Investigation of Criteria of Winter Tires Selection: How the Choice of Experts and Drivers Differs

When analyzing the technical condition of a vehicle, its interaction with the pavement, tires have a special significance, because this interaction takes place through the tires. This paper analyzes the criteria for experts and respondents to select passenger car tires for the winter season. The application of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods to determine the importance of criteria for the choice of tires for the winter season is performed. The study uses the developed questionnaire, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, rank correlations, and ARTIW methods. Descriptions and questionnaires of factors (criteria) for respondents and experts were compiled in the study, surveys of experts and respondents were conducted, as well as paired comparison matrices were used. The study identified what criteria are most important for respondents and experts when choosing passenger car tires for the winter season. After examining the significance of the groups of factors, the experts chose the technical characteristics of the tires as the most important group, and the respondents chose the brand of the tire manufacturer. Examining individual groups and factors it was found that the opinions of Lithuanian drivers and experts on many factors were quite similar, and no significant differences were found in the study.