Traction Tyres
02 April 2019
Our April Members Meeting was held at Traction Tyres in Rowville. A good turn out of members assembled for the evening and after sharing news and upcoming event information, Jo Mawson introduced more new members who were attending their first meeting. It was great to able to welcome these people into the Club and share stories about our common interest in the BMW Marque.
Pizza and soft drinks set us up for the main event of the evening. The owner and manager of Traction Tyres is Andrew McCathie, who has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business, but also in motorsport. Andrew has competed in various levels of tarmac rallying and other motorsport disciplines. He has a wealth of knowledge gained over many years of involvement with pit crews and with people at the cutting edge of tyre design and management in his role of tyre supplier.
Andrew explained the history and development of cross ply then radial road and competition tyres, and how the currently available tyre types are so very complex, yet so suited for their various purposes (including club level competition). Andrew de-mystified the tyre nomenclature markings that have confused most of us until tonight. His insight and readiness to share his extensive knowledge was greatly appreciated by all. Tyre temperature, pressures and wall flex data were discussed in detail – subjects that have baffled and perplexed most of us in the past.
Of interest me was Andrew’s discussion around the newly released Yokahama ‘hybrid’ road/competition tyre. These tyres offer a compromise for normal road use and occasional tarmac competition use. These are the Yokahama Advan Neova AD08 tyre. When I first became aware of these tyres during a discussion with Graeme Bell, I thought they could be a good option for me. I wasn’t keen to buy and maintain full track tyres for club sprint days, but at the same time I didn’t want to continue using road tyres on the track following a bit of an ‘off’ at Philip Island T12 last year. Graeme informed me of Traction Tyres Rowville involvement with our club as a sprint sponsor, so I contacted them to discuss the Yokahama hybrids.
Andrew and his staff really looked after me in every respect – explaining the product, arranging a fitting/balancing time to suit me (I drove up from the Mornington Peninsula and was on a tight schedule) and making sure I was happy following my purchase. I was very pleased with the price – much less than I initially expected. I had 205/50R 15s fitted to my 1984 E30 323i. I bought five tyres.
I have used the AD08s only once on track, and that was on a very wet day at Haunted Hills. I did notice a huge improvement in grip from my previous tyres. I drove my car to this event early in the morning on a dry freeway and I can say the handling of my E30 was much better than before I changed to the AD08s. We had only two dry runs on the track, and both showed how much better my car handles now. I am looking forward to seeing how we go at Sandown next month.
A great night of new and valuable knowledge for us all. I can say from first hand experience that Andrew and his staff stand by their product and offer excellent advice on any tyre questions you may still have.
Jim Tucker | Member #26
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
