Are you attempting to disprove basic physics? Good luck with that - centre of gravity is a pretty fundamental concept when considering how a vehicle deals with sudden changes of direction.
A very low COG behaves like this
A high COG behaves like this
I know what I’d rather be in when things go pear shaped on the highway....
I don't see either of the cars approaching the angle of the London bus........plus the Dacia Duster is an ultra cheap vehicle not sold in Australia so you'll need to go to Europe to avoid driving one. Talk about comparing Onions and Sausages....................
Yeap, I was looking at the PC5s as well, and you are right, stocks seem low but what can I do? Will shoot some emails and see what happens.
Somewhere I've seen 1950s film of one of those on a skid pan. Quite amazing!To underline your lack of understanding of the laws of physics, I give you the fully loaded London Bus!
Surely they have the 4-digit ID number on the sidewall? That gives week and year of manufacture. Just checked the R8 rears - eek, did I really buy them for that 2007 road trip????Alright.
So I've had an answer but it says they can not tell me what the manufacture date is as Continental does not tell them (they probably order from Continental when someone puts an order in and the tyres ship directly to the buyer, that's what I suspect, anyway).
What to do?
Time to dig out your physics text books... A static angle test is virtually meaningless when considering how a vehicle behaves at speed.
Regardless of which, you seem to have an irrational fear of vehicles falling over due to a high centre of gravity, particularly I suppose since many vehicles in modern times were quite renowned for their aerial feats, yet all of which had a conventional moderate to low C of G. Volkswagen Beetle, Renault 4CV, Dauphine, R8 and R10, plus the unforgettable Corvair. The limiting factor in all these was the design of the suspension which constantly changed the roll centre. As you would of course know, it is possible to design a suspension where the roll centre is below the surface of the road and whilst the roll centre is affected by the C of G a roll centre that low is not common in road going cars.
I have completed years of driving trucks, which have a much higher C of G than any SUV or 4x4 without myself tipping one over but I've also rolled an R12 and it had a much lower C of G than any truck, no different to any other car. No, your irrational fear can probably be explained by your penchant for reading things into specification sheets which do not translate into reality on the road but then again it might derive from your own unhappy driving experiences, but either way, your adulation of the centre of gravity as the be-all and end-all for purchasing a vehicle is a strange one.
Surely they have the 4-digit ID number on the sidewall? That gives week and year of manufacture. Just checked the R8 rears - eek, did I really buy them for that 2007 road trip????
Alright.
So I've had an answer but it says they can not tell me what the manufacture date is as Continental does not tell them (they probably order from Continental when someone puts an order in and the tyres ship directly to the buyer, that's what I suspect, anyway).
What to do?
Yes, I can understand that. Still, you're the customer...... I guess all you can do is order the tyres and explain to the retailer that you won't pay unless they are under, well maybe 2 years, when you can see the age from the 4-digit number. If they won't, find another retailer. Dunno about 2 years, that's a personal judgement. My 14-year Michelins don't have wall cracking (and I'm sensitive to micro-cracks) but I'd agree the compound has probably hardened and that their wet weather performance won't be stellar! It does drift on wet roads in slow motion....Yes, they sure do, I guess it is the law here (or at least in Europe) if you want to sell your tyres on their market.
But these guys don't stock them so can't check. So they asked Continental. Continental would have to physically go in their warehouse, take a pallet, open a crate, take a tyre out and check and then check every other tyre in the warehouse or make sure they check every tyre that ships out. Which they don't care to do, I take it.
Continental may have some idea/details they received from the factory with their shipments/paperwork but someone needs to dig it out and look. I'll try calling Conti on the phone on monday.
Yes, I can understand that. Still, you're the customer...... I guess all you can do is order the tyres and explain to the retailer that you won't pay unless they are under, well maybe 2 years, when you can see the age from the 4-digit number. If they won't, find another retailer. Dunno about 2 years, that's a personal judgement. My 14-year Michelins don't have wall cracking (and I'm sensitive to micro-cracks) but I'd agree the compound has probably hardened and that their wet weather performance won't be stellar! It does drift on wet roads in slow motion....
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