Least Expensive and Smartest Way to Increase Any Car's Performance

If you are a Gearhead not afraid of getting your hands dirty or a performance enthusiast hiring someone else to tailor their car's engine to squeeze out the most horsepower possible, the first thoughts that come to many like-minded minds include such things as changing the intake manifold and cylinder heads for ones with oversized ports, replacing the stock camshaft for one with a more aggressive lift profile, boring the cylinders and changing the stroke of the pistons, etc.

However, when it comes to performance, one of the most forgotten and least expensive improvements anyone can make is choosing the not just the correct tires…but the correct ultrahigh-performance tires.

In other words, to put it as succinctly as possible:

"You can have all of the horsepower in the world, but if you don't have the grip, it does not matter."

―Host of the Engineering Explained YouTube channel.

Mixing and Matching Car and Tire Generations

As proof that tires sometimes make the car (and the driver), the host of Engineering Explained, Jason Fenske, an automotive engineer, asks the opening question, "What's faster: An old car running new tires or a new car running old tires?"

This question is posited with the observation that while each generation of new car models typically provides more horsepower with improved fuel efficiency and other qualifiers, tires, it turns out, have not just kept up but, in some cases, have actually out-paced new car model development when it comes to a shared goal―improved performance.

When evaluating performance quality, nothing should be more convincing than finding out if a new high-performance tire on an older model car can match or even outperform a newer model car with an older-generation tire.

In other words, can a tire make up for the horsepower difference between two of the same models of cars separated by two generations?

To find out, the host presents a 6th-generation Volkswagen MK6 GTI fitted with newer-generation tires pitted against an 8th-generation Volkswagen MK8 GTI fitted with older-generation tires. The tires are both recently manufactured and differ only in the tech used to create the two generations, which parallel the models' years.

"Any performance difference is a direct result of the tire technology," states the host.

The performance difference between the tire/car matchups involves wet and dry track conditions for both handling and braking based on speed and stopping distance.

The Tires and Cars Basic Comparison Facts

• MK6 VW GTI: Fitted with Continental's ExtremeContact Sport 02―an ultrahigh performance summer tire produced in 2022.
• MK8 VW GTI fitted with Continental's ExtremeContact DW― an ultrahigh performance summer tire produced in 2009 and still manufactured today.
• MK6 VW GTI: 208 hp and 207 lb.-ft torque.
• MK8 VW GTI: 241 hp and 273 lb.-ft torque

"Objectively, there is no way the MK8 should lose on the track," points out the host.

However, the track results beg to differ.

THE ROAD TEST RESULTS SUMMARY

Test #1. Wet Handling

New model/Old tires: 83.6 seconds

Old model/New tires: 79.6 seconds

Budget tires, in comparison took 92.67 seconds on the wet track

Test #2. Dry Handling

New model/Old tires: 54.40 seconds

Old model/New tires: 53.93 seconds

Test #3. Wet Braking

New model/Old tires: 31.38 meters (with 0.80 G-forces)

Old model/New tires: 27.16 meters (with 0.93 G-forces)

Test #4. Dry Braking

New model/Old tires: 38.14 meters (with 1.03 G-forces)

Old model/New tires: 34.89 meters (with 1.13 G-forces)

Final Conclusion: "Tires Beat Horsepower."

"To me, this demonstration of swapping generations of cars and tires has been the most powerful illustration to show just how important tires really are!" states the host, underlining that performance is not just how much horsepower you put under the hood but also what you shod your wheels with.

Related article: Best All-Season Tires for Winter Driving for Car Owners Not Wanting Snow Tires

For additional details about the tests and what the host discovered, check out the video posted below:

Horsepower vs Tires - What Actually Matters?!

For additional related articles about car performance, be sure to click on these two: "Avoid This High-Performance Parts Scam on Your Toyota" and "How Much Oil is Too Much Oil in Your Performance Car?"

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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Image Source: Pixabay