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.

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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.

State of Readiness: Are Winter Car Tyres Worth Having?

Great Britain has a temperate climate. That no one seems to have told the climate about this is by the by: the sort of conditions we experience every year are officially classified as being ‘temperate’. Yet facts are facts and like all of us, our car tyres have to cope with markedly different climatic conditions. In high summer, the mercury can hit the 30-degree mark, in midwinter, it can fall well below zero. Can a single set of tyres handle this? Let’s find out.

In winter, accidents increase by a less-than-modest 267 per cent. This begs the question of what is a winter tyre? More appropriately, what is it about winter tyres that make a difference? Car tyres conform to a given set of physical characteristics – they must, to be safe, legal and functional. However certain elements among these characteristics can be ‘tweaked’ and it is these differences that make a winter tyre.

The first tweak is to the tyre’s compound, the mix of rubber used in its construction. Water freezes when the ambient temperature is low. Car tyres don’t freeze but they harden, especially when the temperature falls to under seven degrees Centigrade. Winter tyres have a softer compound through containing more natural rubber than conventional tyres and this improves their grip in cold conditions. This specifically softer tread element gives a significant reduction in stopping distance. It also has a knock-on effect in performance terms. Because winter tyres offer superior grip, your car’s cornering, acceleration and braking benefit, as does your confidence.

The next point contains a paradox. After all, isn’t it true that car tyres with a softer compound will wear faster? In a word, no. In fact, conventional tyres have a particularly hard time in winter, pun intended. In practice, they wear out up to 20 per cent faster in cold conditions, so winter tyres can save you money. Some suggest that winter tyres’ enhanced grip means that your car’s engine has less work to do than with conventional tyres, so that fuel economy is also enhanced. This may be a moot point but a Finnish tyre maker says of its winter product, ‘Lower fuel consumption by lower rolling resistance, shorter braking distance on wet road, stronger aquaplaning protection and better snow grip are its benefits.’

The final point concerns noise. Winter tyres have a more open tread pattern, the better to clear away mud, snow and ice. This might suggest they give increased road noise when in use. However, most manufacturers claim that their winter tyres are as quiet and comfortable as normal tyres. This makes sense, as the tread compound is significantly softer.

So, are winter tyres a worthwhile investment? The above suggests that they are. Ideally, it would be best to have two sets of tyres, one set for summer use and one set for when the climate forgets to be ‘temperate’. The bottom line is still more telling. Given the use of grit and salt on the roads during a UK winter, it would make a lot of sense to acquire not only a set of winter tyres but also a set of ‘winter wheels’!

Merityre are a leading UK independent supplier of car tyres. Why not visit their website at www.merityre.co.uk and see where you can buy your next set of tyres.