[Marc]

Here's an interesting question in the climate change and emissions debate.

We're all used to the concept of higher taxes for cars with the highest toxic emissions.... could tyres be next?

The Government has commissioned a report into the impact of emissions from different types of car tyres.

It could lead to a 'ranking' of tyres with those which wear out fastest, leading to a higher amount of particles and emissions, costing more in tax despite being usually cheaper to buy.

The RAC has warned it could lead to more people driving around with illegal tyres instead of buying cheap, new ones as they look to avoid paying higher tax.

According to Imperial College London, more than six million tonnes of tyre wear particles are released globally each year, and in London alone, 2.6 million vehicles emit around nine thousand tonnes of tyre wear particles annually.

Will it, I wonder, lead to car tyre manufacturers promising 'miles per tyre' in the same way that we measure MPG?

[Santa]

I assume that harder tyres lose less rubber but have less grip than soft ones. Anyone who has watched F! will know about those rubber bits known as ‘marbles’, small blobs of rubber thrown about from the tyres. That's the extreme result of soft tyres driven to the max.

I don't think a tax is the best or even a practical solution. Maybe type-approval legislation to make tyre manufacturers produce tyres that have sufficient grip without the need to shed rubber. The downside might be more collisions as the boy racers lose control.

[Drivingforfun]

My tyres are engineered to take speeds of something like 130mph, even though the highest speed limit in this country is 70mph. It's nice to know they are not even breaking a sweat when I drive at the speed limit.

In a similar vein, I'd like to know my tyres are capable of taking a corner at 80mph, even though the sensible maximum speed, and the speed I'd take the corner at, is 40mph.

I'd feel a bit nervous if they were under engineered and I knew I was pushing them to their absolute limit just by driving at the speed limit.

Even if the "better" or "safer" tyres were taxed and the "just good enough" tyres weren't, I'd opt for the better ones.

I guess what I am trying to say, is, rather than ban something, tax it instead and at least give people the choice?

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Santa

I don't think a tax is the best or even a practical solution. Maybe type-approval legislation to make tyre manufacturers produce tyres that have sufficient grip without the need to shed rubber. The downside might be more collisions as the boy racers lose control.

Indeed! The boy racers are not all that concerned with safety.... more how they look/sound!

[Rolebama]

I always check the various ratings before buying tyres. Wear ratings have been around for a while now, along with noise, load and max pressure and economy ratings. I tend to pay that little bit more for the better tyres and the extra VAT that entails surely counts as a 'tax on tyres'.