Stapleton’s: high performance cars call for careful tyre selection

High performance cars are by definition a cut above the average family run-around. That means they’re far more demanding on their tyres. Consequently have to be more careful when it comes to choosing replacements, says Stapleton’s.

With a stockholding of some 1.2 million tyres including all the premium brands, Stapleton’s is of course confident it can help dealers provide the right products for their customers. But, when money’s tight, as it has been for several years now, how can retailers help high-performance motorists that are keen to economise without losing performance, grip, longevity or safety?

“As our ‘working for the customer’ philosophy suggests, we’ve been listening very hard to everything our retail customers have to say about the challenges they’re facing out there in a tough, ever more competitive market sector,” commented Nigel O’Hara, Stapleton’s head of general wholesale. “Almost unanimously, they say they need to offer HP motorists the premium performance they’re used to at a far more economic price point – and to that end we’ve made sure that our stable of private brands offers a solution to cover almost every HP or UHP fitment there is”.

Given that the performance car driver is likely to be more inclined than most towards the premium or prestige product, one might think that such economic alternative brands would be something of a ‘turn-off’ – in fact the opposite is the case says Stapleton’s pointing to its keen eye for partner brands. 

A prime example is Maxxis, the most recent addition to Stapleton’s collection of exclusive brands, and the ultra-high-performance PRO-R1. This tyre design is said to offer “superb wet grip, terrific roll resistance and much improved fuel economy in a quiet and supremely controlled ride thanks to Maxxis’ own award-winning technology, which was originally developed for their iPro and MAZ4S tyres.” The Pro-R1 uses Maxxis’ unique ‘Ultra R’ rubber and nano-dispersed SiO2 in its reinforced silica tread compound – but perhaps best of all these qualities are available across the market, with over 20 sizes, covering the most popular 15 – 18 inch wheel types.

As part of the Continental Group, Matador is firmly established as a mid-range manufacturer. Designed specifically for sports vehicles, the company’s MP46 offers superb wet and dry braking and manoeuvrability in sizes ranging from 16- to 20-inches.

Then there’s GiTi’s Primewell brand. Primewell’s 96-size range covers four unique patterns with a distinct bias towards the UHP sector with tyres such as the new Sport 910 with its new silica compound and four longitudinal groves delivering performance, particularly in the wet where every tyre within the range is graded “B” for Wet Grip.

Another well-favoured and firmly established member of the private brands stable is UHP specialist Nexen whose range of 140 sizes across 7 patterns is among the most comprehensive in the sector – all featuring the brand’s own tread technology designed to deliver fuel efficiency, noticeably quieter running and the highest standards of performance.