Comments on: The Costs of More Fuel Efficient Tires

By: BarbaraB

BarbaraB — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:35:03 +0000

I find the triangle label very confusing. The bar graphs are much better at explaining the issue.

By: schuepbach

schuepbach — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:08:15 +0000

Submitting more tire ratings will just cause more confusion for the already befuddled citizen.

Currently tread wear ratings are subject to manufacture opinions(as long as they are not overstated), thereby actually making them different between manufactures when in reality they should be standardized. Because of this factor alone you’re triangle of fun is completely useless.

A better solution would be to just heavily market fuel efficient tires while pricing them much higher than standard tires. Any Prius driving Californian will buy them instantly and money will be made.

By: ACShoops33

ACShoops33 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:46:02 +0000

You have to remember that the average consumer is an idiot. Do you know the percentage of people who don’t know anything about their car more than the color?

I can just imagine some idiot in Wal*Mart trying to learn how to read a graph with three Axes. The best thing to do would probably be just have wal*mart tire centers install burn out test pits.

By: londoner_fan

londoner_fan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:31:56 +0000

Also, It’d be better to give consumers a sample of rubber to conduct their own tests, see it. A 4x4x2″ cube would allow consumers to sample the quality of the good before committing to a costly purchase. I know I’d me more likely to buy a tire if I had a sample.

By: londoner_fan

londoner_fan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:29:11 +0000

what about trucking companies who don’t want to spend money and buy cheaper tires with less safety and durability; would those companies face liability if something were to happen? this seems a lot like the ford pinto dangers in the late 70s/80s…

By: Moderator

Moderator — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:11:19 +0000

Todd,

Would you find a different graph or visual representation helpful or would the stars alone suffice to give you all the information you needed to make an informed decision?

By: Todd Rakoff

Todd Rakoff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:50:31 +0000

I don’t find the triangle any more useful than the 3 separate star ratings would be. Indeed, less so – it looks unbalanced, and makes me believe that a balanced triangle is what I should be looking for. But although a balanced triangle with all dimensions set at 3 would look prettier, it would be less valuable than the 4/4/3 triangle shown. That would be clear using the star system alone; but the diagram muddies it up.