After 5 years living and driving in Germany I am always surprised to come back to England are still living in the dark ages in many area of the world. One particular area which always surprises me is our attitude to winter driving and in particular that of winter tyres. I topical issue in snow covered England at the moment I thought I’d search out a bit of literature for you to read and I stumbled across this article from www.caranddriving.com.
After 5 years of driving with winter tyres in Germany I can confirm the benifits are huge and saftey is dramatically improved – and at the end of the day we all want to get home safley!
Anyway here is the article from www.caranddriving.com:
Most think winter tyres are only good for the occasions when the roads are covered with snow and ice but, as Continental demonstrates, the latest models are a whole lot more versatile
In many other European countries it is a common practice for drivers to fit cold weather tyres in late Autumn and revert back to Summer tyres in the late Spring. So why is this not the case in the UK?
Ask any British driver about cold weather tyres and their answer is likely to relate in some way to snow or ice-covered roads. Ask a British driver how often they encounter snow or ice and the answer is likely to range from very infrequently to occasionally, depending upon where they are located in the British Isles. Continental has produced some intriguing statistics in the development of their ContWinterContact range of tyres that are well worth consideration.
The perception that winter tyres only give benefits on snow or ice is years out of date as modern rubber compound technology and advances in tread pattern design mean the modern day winter tyre also provides higher levels of road safety on cold and damp road surfaces too. Much progress has been made over the last twenty-five years and tyre technology is now at a very advanced level. New vehicle concepts, combined with tyres ideally adapted to requirements, have made driving noticeably safer today. The benefits are persuasive – substantially increased mileage performance, less weight, reduced rolling resistance and considerably shorter braking distances on both wet and dry roads all speak for themselves.
“The number of accidents caused by wet road conditions increases in winter by a massive 267 per cent”
As vehicle design and technology has advanced, tyre design has had to do the same but it is unreasonable to expect one tyre type to provide high safety levels with temperature ranges such as +30 oC to -15 oC, both of which have been experienced in Britain during 2003. This is why specialist tyres have been developed over many years. To enable them to develop their potential to the full, there is one crucial aspect – they have to have balanced characteristics.
Ambient temperature is a deciding factor on which tyre type provides the highest safety for road users. It is Continental’s view that most drivers will adapt driving styles when snow is on the ground and when temperatures drop below zero degrees. Why? Because such conditions are either very visible or very apparent to the driver. However, cold damp road conditions visibly are no different to damp conditions in the warmer months, hence drivers will tend not to adjust driving style to suit, therefore it is potentially these latter road conditions which present the highest risks. Research shows these potentially hazardous conditions are most likely to be encountered when the ambient temperature drops below 7oC, which in the UK means between October and April. Also of interest is the frequency of vehicle damage insurance claims which increases sharply with the onset of the cold season.
On damp or wet roads, tyres grip differently – and the braking distance is substantially longer. Which means the question of the right tyres and the temperature is even more important. Over 7oC – between Easter and October – traditional Summer tyres are truly in their element. Between October and Easter however, Cold weather Winter tyres show distinct safety advantages. On snow or ice-covered roads, only cold weather tyres reduce the braking distance by those vital metres.
When ambient temperatures fall below 7oC, the molecules in tread rubber progressively harden and freeze. This means that the tyre is less able to adapt to the contour of the road surface, which in turn reduces grip levels. With cold weather tyre rubber compounds, there is a higher proportion of natural rubber and coupled with extended use of silica technology, they minimise the hardening effect at low temperatures. This allows the tyre to key into the road surface, resulting in higher grip levels. Together with highly developed tread patterns, the combination is such that no summer tyre can match.
A small amount of maintenance pays great dividends in terms of safety. Only well-maintained tyres perform fully and provide a comfortable ride. Tyres should be inspected regularly for cracks, cuts and bulges, and every four weeks check the tyre pressure on the cold tyre to ensure optimum contact with the road. Double-check the tread depth too, because as this decreases, braking distances increase. It’s a clear indicator of when to change your tyres – when summer tyres have only 3 mm tread depth and winter tyres 4 mm.
In summary, drivers are five times more likely to skid on snowy or icy road conditions than they are on dry roads, while the number of accidents caused by wet road conditions increases in winter by 267 per cent. Despite the fact that 60 per cent of people feel scared or uneasy when driving in winter conditions, fully 75 per cent of these same people would not consider fitting winter tyres.
It seems crazy, especially when you factor in the fact that the latest ContiWinterContact TS810 tyre outlasts a conventional Summer tyre by many thousands of miles. So it can’t be purely a financial consideration. Unless of course people don’t realize that Continental has now produced a tyre that can be run all year round without the fuel economy and tread block noise of winter tyres of the past. For all but very high performance cars, this would seem to make sense, from both an economic and a safety perspective. As a nation we love to talk about the weather. It seems a shame that we don’t know how to get the best from our cars during winter.
. The pictures of Benjamin are password protected so if don’t have the login then drop us an email and we’ll send it over to you.
So I got into trouble last night for not updating our homepage and not keeping you informed of the progress. As you can see the bean is doing great and has started to enjoy a bit of music 
… but I will get used to them soon, maybe need a little adjusting though!!!
…
