Ban on road legal track day tyres

[paul_gt4]

New safety regulations spell the end for extreme road-legal rubber
By Roger Green, 23rd June 2009
http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/236977/trackday_tyres_to_be_outlawed.html

New legislation on tyre labelling and accompanying minimum standards to be introduced simultaneously in November 2012 will effectively end the production of road-legal trackday tyres. Tyres likely to be axed include the Dunlop Direzza, Toyo 888 (currently available on the Renaultsport Mégane R26.R), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup (Porsche GT3 and GT2) and Avon ACB10 (Caterham), along with a host of others. The aim of the new regulations is to both raise all-round performance standards and to give buyers a greater understanding of the performance and environmental impact of each particular tyre before purchase. All road-legal tyres will have to display rating figures for rolling resistance (fuel efficiency), external noise and wet grip, and while the rating system and minimum levels have yet to be set, it is unlikely that track-biased tyres will be able to pass on all counts. Tyre manufacturers are currently lobbying the European Parliament, but it will be very difficult for them to make a successful argument for tyres that allow drivers to corner faster in the dry but which offer a significantly lower level of performance the moment the surface becomes damp. It is expected that trackday tyres will fall foul of the other parameters too, so their demise is something their manufacturers are already preparing for. James Bailey, Dunlop’s PR chief, believes it highly unlikely that trackday tyres will continue in their current form, although the company’s official position is that these regulations are positive as they will also remove poor performing cheap road tyres from the market. In its own braking tests the difference between the best and worst tyres fitted to a Mondeo stopping from 50mph on a wet surface was as much as five car lengths… Porsche feels it’s too early to comment and that at this stage it is still a matter for the tyre companies. Once the regulations have been set, the German car maker will still request an appropriate level of performance from Michelin for its top models. So what does the future hold? There will still be high-performance tyres made from a race-style compound though they are likely to have regular road-car tread patterns. However, they won’t be as fast or responsive as the current crop of trackday tyres, and for those of us who enjoy the extra performance and challenge presented by this specialist rubber that’s a real shame.

[The Doctor]

Just checked the Peugeot 106, 1.0ltr sport with go fast stripe and I`m ok. Remoulds all round

[fifegt4]

This is pretty typical of the safety culture that exists such as kids having to wear goggles to play conquers etc. WTF. There is obviously good reason for wanting the safest tyres as we all want to keep our cars on the road and not in a hedge and you cant blame govenrment for trying to help make that happen but surely people who chose to use these type of tyres should be allowed to.

[Frikkin Evil]

New safety regulations spell the end for extreme road-legal rubber
By Roger Green, 23rd June 2009
http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/236977/trackday_tyres_to_be_outlawed.html
 In its own braking tests the difference between the best and worst tyres fitted to a Mondeo stopping from 50mph on a wet surface was as much as five car lengths

Solution - Don't buy a Mondeo.

It's just another decree from the unelected eurocrats.

[karbon]

There go my toyos then.

[Ricky-GT-4]

I wonder what exactly the best tyre was and what is the worst???

I have remould cheap as fook tyres on the C5 ok in the dry, but a complete handful in the wet! and I seriously doubt that track day tyres would be any worse

[Coyoteboy]

Yeah I have some cheap tyres on the 306 - they're fine in the dry but lethal in the wet. I'll be glad to see the back of cheapo tyres and ultimately the loss of road legal semi-slicks isn't a vast trade-off to worry about IMO, few people use them and ultimately if you're using them to their capabilities on public roads I'm not sure its a good idea to have them.

[paul_gt4]

i never use cheap tyres, the way i look at it, its the only contact between you and the ground whilst in a car, always buy the best that you can afford.

[Coyoteboy]

I agree, came with the car unfortunately with full tread. Funnily enough I found an egg in one and swapped it instantly for the spare (noting rubber rattling round inside it!  ) and then a few months later I noticed the same on the other, but with a patch of still 5mm tread only with a 6" stripe where it had delaminated from the carcass!! Fecking lethal!

Think I'm going to put some uniroyal rallye 540s on it, they come very well recommended from several sources.

[dj_russell]

sick of arseholes like these who sit in an office all day planning what to ban next, i have to put up with most of it on the building sites i work with rediculous health and safety rules these people need ridding in our world these people really must have no friends.

[dj_russell]

ps as usuall its all aboutputting the mockers on fun, no clamping down on dangerous remoulds just tyres that cost a bomb to buy and make the car stick to the road better pure fun ban again.

[Coyoteboy]

I think the point is that they dont stick to the road better in the wet, and they'll be setting minimum wet-weather grip levels to help rid us of crap tyres. While I admire your passion on the subject I'm not sure their aim was to ban fun, in this case.

You'd hope the tyres could be bought and sold with a warning attached instead though wouldnt you.

[dj_russell]

i dont know mate im always waiting for something to be banned or out of kindness to saving the world them stopping making whatever.

im waiting for the day when modding a cars ilegall and when the petrol engines especially the big engines are killed off for electric power it will be a deverstating day.

im fed up of all the health and safety nonsense and all these rules, all my hobbies as i know them have come to an end just simple things like taking the jet skis or powerboats to a beach for some fun is a ball ache now.and many other rules just making going to work pointless, why bother there wont be anything to aim for ferrari,porsche etc... anything that i class fun and harmless causes misery to all the moaners and is deemed probably dangerous so im extremely passionate about my views so reading this thread fueled my anger all the more. i cant see track day tyres being any worse in the wet than cheap crap tyres, just disbelievement at how many people voted labour and put them in power thats what it comes down to at the end of the day the uk as a whole let themselves down when they voted labour, and for how many years ive seen the consequences  of it and now we have all these stupid rules that everyone moans about but does nothing about.

rant over lol

[Coyoteboy]

Good rant, 8/10! Needs more capitals and worse punctuation though

I too can see the day when modding becomes illegal, but primarily because some people ARE unsafe when they do it. Need your car lower? Try angle grinding your springs. People making their own brake caliper adaption kits without thinking about it etc - these things affect other people when they go wrong, hence the concerns. I can see it from both sides - as an engineer I'm morally and to some extent legally tied to making sure everything I do is designed and tested (or at least simulated) to the Nth degree to ensure it's safe, yet some local scrote is allowed to make major modifications to safety critical parts of the car he drives his girlfriend to the cinema in without having the slightest clue about how he is affecting strength or fatigue life etc.

Who knows. I'm not keen on the reds either but im not sure how much better anyone else would be - it seems the world is going the same way, regardless of political bias.

[Frikkin Evil]

The problem is too many tiers of govenment. No-one knows what difference voting makes because they don't know what the person they vote in can actually change.

Up here we have 3 tiers of 'government' (not including local)... Scottish Parliament, Westminster, and Brussels. WTF!?! And each tier contains a bunch of self-righteous career politicians who'll happily support some new whacky ideal if it gets them closer to the top.

If you ask me, true democracy will only come when we can all vote on specific issues via an electronic system, with MP's only being needed to propose the questions to the masses...

eg.

"Do you want to pay road tax at £185 per annum, or <fist> pence per litre of fuel?"

[dj_russell]

i agree there is some idiots about that do unsafe mods and carry on even if its wrong, before i ever touch my cars i consult the forums and family and friends first and if i think ive dropped a bollock phone somone up that will check it over if im not sure.

im also useless at capitals and punctuation you think my typings bad the timesheets for work are the best, they cant even understand what ive been doing all week lol.

but yes really not liking the world we live in now think the 90s was probably the best time for everything with technology the odd speed camera etc...