[glypo]

I think you are underestimating massively the complexity of material testing. You can't measure properties using tyres, you need test samples. This needs to be done within the companies themselves.

When tyres are made, test samples are also made using the same rubber. These compounds are of suitable size to use in material testing machines. A durometer (to measure shore hardness) is just one of many pieces of test apperatus required. The modulus, and also (perhaps surprisingly) the yield and tensile are quite important to in tyre dynamics.

Therefore the proper practice is to mould the testing samples, check their material properties and make sure they are in suitable tolerance with their own defined standards. This is also done at the end, and at any number of intervals that is felt appropriate during the batch. If any are found out of material tolerance, all tyres between that and the previous point should be scraped and the the problem rectified and the process continues.

This is how it should be done, and as you can see there is very little you can do as a consumer. Or anyone else, like shops for that matter. I will admit I've never used a durometer (shore), but when I've tested rubbers and soft polymers it has been using the appropriate version of the Vickers and Rockwell tests. However I'm sure the same limitations apply with the shore hardness, that you will need appropriate test samples and not the final product (tyre). Even things like environmental temperature and humidity can affect the materials, so tests need to be done under control conditions in the factory.

Who knows, the companies might already be doing this, but there could be mix-ups else where, such as in packaging as mentioned previously. Either way self testing tyres is not practical or possible, and would undoubtedly cause more problems then it solves. You wouldn't be able to get data from the companies to compare against either, the material properties define the compound, which is data sensitive to the company. If you were a tyre company, you wouldn't want the competition knowing your compound would you?

Therefore I would suggest people urge the companies to take into account better quality control if they are having problems, rather than self testing/regulation. And by the sounds of things one company is listening at least, with Schumacher developing this new tyre to improve quality. The BRCA is everyone's organisation, and perhaps even the threat of a change in control tyre could be enough to persuade a company to improve their practices.