Your Sunday Driver

“Contact Patch”

MANILA, Philippines - You ask any avid fan of Formula One or better yet a racecar driver and they will tell you that races are won and lost over tires. In motorsports, the accuracy of choosing the right tires will give drivers more confidence in tackling corners. The combination of the car’s set-up and proper tire selection will give teams better chances of winning races. This piece of rubber that wraps the wheels of the car is the only part in contact with the ground, transmitting power from the engine, stopping power from the brakes and directional power from the steering wheel. The amount of traction that a tire produces is called “grip”. At a given moment, only a fraction of the tire is in contact with the road. This area of contact is what we call a “contact patch”. This patch on the average sedan is no bigger than a compact disc for one tire. Given four tires, the total rubber touching the ground is no bigger than Grandpa’s vinyl record. In racecars which uses wider tires, the patch would be a tad bigger. If you think of it, its amazing how a small patch of rubber can control a beast of a racecar. And whats even more amazing, the race drivers that corner at breakneck speeds, putting all their faith on a small patch of rubber. These tires for that “tried and tested” companies. Manufacturers that use motorsports as a testing ground for their products. And racing teams need the best products to win which raises the standards of manufacturing quality. That is not the same for most of us when we choose tires for our everyday cars. We tend to favor the low priced over quality and end up putting our lives in the hands of the lowest bidder. The problem is that many of us think tires are just a basic consumable part of a car, be it, gasoline or oil. Good quality tires don’t just cost more, it last longer and gives you a better driving experience. “Proper” tires will provide you a cushion for safety, giving you more control while braking, cornering or accelerating.

Tire technology has gone a long way since its Bicycle origins. Thanks to the growing demand for cars, and the increasing clamor for safety, the technology is at it's all time high and it can only get better. Reputable tire companies offer better products with safety, performance and comfort as their primary features. Their products are tested in normal roads as well as in race tracks. Poor quality tires offer nothing but low prices that do not even economically equate. A good set of tires can last 3 years with regular use, bad ones last about a year. So if you want more time to stop, more money to burn and more space for wrinkles, buy those bad quality rubbers. They might just give you a driving experience you will never forget.