Are ditch finders REALLY that bad. (Honest review)

[C2K]

For me it's simple, for a number of reasons. There are 4 black rubber circles that keep your car on the road. Nothing else has as big an influence as these, aside from the actions of your right foot. At any given time, no tyre can exceed 100% of it's available grip, and that grip capability is spread amongst several actions - especially on an FWD, such as braking, turning, reacting to road furniture or debris, accelerating etc and that available tread is circumstantial based on condition, weather, temperature etc. Wet grip rating is a snap-shot in time for a brand new tyre in test circumstances - and we all know how accurate the emissions test cycle for a new car is. Premium tyres will offer relatively more grip, and retain more of that grip in the changing circumstances due to extensive tyre compound, manufacturing method improvements and tread pattern research - budgets are often 'old' designs.

I will only buy good quality, or so-called 'premium' tyres. Why? One of the best decision making pieces of advice I was given is "Could your conscience live with the decisions you made?" Well, I carry my 8 month old daughter in the car, and as such I want to know that in the event something that I could not have predicted happen (e.g. spilled load, child runs out, accident happens in front of me) that I gave myself the best possible chance of doing something about it. I like to drive enthusiastically (when not carrying my family) and am known for being "last of the late brakers" by my best mate. These are the same reasons I run winter tyres, which happen to be Continentals.

Budgets have a place, I do not deny this, but they have no place with me. Some people do not drive spiritedly, only ever pootle around town and not drive in torrential rain on the motorway at 70mph, nip to the shops now and again like my wife's grandmother. People who do not do a lot of miles will generally, like my brother, find that tyres will reach the 5 year age lifespan (at which point they should ideally be replaced) and even suffer cracking of the sidewalls or tread, before getting anywhere near the tread blocks and feel they didn't "get their money's worth". These are the people who go into Kwik Fit or your local tyre shop and ask for "a tyre". My first car had Nankangs on the front axle, and they were utterly utterly useless in the wet even at 7mm tread.

There is no way that people cannot tell the difference between a budget and a premium when pushing on. Having said that, some tyre sizes just take the piss and that's also understood. A budget on my golf's 19s will set you back 1/4 of the cost of a Michelin PS4....