Auto Bild result reinforces Westlake quality/value message, says Zenises

As reported today, German motoring magazine Auto Bild recently published its annual winter tyre test. Out of the 50 tested tyres, only 16 were deemed worthy of progressing to the second round of tests – and just 14 were given a ‘recommended’ or higher rating. Many in the final 14 were products from household name premium tyre manufacturers, but – as Leicester City showed Manchester United last month – it isn’t always the big names that finish on top. A name many didn’t expect to see was Westlake, who received a recommended result for its SW608 and in doing so highlighted the truth that not all Chinese tyres are price-driven, lower-quality products.

The Westlake SW608 made it through the ‘top 50 shootout’, which was based on winter wet braking performance. It surpassed many more established brands in this test – its braking distance of 37.9 metres was not far behind the eventual test winner’s 36.4 metres and far ahead of many ‘economy’ brands, whose stopping distances were several metres longer.

After a thorough comparison with the 15 top-placed tyres – Auto Bild spent two weeks testing them across Europe’s different climate zones – Westlake was handed a positive summary by the magazine. This stated that the SW608’s strengths included its “balanced driving behaviour and good performance in wet surfaces,” and also mentioned that the Westlake tyre was the best value for money option, having achieved first place in the cost-per-kilometre comparison.

Nigel Hampson, head of business development for Zenises, distributor of Westlake in several key European markets, commented that: “This test certainly helps reinforce our message that Westlake offers a quality product at a very competitive price. Not only did the SW608 hold its own against many well-known European brands, it was also a vindication of the company’s dedication to technical progress that the Westlake performed so much better in wet braking than over 20 ‘economy’ brands and also compared with many better known European names. Increasingly, tyre professionals are recognising Westlake as the best quality ‘value’ tyre brand which, most importantly, delivers a strong level of safety performance – especially in wet wintry conditions.”