While everyone else was drooling over the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports’s jaw dropping 267 mph (431 km/h) performance on the BBC’s Top Gear program, Tyres & Accessories was observing the tire geek angle.

At those kinds of speeds, even the best tires simply don’t last very long.

During his report, Top Gear host James May pointed out that Bugatti engineers had told him the car’s tires lasted for around 37 miles at speeds of up to 258 mph (414 km/h). At speeds beyond this, however, the tires’ life expectancy is somewhat more opaque: “Ask an admiral how deep his submarine goes,” Top Gear’s May was told.

Back in January T&A reported that a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Pax System 245/690R520 A (front) and 365/710 R 540 A (rear) tires on the standard Veyron will set you back roughly £23,500 and that a service could costs as much as £43,416.

But with that in mind, thanks to Top Gear’s economically-minded Captain Slow (James May), you now have the opportunity to appreciate the vast cost of running a car like this at the limit. At top speeds the tires alone cost something like 50 pence (roughly 78 cents in U.S. dollars) a meter. (Tyres & Accessories)