Eclipse Autos Advice On Summer And Winter Tyres – Should I Use Them ?
What Is The Difference Between Summer And Winter Tyres?
Winter tyres perform best in temperatures below +7 degrees C.
Summer tyres perform best in temperatures above +7 degrees C.
Here are a few advice words from our vehicle technicians at Eclipse Autos Based in Bletchley.
Most cars are fitted with all-season tyres, and many higher performance cars are fitted with stickier summer tyres. These simply do not match the performance of a dedicated winter tyre, with wet weather grip and stopping distances being noticeably worse. Grip in the snow is also much better with a dedicated winter tyre. Cars that struggle with grip in the snow (rear wheel drive vehicles, heavy vehicles, etc) will often notice a night and day difference with the correct winter tyre.
Are your summer tyres much safer when it’s warm ?
Why? Because summer tyres are made with compounds which are specifically designed for use in temperatures above 7°C. However, if you use them below this temperature – which most drivers do – they quickly harden. As a result their driving properties diminish rapidly.
Busting the myth that winter tyres are for driving on snow
When you think about it properly it suddenly makes sense. Snow is not the main reason why millions of drivers across northern Europe change to winter tyres every year. Sure, while in some instances they might get a more of it, it doesn’t snow continuously from October to March in Holland, Germany or Belgium either.
So why do we change to winter tyres? They do it because the rubber compounds used for winter tyres make driving safer when the temperature is 7°C or colder. And in the instance that it does snow, winter tyres are much better helping you cope with adverse weather conditions than summer tyres ever can be, allowing you to continue to drive safely, or at least to safety. It’s no coincidence that with so many drivers using summer tyres in winter time, the UK grinds to a halt.
Unfortunately, because we don’t get heavy snow fall that often in the UK, we as a nation are simply not switched on to the idea of changing tyres in the winter. We mistakenly think winter tyres are snow tyres, sometimes to our cost.
At Eclipse Autos in Bletchley we offer full checks on your tyres, And also a full range of all year tyres and also summer and winter tyres.
We stock most Leading brands including Pirelli, Bridgestone, Firestone, Michelin Plus Other Brands.
