Winter conditions are never favourable for car drivers. Snowy roads and freezing temperatures are some common factors that create challenges and increase risk factors. Many drivers face problems like skidding, inefficiency of car tyres and low inflation in winter months. Generally, drivers do not like to drive in harsh winter conditions but their personal or commercial needs may compel them to run their cars on the road in winter conditions.
If you also drive your car in the winter months, you should read this blog for proper information about safe driving on cold roads. Safe driving in the winter season mainly depends on the efficiency of car tyres. Therefore, we will talk about challenges that car Car Tyres Darlington may face during your journey in the winter months. Moreover, we will consider some driving tips as well. The main attraction of this blog is the description of winter tyres.
So, let us begin!
Risk factors in winter months
Your tyres tough the road surface directly. Therefore, they are more prone to wear and tear in winter conditions. Therefore, you must consider the endurance and strength of your car tyres on cold and snowy roads. Generally, car tyres face the following challenges during winter months:
Poor grip and traction:
Winter tyres have to run on snowy and cold roads. Snowy surfaces are extremely slippery. Therefore, tyres struggle to maintain proper traction on such surfaces. Cold roads make the rubber material of tyres harder. As a result, tyres lose their gripping ability in winter months.
Longer braking distance:
This risk factor is linked with the previous one. Since car tyres do not make proper traction on cold roads, they usually stop the vehicle with a longer braking distance when you apply brakes. This is a dangerous condition if a vehicle is just in front of your vehicle.
Slush planning:
Slush planing is a risky condition that is similar to hydroplaning. When your tyres run on a snowy surface, a thin layer of snow eliminates frictional force and your tyres suddenly start to slip on the surface. A lot of road accidents take place every year due to slush planing.
Black ice:
Black ice is a hidden enemy. This is a transparent layer of ice that may accumulate in certain areas like overpasses and bridges. This layer makes the surface extremely slippery. As a result, a vehicle may lose traction at any time due to this transparent layer.
Mounds of slush:
Driving on slush is a challenging task. If your tyres are not well designed to handle snow and slush, they will struggle to maintain proper traction. As a result, conditions like slush planing may take place at any time. Changing lanes is sometimes very difficult due to the accumulation of slush on the sides of the road.
Low inflation:
Winter tyres face low air pressure in winter conditions. Molecules of air are sensitive to temperature. They move slowly because of freezing temperatures. As a result, air contracts and your device shows low air pressure in your tyres. Low inflation is not a good sign for car tyres since it is responsible for many issues like blowouts and uneven tread wear.
As you see, you may face several; problems just because of bad weather and the inefficiency of your tyres. You can face these challenges with the help of appropriate winter tyres. Moreover, following some safety guidelines are also important to consider.
Let us consider safety guidelines and then, we will talk about winter tyres.
Decrease the speed of your vehicle:
Driving in snow is a challenging task. You can reach your home safely if you drive your car slowly on snow and ice. Such surfaces are slippery. Therefore, making proper traction is not possible if you drive your vehicle at a high speed.
Increase the following distance:
Maintaining a safe distance is also a good idea in the winter conditions. Tyres generally stop your vehicle at a larger distance. Therefore, you have to adjust the following distance accordingly.
Drive your car smoothly:
Accelerating and stopping a vehicle smoothly is essential on snowy roads. These roads are not suitable for aggressive driving. A car at high speed may skid on a wet or snowy road at any time.
Get familiar with the route:
If you are familiar with the route, you will plan your journey effectively. Therefore, research about the route and unknown destination is a must before you embark on a journey.
Make an emergency kit:
If you are going to cover long distances during your journey, you need an emergency kit. Your emergency kit should include blankets, a flashlight, batteries, warm clothing, water, non-perishable food, medicines and first aid kit.
Winter tyres and their support
You need to follow a lot of traffic rules in the winter months. These rules keep you safe when the temperature is near freezing point and roads are full of snow and slush.
Traffic rules are essential for the road safety of car drivers. However, they cannot improve the performance and efficiency of your tyres. Therefore, you need to buy winter tyres that are extremely beneficial in cold conditions.
These tyres come with two important features. Firstly, they are available with a suitable rubber compound that does not become hard on cold surfaces. As a result, winter tyres maintain proper grip and traction and rarely face issues like slush planing. Secondly, winter tyres come with deeper tread construction and an increased number of sipes to enhance grip and traction on snow, ice and slush.
In different regions of Europe, Winter Tyres Darlington is compulsory but in the UK, you can make your decision according to your preferences. If winter conditions are unbearable in your area, you can replace your standard tyres with a set of effective tyres.
