases… and probably to break the law. A survey by the Irish Tyre Industry Association a few years ago showed 50% of drivers were leaving it too late to replace their tyres. In other words, the tyre tread was already below the legal limit of 1.6mm. If that study were repeated today, that 50% figure would rise substantially.” Mr Murphy said also that motorists were becoming more cost conscious and were downgrading from premium tyres to budget tyres to save money in the difficult economic climate. “Both of these factors have implications for road safety,” he contended. Welcoming the fact that, from April this year, a tyre will fail the NCT if it does not have an "E" mark, indicating that it is certified to comply with international regulations, he expressed concern that a tyre’s speed rating is still not part of the NCT. ”Particularly in these times, customers are frequently fitting tyres of a lower speed rating than that specified by the manufacturer. This can be dangerous.” He went on to say that the case for cold weather tyres was strong, given their significantly superior braking performance in temperatures below 7ºC. “For optimum tyre performance and wear, motorists should use standard tyres from April to September and cold weather tyres from October to March.” Sales of cold weather tyres have risen by over 88% in the past six years across Europe. In Holland, where the climate is similar to Ireland, the use of cold weather tyres has increased dramatically. “Until drivers embrace cold weather tyres, I think the message is that motorists need to drive carefully at lower temperatures generally, not just at freezing temperatures. At temperatures below 7ºC, especially where there is ice, snow or frost, drivers should allow for greater braking distances and adjust their driving accordingly”. |
