What's the difference between summer and winter tyres?
| Wednesday 8th November 2017 5:22pm
Whether it’s to go skiing or on a business trip, anyone who has ever travelled to northern European countries such as Germany, Austria or anywhere in Scandinavia during the winter and has driven a car while they were out there, will probably know all about winter tyres.
For the rest of us, you may never have driven on winter tyres and even less likely have you considered changing your normal summer tyres to winter tyres as the cold months approach. After all, in the past few years we haven’t had too much snow in the UK with the exception of some areas of high ground and remote parts of Scotland. So why should you even give winter tyres a second thought?
In our latest tyre safety advice article we’ll not only explain what winter tyres are and how they’re different to summer tyres, we’ll also blow apart one huge myth about them too.
Summer tyres, winter tyres – what’s the difference?
Some of the differences between summer tyres and winter tyres are clear to see if you know what you’re looking for. Take a look at these Continental tyre treads; notice how on the winter tyres they cut into the tyre in curved chevron patterns, while in contrast the summer tyres have a more orbital tread? Once you start looking closely the differences become much clearer, with another being that winter tyres also appear to be chunkier.
While tyre treads are clearly important, it’s the not so obvious difference that you can’t visually perceive that really matters. In fact winter and summer tyres are made from different rubber compounds, with each compound designed, developed and manufactured to adapt to and work effectively in very different driving conditions.
Any facts, figures and prices shown in our blog articles are correct at time of publication.
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