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Can you tell the tire difference?

Here's the test: You're behind the wheel of an BMW 325i, rev the engine and screech around a coned-off, water-sogged course. After a few laps, you pop into another BMW - exactly the same, except for the brand of tires - and do it all again.

By Scott Long, Drive Editor
Published October 8, 2007

A parking lot becomes a classroom at Tampa Bay Downs when a 2006 BMW 325i sedan with Bridgestone Turanza tires with Serenity technology is driven on a test court. The course was designed to demonstrate new tires in the Bridgestone/Firestone lineup.
	[Jim Damaske | Times]

Here's the test: You're behind the wheel of an BMW 325i, rev the engine and screech around a coned-off, water-sogged course. After a few laps, you pop into another BMW - exactly the same, except for the brand of tires - and do it all again.

Could you tell the difference?

The folks who put together Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire's Classroom Behind the Wheel event sure hope you can.

The event, which ended its 15-city tour in the parking lot of Tampa Bay Downs last month, brought together dealers and salespeople and let them put the rubber to the pavement to answer the question for themselves.

"I don't know about you, but when I had to sit in a classroom, I didn't retain much," said Tim Netzel, motorsports event specialist for the tiremaker and a firm believer that his guests retain more behind the wheel than they do in front of a PowerPoint presentation.

Can't argue with that.

Bridgestone Firestone takes two '06 BMW 325is, outfitting one with Bridgestone Turanza with Serenity tires, the other with Michelin Primacy MXV4s. Then, they take a pair of '06 Pontiac G6s, one with Firestone Firehawk GTs and the other with Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge tires. Then participants take to the curvy, slick course, one car at a time.

My driving instructor, Brian Cole, told me he does everything he can to make the test an equal one, from exact tire pressure on down, but the final variable is all up to the driver - you have to drive the course the same way on each tire.

I gave it a fair shot. But between keeping my eyes on the cones, my foot on the brake, my mind off the supplemental life insurance my wife would enjoy after I rolled a Bimmer - and doing it all while conducting an interview - I can't offer you a fair assessment on which tires were best.

But I can offer you this: How cool would it be if this is how customers shopped for tires?

Imagine walking into the shop, picking out a couple of tires, popping them on your car and taking a spin on one of those "closed course - professional drivers" thingies we see on the commercials.

A couple of makers, including Bridgestone Firestone, offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but nothing like the zoomy test drive.

Alas, there's likely a long list of reasons - no doubt starting and finishing with pesky liability lawyers - why we'll never get that chance, so we'll have to make do with the experience of folks like Willis Hefner III.

"When a customer asks, I can say, 'I've driven on those tires,' " said Hefner, a Bridgestone Firestone sales associate in Bradenton.

More Behind the Wheel

In addition to giving dealers a look at tires, Bridgestone Firestone's Classroom Behind the Wheel also offers Driver's Edge, a driving program for teens. For more, see http://tinyurl.com/2t92f8.

Food for thought when buying tires

Okay, so you won't get a chance to slide around a wet track on a couple of different brands of tires. So how do you decide what brands to buy? Consider these tips from Consumer Reports:

Put safety first: Focus on ratings for braking, handling and resistance to hydroplaning. Tread wear, ride comfort, noise and rolling resistance can be tiebreakers.

Read the fine print:Warranties that manufacturers provide are prorated; the more miles on the tire, the less credit you get on a replacement. And most tire warranties cover only damage resulting from regular use and don't cover damage resulting from potholes or other road hazards.

Know your tire's size:To find the size and type of tire recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer, check the placard in the doorjamb or glove compartment, on the fuel-filler door and in the owner's manual.

Shop around: Tire prices can vary widely by region, retailer or even by the changing price of the raw materials used to produce them. Check independent tire dealers, online or mail-order stores, tire chains, car dealerships, department stores and clubs. Ask whether the price includes mounting, balancing and new valves.

Buy fresh: Look at the sidewall of a tire for a designation beginning with DOT (for Department of Transportation). The last four digits of the designation indicate the week and year of manufacture. For example, 3305 means the tire was made during the thirty-third week of 2005. Don't buy tires that are more than a few years old.

[Last modified October 5, 2007, 23:38:52]