This makes the tyre softer and therefore provides stable traction even in cold conditions. The interaction between summer tyres changes quickly depending on temperature; they become more rigid and offer less grip. Summer tyres are less flexible in the cold and offer inferior traction and braking performance.
This is even the case on a dry road. However: The softer the tyres, the greater the energy and petrol consumption, so your running costs can increase. Fillers, such as silica, and plasticisers, such as oils and resins, therefore play an essential part alongside the natural rubber.
The combination of individual components ultimately determines the hardness of the tyre and, therefore, whether it is a summer or winter tyre. More than new rubber mixtures are prepared, checked and tested every year. They must pass various tests — both in the laboratory and on test tracks — before being used in tyres. But even the best rubber compounds eventually become so hard that grip at low temperatures begins to decrease. Nowadays, you can expect a life span of six years at most.
Winter tyres are characterised by their deep tread thickness as well as their composition. The treads on winter tyres have wide, deep tread grooves which handle snow far better than summer tyres. When snow is compressed into the broad tread grooves, both the grip and propulsion of the car on snowy roads are enhanced. Nothing grips better to snow than snow itself. There are also numerous zigzag cutouts on the tread surface. These edges on winter tyres — also known as lamellae — help the deep tread depth do its thing.
By catching in the snow and ice, they enable more effective propulsion and improve contact with the ground. He was slamming on the brakes and trying to move the steering wheel, but we kept sliding. As it was a gentle hill we luckily came to a standstill before we hit the road without having to deal with any oncoming cars. But needless to say, we learned our lesson. Up here in Southern Ontario, winter tires definitely make a huge difference for me. The most significant difference I notice with winter tires is traction.
When I used to drive with all-season tires during winter, I would often slide around in my vehicle, especially while turning or accelerating. They are heavier and tend to use a bit more fuel in my car. But for me, safety is number 1, and that is why I prefer having winter tires for our Canadian winters. Winter tires generally have a better grip for wet and unstable conditions on the road. The car feels more stable whether driving at 20 mph or even 50 mph.
You need to feel in control when driving, and winter tires help during those harsh conditions in the winter months. Without a doubt, winter tires make driving in winter storms much safer.
Imagine if you wanted to slide across an ice skating rink. You would want something solid and hard underfoot. Winter tires make all the difference up here in New England.
It is not uncommon for us to see vehicles on the side of the road or in ditches because they lost control while driving. I am on the road every day for work, and It would be impossible for me to get around during a storm without reliable winter tires. They provide me with the proper traction and stopping power during a snow storm.
I had front-wheel drive SAABs from The cars always handled better in the winter with four snow tires than with four all-season radials. When we moved to a home with a steep incline driveway, it was nearly impossible for me to get out of the driveway on snowy mornings without snow tires.
Those tires work for most drives, but as soon as the temperature nears freezing, the advantages of having winter tires make the additional cost and effort worth it. At a recent winter tire test event sponsored by Tire Rack, it became evident to this tire novice just how big the gap is between all-season and winter tires when freezing temperatures come into play.
Having the chance to test-drive all-season tires and winter tires on slippery and icy surfaces back to back gave me a lot of perspective on the advantages of winter tires and why they're worth it. AWD is key here; many drivers believe that having a vehicle equipped with AWD is sufficient to deal with snow, slush, and ice. But I would soon find out that even an AWD vehicle equipped with all-season tires would quickly reach its limits when put in a dynamic situation in inclement winter weather.
Testing consisted of driving on ice and performing three different, seemingly innocuous tasks: accelerating over a foot span, braking to a halt from 12 mph, and navigating a corner at 11 mph. The results of the foot acceleration portion were similar, since the AWD system did much of the hard work, with times coming in at 3.
Driving impressions between the two small SUVs varied, though, with lots of wheelspin off the line on the all-season tires, whereas the winter tires seemed to pick up speed quicker. But it was the braking portion where the winter tires really outperformed the all-seasons. Braking from 12 mph down to a complete stop resulted in lots of ABS modulation for the vehicle equipped with all-season tires—with a stopping distance of 57 feet. Given that it took an extra 1.
What's more, stopping the RAV4 shod with all-season tires felt violent as the ABS engaged more often, compared to the winter-tire car ,which was more composed under full brake.
The cornering test consisted of a degree turn at a steady 11 mph. The winter-tire-equipped vehicle made the turn without losing traction. The car with the all-season tires lost traction and wanted to plow straight ahead—even after the stability control system kicked in and tried unsuccessfully to change the course. It was alarming to note the immediate loss of traction at such a slow cornering speed; the all-season tire simply gave up without much effort.
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