Winter Tyres

Monday, 4 January 2021

Winter Tyres, can be used all year round. However winter tyres really come into their own during winter conditions.

We have a full range of tyres in stock now. Don’t get bogged down in the snow again this year get ready for winter.

Winter tyres are also known as Cold Weather Tyres, and they have many benefits including better grip and significantly shorter stopping distances in wet and dry conditions when temperatures drop below 7°C.

The compounds in winter tyres contain a higher level of natural rubber which, when combined with a tread pattern containing many more sipes (small slits in a tyre), helps to minimise the hardening effects experienced by conventional car tyres at lower temperatures.

This allows the tyre in winter to bond better with the road surface giving a higher level of safety and grip with stopping distances up to 10% less in the wet and up to 20% less on snow.

What are the benefits of winter tyres and what do they actually do? View Video

AA: The compound used to make cold weather tyres contains silica which helps the tyre remain flexible at low temperatures (below seven degrees centigrade).

The tread pattern is designed to be self-cleaning (the movement of the tread blocks squeezes out the snow) so the tread doesn’t get blocked up with snow.

There are more sipes (these are the tiny slits in the tread blocks which improve grip by providing lots of extra ‘edges’ which can bite onto the road surface). Cold weather tyres provide much better grip and greatly reduce stopping distances.

RAC: The main benefit is the improved handling and braking efficiency (reduced braking distances) you can expect to get from them.

However, for them to be effective the temperature needs to be below around seven degrees centigrade. This leads to safer motoring and hopefully reduction in the risk of skid.

They do not guarantee the prevention of a skid, or getting stuck in snow, which some buyers might imagine. They should be thought of as winter or cold weather tyres, not snow tyres.