Car tyres? Pretty much of a muchness, aren’t they? The one-word answer is ‘no’. There are many different kinds of tyre and here are six types used with road cars.
The most commonly-fitted type of car tyre is known as a standard, or all-season tyre. Such tyres are essentially a compromise. They work well enough in both wet and dry conditions, last for a fairly long time and aren’t too noisy on normal road surfaces. A jack of all trades and therefore a master of none? You may think so but in practice, standard car tyres work well for a lot of customers. There are some sub-divisions within this classification. Some car tyres are claimed to give better fuel economy, for example. These nevertheless remain under the ‘standard tyre’ banner.
So, when might you need non-standard tyres? Winter is a good example. Winter tyres come into their own when there’s snow and ice to be tackled. These car tyres have coarse tread patterns, the better to keep the treads clear of snow and ice. Less obviously, they contain rubber compounds and structures that remain flexible at lower temperatures, which enhances performance and roadholding. On the downside, they are noisy and, in normal conditions, wear out faster than standard tyres. For this reason, some people have a set of winter wheels to go with their winter tyres.
A car tyre that performs well in cold weather is totally different from a performance tyre. These, sometimes called ‘summer tyres’, are made of softer compounds, to offer superior grip. As well as having impressive marked speed ratings, such car tyres can cope with the demands of more powerful, faster cars. To do this, they trade wear rate for performance – they don’t last as long as lesser rubberware, and they abhor cold conditions.
As their name implies, run-flat tyres can be used even after suffering a puncture. Such car tyres achieve this with the imposition of a specific distance and speed up to which they can safely be used. Space-saver tyres are a cousin of run-flat tyres. The take up less space in the car but when fitted, must be used with similar restrictions on speed and distance.
What about the still less friendly conditions we might encounter? Enter the all-terrain tyre. For use on such surfaces as gravel and sand, these are particularly tough customers with very bold tread patterns. They have stiffer sidewalls, and the kind of structure that can handle potholes and debris on the road. The car tyre for all seasons? Not really. Sturdy? Yes. Long-lived? Yes? Quiet? Definitely not!
Similarly, mud tyres have an extremely large tread block pattern and are suitable for use only in muddy conditions. Car tyres of this kind are often used on those four-wheel drive vehicles that are actually taken on rough roads; this includes 4×4s that specifically go off-road regularly. The ‘Chelsea Tractor’ that does the school run doesn’t need them.
As should be obvious, the type of tyres you choose depends entirely on the use to which they will be put. Your local Merityre staff will happily give you a professional opinion on what type will be best for your needs.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Friday, 12 October 2012
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Winter Wisdom. Meeting Bad Weather Car Tyre Challenges
The usual seasonal symptoms are back again. In the UK, winter presents a series of tough tests for car tyres. As well as your tyres, it is you who are on test – drivers, rather than cars, generally cause accidents. Here are some salient points about winter driving…
Snow and Ice
A mountain climber's crampons, the tracks on a Caterpillar tractor, the toothed drive belt on a snowmobile…certain things are made to grip on snow and ice. Since (with some exceptions) you can't fit such things on your car, you have to cope, using the tyres your car usually wears. There is, however an option. When the temperature drops, your usual tyres will lose flexibility. Winter car tyres are designed to retain their flexibility at lower temperatures, so it makes sense to invest in a set. Motorists are discovering that such car tyres really do offer significantly enhanced grip and control, and using them on a set of (preferably steel) 'winter wheels' will preserve your usual alloy wheels from the ravages of salt and grit.
What are the exceptions? Countries with permafrost can be home to car tyres with studs. In the UK, seriously bad conditions can trigger the use of snow chains. A new item occupies the middle ground. Snow socks are car tyre covers made of a tough, woven material. Easier to fit and quieter than chains, they can be useful when drivers are caught out by unexpected snowfalls. Bear in mind that they will wear out in no time on tarmac.
Rain
When it isn't quite cold enough to snow, rain and sleet present car tyre challenges of their own. Reduced visibility is a foregone conclusion but don't forget that wet weather compromises grip. Your car tyres will move surface water but a wet surface remains relatively slippery. Remember to leave more room between you and the vehicle in front, to allow for increased braking distances.
Flooding
Lots of rain can lead to flooding. Standing water can be dangerous. When your car tyres hit it, you'll feel the steering wheel pulling in response. At worst, your tyres may aquaplane. When the tyres ride on the surface of the water, suspiciously light steering signals radically reduced grip. If you feel this, lift off the throttle and slow down until the grip returns.
If you encounter a flood, remember that negotiating it requires care. Keep to the crown of the road, where the water will be shallower, and look out for the white line. This will help you gauge the depth of the water. While you can trust your tyres, remember that your engine, if it sucks in water, will be wrecked. Keep the engine revs up to help stop the exhaust inhaling water. However, if you are in any doubt whatsoever about the depth of the water, use another route.
Fog
In thick fog, you're bound to suffer loss of visibility. Your car tyres won't suddenly offer greater grip just because you notice that you're hurtling towards the back of stationary truck. So drive as fast as you can see, and no faster. Remember to use your windscreen wipers and washers often in fog; your screen can collect water and grime surprisingly quickly, further reducing visibility.
In winter, the watchword is caution. Even on winter car tyres, grip will be compromised to some extent by bad weather. Should the visibility and grip be truly awful, simply put your feet up by the fire and live to drive another day.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
Snow and Ice
A mountain climber's crampons, the tracks on a Caterpillar tractor, the toothed drive belt on a snowmobile…certain things are made to grip on snow and ice. Since (with some exceptions) you can't fit such things on your car, you have to cope, using the tyres your car usually wears. There is, however an option. When the temperature drops, your usual tyres will lose flexibility. Winter car tyres are designed to retain their flexibility at lower temperatures, so it makes sense to invest in a set. Motorists are discovering that such car tyres really do offer significantly enhanced grip and control, and using them on a set of (preferably steel) 'winter wheels' will preserve your usual alloy wheels from the ravages of salt and grit.
What are the exceptions? Countries with permafrost can be home to car tyres with studs. In the UK, seriously bad conditions can trigger the use of snow chains. A new item occupies the middle ground. Snow socks are car tyre covers made of a tough, woven material. Easier to fit and quieter than chains, they can be useful when drivers are caught out by unexpected snowfalls. Bear in mind that they will wear out in no time on tarmac.
Rain
When it isn't quite cold enough to snow, rain and sleet present car tyre challenges of their own. Reduced visibility is a foregone conclusion but don't forget that wet weather compromises grip. Your car tyres will move surface water but a wet surface remains relatively slippery. Remember to leave more room between you and the vehicle in front, to allow for increased braking distances.
Flooding
Lots of rain can lead to flooding. Standing water can be dangerous. When your car tyres hit it, you'll feel the steering wheel pulling in response. At worst, your tyres may aquaplane. When the tyres ride on the surface of the water, suspiciously light steering signals radically reduced grip. If you feel this, lift off the throttle and slow down until the grip returns.
If you encounter a flood, remember that negotiating it requires care. Keep to the crown of the road, where the water will be shallower, and look out for the white line. This will help you gauge the depth of the water. While you can trust your tyres, remember that your engine, if it sucks in water, will be wrecked. Keep the engine revs up to help stop the exhaust inhaling water. However, if you are in any doubt whatsoever about the depth of the water, use another route.
Fog
In thick fog, you're bound to suffer loss of visibility. Your car tyres won't suddenly offer greater grip just because you notice that you're hurtling towards the back of stationary truck. So drive as fast as you can see, and no faster. Remember to use your windscreen wipers and washers often in fog; your screen can collect water and grime surprisingly quickly, further reducing visibility.
In winter, the watchword is caution. Even on winter car tyres, grip will be compromised to some extent by bad weather. Should the visibility and grip be truly awful, simply put your feet up by the fire and live to drive another day.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Winter of Discontent…Beat it with Winter Tyres
Last night's frost warning was a harbinger of the approach of winter. Here in the UK, we should be used to harsh conditions. However, give us an inch (of snow) and the miles aren't covered…the country tends to come to a grinding halt. Is there a solution? Well, the increasingly popular winter car tyres may help.
This begs a question: are winter tyres genuinely useful or are they just a way of extracting more money from we motorists? Let's see.
Recommended in Andorra, Italy, Norway and Switzerland, winter tyres are compulsory in Austria, Germany and Sweden and mandatory in Finland. These rules naturally apply on snow-covered roads and/or during the snow season. Often, there is the distinction that the tyres must be marked 'M&S' (no, not Marks and Spencer, the marking stands for 'Mud and Snow'.) Newer snow tyres may have a symbol of a snowflake in front of a mountain. Currently, the distinction between winter and snow tyres is a touch unclear. A good tyre bay will advise you of the exact designation and specification.
In fact, specification is what winter tyres are all about. Car tyres in general are made in much the same way but the rubber compounds used and the tread patterns vary. Winter tyres are made with a high silica content. The probable tread pattern has two tricks up its sleeve. One is a more aggressive tread pattern than 'summer' car tyres. This is present to enhance grip.
The winter car tyre tread's second line of defence involves a winter tyre key word, flexibility. When ordinary tyres have to work in temperatures below 7 degrees centigrade, they stiffen up in the cold conditions. In winter tyres, the compound and tread pattern both improve flexibility.
The benefit of winter tyres is that they give better grip in cold conditions, in rain as well as when snow and ice are about. There are plenty of subjective reports concerning car tyres and most of those concerning winter tyres are favourable. In some cases, cars found to be pretty hopeless in snow are transformed!
Are winter tyres the car tyres for all seasons? Their name offers a huge clue here. Summer tyres will outperform winter ones on dry roads and in reasonable temperatures, and winter tyres, having a softer compound, will naturally wear faster. This suggests following the lead of many continental drivers. They have two sets of tyres, one for winter, one for summer.
This brings us, in turn, to a potentially superior arrangement, which is also popular on the continent and in some cases is a legal requirement. Generally speaking, car tyres can handle most road conditions. However, in the depths of winter, the environment down at road level can be especially harsh. Car tyres may be able to cope with the salt and grit that gives some winter grip but our alloy wheels can suffer. Many popular cars have base models that wear steel wheels. One solution is to have a set of winter tyres on these. A set of steel wheels, with winter tyres, balanced and ready to roll can be fitted when the thermometer starts to plummet. With these 'winter wheels' fitted, your car can take on whatever the season has to throw at it, while your pristine summer wheels can live in cool, dark storage, ready for Spring. Bear in mind that suitable wheel nuts/bolts will have to be factored into the equation.
What's the bottom line? Assuming you need to use your car in the off season, winter car tyres are worth the investment.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
This begs a question: are winter tyres genuinely useful or are they just a way of extracting more money from we motorists? Let's see.
Recommended in Andorra, Italy, Norway and Switzerland, winter tyres are compulsory in Austria, Germany and Sweden and mandatory in Finland. These rules naturally apply on snow-covered roads and/or during the snow season. Often, there is the distinction that the tyres must be marked 'M&S' (no, not Marks and Spencer, the marking stands for 'Mud and Snow'.) Newer snow tyres may have a symbol of a snowflake in front of a mountain. Currently, the distinction between winter and snow tyres is a touch unclear. A good tyre bay will advise you of the exact designation and specification.
In fact, specification is what winter tyres are all about. Car tyres in general are made in much the same way but the rubber compounds used and the tread patterns vary. Winter tyres are made with a high silica content. The probable tread pattern has two tricks up its sleeve. One is a more aggressive tread pattern than 'summer' car tyres. This is present to enhance grip.
The winter car tyre tread's second line of defence involves a winter tyre key word, flexibility. When ordinary tyres have to work in temperatures below 7 degrees centigrade, they stiffen up in the cold conditions. In winter tyres, the compound and tread pattern both improve flexibility.
The benefit of winter tyres is that they give better grip in cold conditions, in rain as well as when snow and ice are about. There are plenty of subjective reports concerning car tyres and most of those concerning winter tyres are favourable. In some cases, cars found to be pretty hopeless in snow are transformed!
Are winter tyres the car tyres for all seasons? Their name offers a huge clue here. Summer tyres will outperform winter ones on dry roads and in reasonable temperatures, and winter tyres, having a softer compound, will naturally wear faster. This suggests following the lead of many continental drivers. They have two sets of tyres, one for winter, one for summer.
This brings us, in turn, to a potentially superior arrangement, which is also popular on the continent and in some cases is a legal requirement. Generally speaking, car tyres can handle most road conditions. However, in the depths of winter, the environment down at road level can be especially harsh. Car tyres may be able to cope with the salt and grit that gives some winter grip but our alloy wheels can suffer. Many popular cars have base models that wear steel wheels. One solution is to have a set of winter tyres on these. A set of steel wheels, with winter tyres, balanced and ready to roll can be fitted when the thermometer starts to plummet. With these 'winter wheels' fitted, your car can take on whatever the season has to throw at it, while your pristine summer wheels can live in cool, dark storage, ready for Spring. Bear in mind that suitable wheel nuts/bolts will have to be factored into the equation.
What's the bottom line? Assuming you need to use your car in the off season, winter car tyres are worth the investment.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
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