30
Apr
Posted by: aishiteru / Category:
General
The two type of tyre that most have heard of are all season or general purpose tyres and winter tyres. While most are familiar with the terms, few understand the difference and how to get the most from them. Below is a detailed look at each type of tyre.
All Season Tyres
General purpose tyres are not engineered for superior performance. They are actually engineered for adequate performance in the widest variety of conditions possible. For pure performance on well maintained roads in dry weather, racing slicks dramatically outperform most all season tires. In heavy rain, specifically designed rain shedding tyres allow handling that all season tyres cannot hope to match.
If the specialized tyre types are so much more effective, why use general purpose tyres? The answer to this question is that while specialized tyres perform brilliantly in their own element, they perform abysmally in some other situations. As a vehicle can encounter pitted concrete roads and smooth immaculate streets, sunshine and rain – all in the same day, a tyre that cannot perform adequately in changing conditions is an absolute hazard. The rapidly changing conditions of normal driving call for a tyre that stresses versatility over pure performance in a specific environment.
There is one circumstance that can last months and create such adverse conditions that performance under these conditions trumps versatility. The circumstance? Winter.
Winter Tyres
Designed to maximize traction in snowy or icy conditions, Winter tyres are adapted to cold weather with aggressive tread patterns and often are manufactured of materials that remain more supple than standard use tyres. So how do they work? A Winter tyre is basically a hybrid of a wet weather tyre and an off road tyre. The extra aggressive tread design of an off road tyre allows the tyres to “bite” and find traction in snow or ice that would leave an all season tyre shod car spinning like a ride at a carnival. Tread pattern engineering similar to wet weather tyres allow Winter tyres to push water or melting slush aside instead of rising on top of it.
What are the weaknesses of Winter Tyres? The first and most dangerous weakness is that the aggressive tread, great for uneven surfaces like snow is poor at gripping smooth, dry pavement. In other words, a driver is far more likely to lose control of the vehicle at highway speeds when rolling on Winter tyres instead of general purpose tyres. In addition to the potential handling problem, the tread and supple material composition of Winter tyres wears far more quickly than an all season tread, making Winter tyres require replacement far sooner.
The ideal choice for virtually all drivers is to use all season tyres during most of the year and switch to Winter tyres during the coldest stretches when snow and ice are likely to be encountered.
This article was provided by M. Motors, the used cars in Dunfermline and used cars in Hamilton specialists.