We Check Out Bfgoodrich's Latest Wheel-Wrappers And Discover An Enormous Depth Of TalentWe all know the importance of tires - the only contact patch between us and the road. And tire companies love us because not only do we understand their role, but we're prepared to pay a premium for high performance. And we're not a minority group. In fact, figures show the performance tire sector represents 17 percent of the US tire market, which equates to 37 million sales or $2 billion. So, while Joe Blow tries to save a few dollars on his radials, we are entering Web chat rooms to discover which tread patterns work best with our suspension setup.
The tire companies obviously invest enormous sums into development to create the right tire for our needs - high-dry grip, good wet performance, lateral g, direction change and so on - and every so often we get to try these developments for ourselves under controlled conditions.
Just such an event took place recently when BFGoodrich invited us to sample its new and existing rubber range against the competitors. Naturally, we accepted the offer in the interest of research. OK, we like to rip into other people's cars, and this was the perfect excuse.
Four disciplines had been devised to allow us to understand the company's products. The first was lateral g, in which we were strapped into a Nissan 350Z and sent around in circles to generate high numbers. To be honest, it seemed slightly pointless until it was explained that the BFG g-Force T/A KD is one of the stickiest compounds available, and all of us easily exceeded 1 g. In fact, we were consistently around 1.15 g, which is remarkable for street tires.
Next, we tried the KDW, which is designed to operate efficiently in the wet. So BFG created a snaking course that was partially flooded. We were then asked to compare the KDW against the Toyo T1-S and the Yokohama AVS using the Subaru Impreza WRX STi.
Wet traction was put to the...
Wet traction was put to the test in the STi. The KDWs outperformed many of the competing tires that were out there that day.
The advantage of the KDW is its different tread patterns across its width, with a wet compound on the shoulder and down the center. The tread blocks are a trapezoid shape to increase their stiffness as they wear. All this technology creates a slightly more expensive tire to produce, but one that should work well in the wet.
To test the theory, we threw the Scoobys around the course, which included a high-speed lane change after the water section. This gave a good indication of the tire's ability to disperse water and, to be honest, the Toyos were rather disappointing. This surprised me because I'd used them at home in England, where it rains occasionally, for years... I'd never experienced any problems with the T1-S, but the AVS and KDW were clearly superior. Separating the last two was slightly more difficult. I might concede the KDW dispersed water quicker than the AVS did, but the Yokos performed really well in the dry sections to draw it level. I've also used the AVS at home for several years and found them predictable in the wet.
The course was very entertaining, with the STi sliding its tail through the wet lane change, and I was pleased to post the fastest time of the day. After all, an Englishman won't be put off by a little water. If we were, we'd never go outside.
Since there were no Golfs...
Since there were no Golfs to test, we tried to break BFG's rental RSXs.
Following the wet test, we were into an Acura RSX to compare the BFG g-Force Sport against the Toyo FZ4 and the Dunlop Sport FM901. The Sport is the company's latest all-rounder and it excelled on the auto-sprint circuit. Admittedly, there was a light shower during our allotted time and the varying track conditions made it difficult to make direct comparisons, but the Sport was very good at direction changes and under braking. It allowed me to hold a tighter line than the opposition and took me to within 0.2 second of the quickest time of the day on this circuit.
Finally, BFG unveiled a couple of Roush Mustangs fitted with its Drag Radials. Apparently, the tires were the result of a BFG engineer who dreamed of creating a street-legal tire you could drive to the track. It's now used by the fastest import cars in the country and took me through to the second round of the drag racing. However, my best efforts were sabotaged when somebody switched on the traction control in my car. I guess the guys were afraid of the competition, but I expected better of fellow writers! That aside, the exercise was certainly worthwhile and highlighted the excellent range of BFG tires, which seem to offer something for everybody, no matter what your budget or demands.
 BFG has also recently produced...  BFG has also recently produced a 20-inch tire that will squeeze into the fenders of compact cars - the Mini included. |  What's better to drag race...  What's better to drag race than a Roush Mustang? | |