Extra benefits of cold weather tyres.

Drivers who took the precaution of fitting cold weather tyres to their vehicle last autumn will continue to benefit from safer driving long after the snow falls melt away.

With more natural rubber in the tyre tread compound than standard ‘summer tyres’, they provide significantly shorter stopping distances in cold, wet and icy conditions.

“There is a misconception that cold weather tyres are not appropriate for drivers in the UK,” explained Stuart Jackson, the chairman of TyreSafe. “However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Cold weather tyres provide much better grip in both wet and dry conditions when the temperature falls below seven degrees, so they offer extra safety typically from October through to March. These tyres also have different tread patterns from ‘summer’ tyres making them more able to cope with snowy conditions.”

Intensive testing undertaken by the Continental Tyre Group has shown that a vans braking distance when travelling at 30mph in icy conditions increases by up to 31%. The average extra distance a van will travel when braking on standard tyres versus cold weather tyres is 13 metres while a car-derived van will travel a further 8m – an increase of 23%.