The all-new Astra is...
The all-new Astra is ready to take a starring role in Vauxhallò€™s range! In Issue 1,059, Auto Express revealed leaked pictures of the Ford Focus rival ò€“ now, weò€™ve bagged the first official images, plus all the crucial details on the best-selling British-built hatch.
Old tyres increase a...
Old tyres increase a carò€™s stopping distance by 23 per cent, an exclusive Auto Express investigation has revealed.
For the second instalment of our Tyre Wars campaign, we hit the track in a car with a set of nine-year-old rubber to see how it measured up to some comparable new tyres with the same tread depth.
With the set made in 2000, our test car took a huge 96 metres to come to a halt from 70mph ò€“ 23 per cent more than the 78 metres needed by the newer tyres. The extra distance equates to around four car lengths ò€“ more than enough to make a life-saving difference in a crash situation.
Even more shocking is that despite their miserable performance, all the rubber we used is totally road legal, as there is no limit on age at present.
We carried out the test as part of our Tyre Wars safety campaign ò€“ which aims to highlight the dangers of ageing rubber and urge the industry to stamp ò€˜best beforeò€™ dates on the sidewall of every tyre sold.