Dunlop

Here and Now with John Bowe

With the recent dodgy weather at home in Melbourne lately, it has seriously bought home to me the value of driving on good tyres, not cheap ones.

I was on the Western Ring Road on the way to the airport yet again, typically with massive traffic congestion, and it was raining as only Melbourne seems able to do. There was an accident up ahead and the inevitable “concertina effect” happened. Worse though was that the weather made the vision so difficult it reminded me of Bathurst in 92’ when the visibility was about 10 metres, although to be fair in this case it was probably 50 metres.

At Bathurst, my Dunlop wet weather race tyres saved me numerous times, but on the Western Ring Road, it was the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2s that quite honestly stunned and amazed me. Everyone was taking avoiding action, but this was not a race track with highly skilled individuals, it was a wet, visibility restricted Freeway. The margin the Goodyears gave me with their amazing wet weather grip allowed me to basically steer around the drama ahead with ease; I have never driven on a road tyre with so much wet weather grip and poise!

Anyone who thinks that an expensive tyre is not worth the money should come and do some advanced driver training with me. Seriously, how much is your life worth? My message in all this is don’t buy rubbish! Just because they are all round and black does not mean they are all the same, there really are big performance differences, particularly in stressful situations. In my motoring life, Goodyear and Dunlop tyres have saved me many times, both on the road and on the track. In my opinion they are the best tyres you can put on your car! Until next time, drive safely

JB’S TYRE TIP OF THE MONTH – BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOODYEAR AND DUNLOP

Curbs can prove to be big trouble to your tyres and you should approach them with care. If you drive over them too fast or at the wrong angle, the impact may damage your tyre. You should also avoid potholes or debris on the road whenever possible. If your tyre receives a severe impact, ask your tyre retailer to check for internal damage.