Importance of New Tyres Run-in Process

[Prads]

I would like to create this thread so most can learn that brand new tires dont provide there best grip during the first thousand km depending on there rubber type(Sports,economy tires etc).

A brand new tire will provide better girp than a bald/worn out tire but many dont know that there brand new tires are not at there optimum level yet.


Giving some examples from my observations

Example 1- My i20 has stock Apollo tires ,on a decent braking scenario on highway or regular roads i use i could hear the Abs click or kick in,Abs kicks in when a wheel slippage is detected,so its understandable that there were minute slippage,i am very particular about tire pressure & i fill it at a local shell petrol pump cos of accuracy in there equipment.

I did not experience any change in grip until the car had finished 8000 km,now on similar or harder braking at 9000 km i notice grip has increased cos the abs does not click much,it proves without doubt the age old fact about running in new tires.


Example 2 -Back in 2005 our friends group was crazy about Superbikes & would take them on long rides,so in preparing for one such long ride my friend decided to have the rear tire on his Yamaha R1 changed,after he got on the new tires i think same brand 195 section Michelin tires as the one before,he rode it home after riding on new tires for some 15 kms,
the drive way of his house was smooth as he drove up i saw him drifting the bike left & right.He was stunned & explained to me that the previous tires which were in decent condition had better grip & never lost so much traction.It became evident how important it is to break/run in a new tire.

The Reason

Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a break-in period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance.Why is this necessary? During the manufacturing process, tires are coated with a lubricant to prevent them from sticking to the mold. That lubricant can take up to 800 kilometers to wear off. Until that happens, the lubricant can reduce the traction of the tires, especially on wet pavement. Consequently, new tires should not be subjected to hard acceleration, cornering, or braking. Driving at or just below the legal speed limit will also allow the lubricants used during the manufacturing process to wear away. It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you, low tread depth tires respond more quickly. Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.



NOTE: Be careful whenever you explore the capabilities of your new tires. Remember that every tire requires a break-in period of 500 miles(or 1000 km atleast for our Indian market stock tires) for optimum performance.

 

[Rajvel]

Re: Running/breaking in new tires

Really nice informative thread bro!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[allhyundaicars]

i'm sure many others were thinking the totally opposite just like me
thanks for sharing.

have a question though. ABS must have limits right. so what if someone breaks with tyres which are totally worn out. the car will obviously slip more but how will the ABS behave in this situation ?

will it act to its limits considering tyres are new or according to the slip they works ? i know it's related to abs query but i'd like to know the relationship between the two.

 

[Prads]

i'm sure many others were thinking the totally opposite just like me
thanks for sharing.

have a question though. ABS must have limits right. so what if someone breaks with tyres which are totally worn out. the car will obviously slip more but how will the ABS behave in this situation ?

will it act to its limits considering tyres are new or according to the slip they works ? i know it's related to abs query but i'd like to know the relationship between the two.

Ya it was discussed in the ABS discussion ,ya on worn out tires the ABS will kick in alot but it wont be as useless as in the Snow,our small car ABS system are defeated by pot holes,even on decent tires if you hit the brakes fast the suspension wont have time to get a weight transfer(people dont realize this) & lock but with ABS it is corrected.

After i googled around a bit I realized super bikers take running in there bike tires seriously cos the grip levels expected are unreal so a new tire can cause a very big crash in a what used to be a casual braking scenario.

But many people never realize there brand new tires are not at there best when new,so when i mentioned it to a member in another thread i realized i had to create a thread to spread the fact.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

@Prads: Good that you started this thread. Not many people know this commonsense phenomenon - most of them believe that a new tyre bought right out oof the showroom will offer the maximum grip. I remember that the Owner's Manual of my Kinetic Honda (16 years ago !!) had a line on this - "ride carefully for the first 200 to 300 kms because the tyres have to bed-in before they offer optimum levels of grip."

Kudos! Good work.

 

[Rightnow]

There is some polish or slipperiness on new tyres, I can say that in layman's language though I never observed difference in behavior of tyres during initial period or as of now. Not even during kicking in of ABS. May be I am not a keen observer when it comes to cars!

Anyways, thanks to Prads for letting all know that almost every new thing in this world needs to be run-in.

 

[Prads]

Anyways, thanks to Prads for letting all know that almost every new thing in this world needs to be run-in.

I hope i have not offended you,since we are all automotive enthusiasts here knowing little things about our cars is always our best interest ,the first step is always the biggest step,but what you said does have a meaning as i noticed most new things have some run in or thing like that,for instance our phone & laptop batteries have best life when they are fully charged & discharged on first few days. So for certain things in our everyday life there seems to be a "suggested"(not compulsory) method or fact,so air conditioners, lithium ion batteries, refrigerators,car engines,tires,medical equipment's ,etc have some suggestions when new .

Well most of us dont exploit our new products that it should worry us(bite us back),but i did meet a man who bought a brand new Tata Safari & drove it rash(drunk) & seized the engine the same night,he believed running in a engine was a Myth ,so knowing a bit doesn't hurt.

I remember that the Owner's Manual of my Kinetic Honda (16 years ago !!) had a line on this - "ride carefully

Aha good old Nylon tires :) i guess you had to be really careful with those ,but Nylon tires give better mileage than radials although they dont last long.

 

[Music_Swift]

Excellent review Pradhan Sir.Hope,useful for owners,who had installed new tires.

 

[Rightnow]

I hope i have not offended you,since we are all automotive enthusiasts here knowing little things about our cars is always our best interest ,the first step is always the biggest step,but what you said does have a meaning as i noticed most new things have some run in or thing like that.

Hey cummon not at all offended man.

Its just amusing that a technically lesser sophisticated equipment, when compared to say a car or a plasma TV, can have a run-in period. Will keep this in mind when I get new tyres!