I plan on getting new tires this fall for two of my vehicles so I am looking tires available now to see which ones fit my needs best.
But I noticed something odd. Some of the new tires now have a traction rating of B where the model they are replacing had a rating of A. For example, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S had a traction rating of A where its newer brother, the Defender LTX M/S2 has a traction rating of B.
I looked at tirerack tests where these two tires were compared in a head to head competition. The newer tire out stopped the older one in dry and wet tests, though it did not do quite as good on snow and ice, but it was very close. IIRC the traction test for UTOG (edit: UTQG) is wet stopping distance.
I also noticed the newer tires seem to have significantly lower tread wear ratings.
May be because more and more manufactures are using bigger diameter lower profile (sidewall) wheels/tires for better handling and not much demand for the older UTQG ratingsâŠ
Just like it is getting much harder to get 13 and 14 inch tires⊠not much demand for themâŠ
Sometimes B meant no traction at all. Yokohama Avid wasnât much of a tire for .75 inches of snow. M&S meant nothing. I couldnât go anywhere if there was a little uphill. I hate it when there is doubt about what youâre getting.
Interesting because I have been running those tires on several vehicles over the years and never had any trouble like you describe. Perhaps there is something to the combination of tire and vehicle that contributes to differences in performanceâŠ
Iâd suspect the manufacturer made a change to the tire formulation for whatever reason than the standards changed. Agree with @davesmopar reasoningâŠ
For in depth discussion go to barrystiretech.com
âYou made me lookâ, my Michelin Defender LTX are traction rated as A. I too wonder about the traction rating change. Perhaps a harder tread compound.
Perhaps what has changed is the enforcement of the regulations. From time to time NHTSA will conduct verification tests and if they find something not according to the standard, they will contact the tire manufacturer to get a resolution. Iâm not saying this happens frequently, but I do know of a situation where a traction rating was changed based on a NHTSA test without a recall, because the previous data indicated the tire passed - but barely.
I never said the UTQG ratings standards changed, only the tire manufacturing changed from the A to B ratings as in Keithâs example to keep up with the changing tire sizes and requirements⊠More demand for performance over longer tire life and harder compound⊠Not sure if I am explaining it right⊠lol
+1
My 2002 Outback came from the factory with Bridgestone tires (I canât currently recall the model name/number) which wereâsupposedlyââM&Sâ rated. Those tires were so treacherous on even a light coating of snow that I bought my first set of Michelin winter tires in order to be able to drive safely during the winter months.
Back when they came up with the ratings, it was for locked up skidding conditions on wet roads, cars today have anti-lock brakes so itâs not as accurate anymore.
I think some of you misunderstood me. I saw this with several brands of tires but I chose the Michelins to use as an example. The reason is that they tested the Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, same size on the same vehicle.
The M/S2 stopped shorter on the wet braking test than the M/S yet the M/S2 only has a B rating for traction.
As pointed out by @It_s-Me, the original test was pre-ABS. The vehicle used for the tire rack test had ABS. Maybe the new tires are tuned for ABS and donât do as well without it.
Guess you just look for the snow flake on the tire if concerned with snow. I just get the Goodyear weather ready and excellent winter traction. Donât know what they utog is.
I have noticed over the years that when tire manufacturers put a 2 or ll after a model name it is usually a cheaper tire trading on the name of a more expensive and better model.
Sometimes there are multiple versions of the same tire because OEMâs want a tire that wears better or is quieter when the car is new. Or a retailer wants access to a particular tire from a manufacturer but, for cost reasons, they spec it slightly differently, resulting in different UTQG ratings.
With the emphasis on fuel mileage, low profile tires, and super heavy (and big) vehicles, I think tire manufacturers are also evaluating which characteristics are most important to tire buyers. Tire buyers are often price driven, which necessarily means the tires they buy will have to have some compromises.
These are just my thoughts on the ever changing and differing UTQG ratings.
