All about winter tyres
As the cold weather approaches, many of us will begin to turn our attention to preparing our cars for the months ahead. With wet and icy conditions on the cards, one of the most important parts of winter car maintenance is your tyres.
As the parts of your car in contact with the road, their readiness to deal with whatever the conditions present is important, and for many, this means swapping their regular tyres to winter versions.
How do winter tyres work?
Offering maximum grip, winter tyres are made of softer stuff than their ‘summer’ counterparts, with extra grooves (known as sipes) cut into them that run deeper too, designed to adequately tackle wet or icy surfaces. The compound they’re manufactured using stays softer at lower temperatures, making it less likely to harden and slip dangerously.
Your winter tyres will also include a clever rubber block that vibrates, shaking snow and debris free of the tyre. This differs to ordinary tyres in that they would otherwise get clogged, reducing their grip on the road - and you don’t need that when you hit snow and ice!
What’s the difference between winter, summer and all-season tyres?
Winter tyres, as we’ve discussed, have a deeper tread and softer compound, designed to make your vehicle as grippy as possible.
Summer tyres are firmer, with a standard grip suited to warmer, dryer conditions.
All-season tyres are your all-rounders, with a mid level tread that can adapt to both spring and summer road conditions, as well as the wet, cold and leaf-covered road surfaces of the colder months.
Storing winter tyres
As you can imagine, storing your winter tyres yourself is a little inconvenient, not to mention potentially damaging to the tyres themselves. In order to keep them at optimum performance the next time you use them, it’s recommended that the tyres are kept clean, in a well ventilated environment and away from extremes of temperature. Many service centres offer a ‘tyre hotel’ type service for a small fee, which saves you the hassle - and the space!
The safety benefits of winter tyres are obvious, but you’ll also go through summer tyres at a slower rate too. If you want the best chance of sticking to the road over the winter, though the rain, ice, snow, and even the fallen leaves, winter tyres are definitely an investment to consider.