A Look At Tire Performance From the Standpoint of Consumer Reports and the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS)

When it comes to purchasing tires, consumer tire choices commonly come down to availability and low price.  Consumer research sites tread wear and traction as secondary considerations by tire purchasers but information is limited to manufacturer claims, UTQGS, and some third party sources including Consumer Reports.  Deciphering consumer tire information is challenging and not always intuitive or revealing of a tire’s true performance potential.    The government’s proposed fuel efficiency labeling system incorporating traction and tread wear elements may help when instituted.  This presentation will review some of the aspects of UTQG traction and tread wear metrics influenced by marketing and reflected by Consumer Report’s own ratings assessment of recently tested all season and all terrain tires.