Every time we get in a car — whatever its age, brand or value — we have four points of contact with the asphalt on which our safety depends. Four rubber "rings" that, for many drivers, represent just another expense to add to the already high costs of running a car, yet they determine braking, road-holding, fuel consumption and, above all, safety. And yet, when it comes to tyres, mistaken beliefs circulate with remarkable staying power, fuelled by amateur salespeople, online forums and common sense that, at least in this case, is almost never actually sensible. Let us explain.

Four tyre myths debunked by experts (and verified on the track)

Thanks to the "Pneumatici sotto controllo" initiative with Assogomma — the trade association representing Italy's rubber processing industry — we tried to set the record straight in the most direct way possible: by driving a car on a circuit, a setting where it is possible, in complete safety, to simulate potentially dangerous situations that could occur on any road journey. The result? Four myths dismantled, one after the other.

"Fresh" tyres are safer

Some online retail platforms actually use that very term: "fresh tyres." The idea is simple: a tyre fresh off the production line must perform better than one made on an earlier date. Unfortunately, that is simply not true. Tyres have no expiry date, nor can one be inferred from the manufacturing date.

The proof? Tests compared tyres of the same size and specification but with different production dates — some made a few months earlier, others correctly stored for over three years — in dry and wet braking tests. The differences in stopping distances? On the order of a few centimetres, sometimes in favour of the older tyres. Differences that are, in practice, entirely negligible.

The manufacturing date stamped on every tyre serves the producer for traceability along the distribution chain — useful in the event of a recall for defects, for instance — but not as a marker of "freshness," let alone of superior efficiency or safety. Tyres do not have an expiry date. What matters is how they are stored.

The best tyres should always be fitted at the front

This is perhaps the most dangerous of all the myths. Instinct says: the front wheels steer and do most of the braking, so they deserve the tyres in the best condition. Physics and experts say precisely the opposite. And the on-track test clearly illustrated the phenomenon: the same car was driven through a medium-speed corner in two configurations — new tread at the front and worn tread at the rear, then vice versa. With the better tyres at the rear, the car handled the test without difficulty. With worn tyres at the rear, it went into oversteer — a dangerous situation that the average driver finds extremely difficult to manage, in which the rear wheels lose grip and the car begins to spin. A situation that, on a wet road at high speed, can seriously compromise safety.

The reason is physical: if the rear loses grip, the driver has very little time and space to correct, and the manoeuvre is anything but instinctive (which is precisely why advanced driving courses are such a valuable tool for improving road safety). If the front loses grip instead, the car tends simply to run wide in a straight line — a behaviour far easier to manage by braking or lifting off the throttle. The lesson? If you need to choose on your car — perhaps because, for budget reasons, you prefer to change only two tyres at a time — the tyres in the best condition should always be fitted to the rear wheels, regardless of whether your car is front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. No exceptions.

Under-inflating tyres gives a smoother ride (and does no harm)

Tyre pressure is perhaps the most neglected aspect of car maintenance. Many drivers have not checked it in months, or believe that running slightly below the recommended pressure actually makes the ride softer and more comfortable. Modern technology helps: recent car models feature electronic systems that light up a dashboard warning light if tyre pressure is incorrect. According to experts, however, these systems can provide a false — or at best partial — sense of security, since they only intervene in the event of significant pressure loss and do not flag more modest drops, which nonetheless…

Have you ever wondered what happens when a tyre is inflated just 0.5 bar below the correct level? (To give you a sense of scale, the correct value typically falls between 2.0 and 3.0 bar, with slight variations for summer or winter tyres; the precise figure for your car can be found in the owner's manual.) The tests carried out showed that fuel consumption increases by between 12 and 15 per cent, with a direct impact on fuel costs and a rise in emissions. Not to mention that incorrectly inflated tyres wear unevenly and far more rapidly. The solution? Check pressure once a month, and always "cold" — that is, before setting off.

Can tyre wear be judged at a glance?

Not always. Let us explain. The legal minimum tread depth is set at 1.6 millimetres. But already at 3 millimetres, on a wet surface, braking performance drops significantly. The point is that with the naked eye — a quick glance as you walk past the wheel, as most of us would do (underestimating the issue in the process) — it is almost impossible to accurately assess the true condition of the tread. You need a dedicated gauge or the wear indicators built into the tyre itself (TWI, Tread Wear Indicator: small rubber projections positioned in the tread grooves that provide an immediate visual reference for assessing the level of tyre wear).

Although replacing tyres before they reach the legal wear limit might seem like a good idea, it is a costly choice that can have a negative environmental impact and is often unnecessary if there are no other reasons to do so, such as damage. However, when tyres reach a tread thickness of 1.6 millimetres, it is important to replace them as soon as possible — both to travel safely and to comply with the law and avoid fines.