As compared to the summer season, the count of road accidents is more in winter. Thus, winter tyres must be used to protect both your family and yourself. You must be acquainted with various aspects of winter Tyres Blandford and must not use the winter tyres in the summer season.

You must know that too poor traction is offered by the tyres in the winter irrespective of if there is water, melted ice, melted snow or snow on the road. The tyres exhibit inefficient performance in the winter season.

When the tyres roll on an icy road, the ice gets melted due to the friction between the tyre and the road. This forms a slippery and thin layer of water under the tyres. For dispersing the water effectively, the winter tyres contain tiny lamellas installed in their design. This minimizes the aquaplaning risk and ensures more stability on wet roads.

Shorter braking distance and more traction are offered by the winter tyres as compared to the summer tyres. This is because the winter tyres contain differing tread compounds and deep tread. A test was conducted on icy ground. 68m was the braking distance offered by the summer tyres at a speed of 30 miles/h whereas 57 m was the braking distance in winter tyres. This difference proved to be quite effective in preventing an accident.

A special softer rubber compound is used to make the winter tyres. Silica is also added to this rubber, which offers a better grip at low temperatures and creates very little noise on the road. The winter tyres, unlike the summer tyres, don’t get harder at low temperatures. Thus, using the winter tyres when the temperature level goes below +7°C is recommended even though the road doesn’t have snow or ice on it. The use of winter tyres has been made compulsory by the law in many countries.

When you talk of winter tyres, you think of snow or ice-covered roads. People living in the chilled climatic regions or loving weekend adventures during winter get benefitted from this.

The tyre remains pliable with the help of the winter tread’s rubber compounds. When the temperature gets very low or goes below the freezing point, these treads offer good traction.

All-season tyres are the best option if you live in a region experiencing heavy rainfall every time. The all-season tyres usually concentrate on hydroplaning or wet performance.

The winter tyres, unlike the all-season tyres, have certain rubber compounds. These rubber compounds decrease the temperature of the glass transition. The glass transition temperature is the point at which the rubber becomes brittle.

For absorbing the moisture content into the tyre tread, microscopic pores are used by certain reputed tyre manufacturers. The features of the studless winter tyres enable them to stay in ice contact rather than exhibiting hydroplaning across a thin water layer.

Here are few suggestions regarding winter driving and winter tyres:

  • Tyres having microscopic pores in their design must be opted for. The thin water layer between the ice and winter tyre is removed by these pores improving the grip.
  • If you are one who likes skiing on weekends or lives in a region with freezing temperatures, you must consider the winter tyres.
  • The tyre inflation must not be reduced to improve the traction on ice or snow. Your tyres have been designed to work efficiently at a particular pressure level mentioned in the owner’s manual.
  • A second wheelset must be bought for storing and mounting winter tyres.
  • Stopping in icy or snowy conditions is not improved by the all-wheel drive. A better grip can be provided by the winter tyres so that the vehicle driver gets improved traction from the four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle.
  • Mounting the winter tyres on all four wheels are wise. Vehicle turning or oversteering while curving may occur if you don’t mount winter tyres on both rear and the front axle.
  • For summer and winter weather, the all-season tires are designed but, they are not meant for freezing temperatures regions. In contrast, rubber compounds are used in the winter tyres that increase the grip of the tyres on ice and don’t allow the Continental Tyres Blandford to get hard.