Did you know that according to the Department of Transport Road Accident Statistics, the number of accidents caused by wet road conditions increases in winter by 267%?
The photo below suggests a close call.
It is mistakenly thought that winter tyres are for use only on snow and ice. Winter tyres are designed to be used in low temperature conditions (below 7°C). They provide better grip in these conditions and are much better in the snow than normal summer tyres.
Why are they better?
Winter tyres have a larger percentage of natural rubber in the compound to stop it from hardening as much as synthetic rubber does in cold conditions. This allows them to provide better grip in wet and dry conditions; the critical factor being the low temperature, ideal for long periods of winter weather i.e. British weather.
The winter tyre test:
Tirerack tested the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 winter tyre against the Bridgestone RE050A ultra high performance summer tyre in icy conditions. From just 10mph the winter tyre stopped in 6.4 metres, while the summer tyre needed more than twice the distance to stop at over 14 metres. Imagine the difference from 30 mph.
Benefits of winter tyres
Increased road grip in low temperature conditions compared to summer tyres, this will also result in shorter stopping distances
Money will be saved due to better fuel economy as the tyres will grip better and reduce the amount of tyre wear, prolonging tyre life
Using the right tyres in their associated conditions will result in less tyre wear, saving on tyre wear for your summer tyres and thus saving money
Road safety brownie points – okay this may not be of any value but winter tyres will reduce the chances of a car crash which surely holds no value
There are other wet weather tyres
All season tyres are designed to work throughout the year – put simply they are a bit of both and not as popular in the UK which suffers extreme conditions in its summer and winter season.
Snow tyres are designed largely for one reason, for use in snow and ice. They are often used in extreme snow fall conditions, rarely seen in the UK compared to other parts of the world. The rubber is embedded with metal studs, biting into the snow and ice to provide grip.
What are the UK and Europe laws
In parts of Europe there are laws relating to the use of winter tyres, in particularly Sweden where it is clearly apparent they are required. However, the amount of people using them only went up after legislation was introduced during 1999.
The UK is lagging behind and the promotion hasn’t been great, however with the severe weather conditions suffered in the previous winter, it is clear that the awareness has taken a step forward.
There have however been growing conversations around the use of winter tyres:
“The NTDA is a founder member of an organisation called CETRO (Committee for European Tyre Retailing Organisations) which was set up a couple of years ago. CETRO, through its honorary secretary, Ruud Spuijbroek, has been lobbying within the European Commission for a change in tyre laws, including the acceptance that winter tyres are safer to use in the winter months.”
The law vs advice from the tyre industry
There is still an issue of tread depth with recommendations saying one thing and the law saying another: According to the AA’s Richard Freeman, in wintry conditions, “it’s true that to be safe you’re better off with 3mm or more.” But as far as Mr Freeman and the AA are concerned, “a change to a 3mm legal minimum would in our view lead to an unacceptable extra cost to drivers, as tyres with tread between 2mm and 3mm are still perfectly serviceable for normal driving for the majority of the year. We recommend a change at 2mm, as beyond that point performance drops off markedly.”
Another issue which we have seen pop up from time to time is incorrectly inflated tyres which can have various impacts not just on road safety but fuel economy.
The main factors surrounding winter tyres
There can be an overall increased cost in the short term, for a start you will have to buy a set of winter tyres and store the summer tyres in the mean time. This means fitting at least twice a year, and storing tyres all year round. Do the costs outweigh the benefits?
They have been tested to provide better grip and reduce stopping distances. With this they improve road safety and can help save money with better fuel economy and reducing tyre wear on a set of summer tyres.
There is no shortage with all major manufactures like Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental providing tyres along with many local tyre fitting services to help with the transition.
Source: tyreblog.co.uk
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