The temperature’s dropping, so it’s time to think about switching to winter tyres

It’s official. No matter how you look at it, summer is finally over. We had a wonderful run of hot, sun-kissed days throughout the UK, but all good things must come to an end. If the winds and rain of Storm Ali weren’t a clear enough signal that those glorious days of summer are well and truly over, then perhaps the recent dramatic drop in temperature will be. Many of us have had to turn on the heating at home, such has been the change.

 

This change is also true for many UK motorists, as they begin to switch from summer to winter tyres.

 

Surprised? We’re not, since experience tells us that the majority of drivers mistakenly believe that winter tyres are just for snowy conditions. In fact, the really important reason to switch from summer to winter tyres is the noticeable drop in temperature. Once it gets as cold as 7°C and below, the usual summer tyres simply can’t perform at their optimum level, and that means they can’t provide you with the necessary grip to deliver shorter stopping distances – especially in wet driving conditions.

 

In an ideal world, winter tyres would be called ‘cold weather tyres’ – something that leading premium tyre manufacturer, Continental, are campaigning for. The reason why? They think it’s vital for motorists to better understand the reasons why changing to winter tyres, and why it’s essential for achieving optimal driver safety – something that the team at Asda Tyres agree with.

 

 

Summer and winter tyres – what’s the difference?

 

When it comes to summer and winter tyres, it’s all down to the compounds they’re made of. Summer and winter tyres are made from completely different combinations of natural and synthetic materials. The compounds used for winter tyres are engineered to be more flexible and subtle in colder temperatures. As a result, they can produce much better grip at temperatures of  7°C and below, compared to summer tyres.

 

And of course different tyre manufacturers develop their own specific combinations, and as a result, no two compounds are identical. This means that not all tyres are the same, and it’s the reason why some are by far superior to others. Premium tyre makers, like Continental, invest a considerable amount of money every year in R&D – research and development – in their quest to continually improve their tyre tread designs and compounds. Thanks to this annual spend, drivers benefit greatly, since it means the performance levels and safety characteristics of tyres are forever improving, keeping us all safer on the road.

 

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Simply put, high-quality premium tyre winter compounds, along with good tread depth, combine to help keep motorists safer on the road – especially in cold, wet driving conditions.

 

This commitment to driver safety is best represented by the best winter tyre – Continental’s now legendary WinterContact™ TS 860. Who says so? Leading UK car magazine and independent tyre tester, Auto Express, who have named the WinterContact™ TS 860 as their Winter Tyre Test Winner for 2018– the third straight year that they’ve awarded this much-coveted accolade to the tyre.

 

With the recent release of Continental’s even better WinterContact™ TS 860 S tyre, UK drivers who fit this masterpiece of winter tyre engineering will enjoy a safer driving experience with shorter stopping distances, superior road grip, and enhanced performance during the colder months.

 

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When to switch to winter tyres?

 

We all know how unpredictable the British weather can be, right? One moment it’s cold and foreboding, the next as warm and welcoming as a newborn lamb on a sunny spring day – then back again! These extreme temperatures make all the difference to the performance of both summer and winter tyres. Fitting winters while it’s still warm will not only adversely affect the tyres’ performance, it’ll also lead to poor rolling resistance – which can result in needing to spend more on fuel, as well as unnecessary tyre wear.

 

That’s why it’s important to ensure that you only switch to winter tyres when the temperature is settled at 7°C and below. When you start to notice the temperature settling at this level, keep monitoring developments, and once you’re confident that the cold period is here to stay, switch tyres. Likewise, when you feel the temperature getting consistently warmer – 7°C and above – change back to summer tyres.

 

Now some drivers may think this is a lot of trouble to go to, after all, who really wants the hassle of changing their tyres, right? At Asda Tyres, we empathise with this sentiment, but we also know from experience that the benefits of fitting the right equipment to your vehicle for the right driving conditions far outway the potentials risks of driving on tyres that may not provide you with the necessary grip – and shorter stopping distances – that you really need in the cold months.

 

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