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Frozen puddles, slippery slush, a layer of snow – all of these make for road conditions that are far different than the conditions your summer- or all-season tires were made for. The only tires that will be capable of getting a proper grip, even under such harsh conditions, are winter tires. However, even they will additionally rely on a proper technique behind braking the car.
Why Don’t Summer Or All Season Tired Suffice?
Any tires that are made to function in hot temperatures, will be incapable of working equally well during the cold winter months. This reality is based on the fact that the material these tires are made of will harden in the cold. Anything below seven degrees centigrade will lead to a significant lack of grip on cold winter roads. And yes, this also goes for all-season tires, which contain a tread-compound that fails to grip onto the road when temperatures cross over into freezing cold territory.Statistically, only a tiny fraction of people involved in car crashes during winter sported winter tires. The vast majority were using all-season, or even summer tires, despite the dangerous road conditions.
Why Are Winter Tires A Necessity?
To provide more basis for these statistics, the Traffic Research Foundation conducted a series of tests in which winter tires continuously outperformed both regular and all-season tires in not just braking, but also cornering. These results came as no surprise, since winter tires have been specifically designed to provide strong traction during even the harshest of winters. Winter tires are created from a soft rubber capable of sustaining its flexibility even when temperatures drop far below freezing. As a result, they can continue to grip the road where all other tires have hardened and leave you with no control and far too long braking times.
Additionally, winter tires have also been designed to entail deep slips within their treads, and sharpened edges which allow the tires to really bury themselves into the snow and thus prevent the dangers of hydroplaning and slipping on slush-covered roads. For even more safety, their treads have also been specialized for winter, in addition to widened groves that carry off snow and water, and thus give the tires that strong traction throughout all of winter.Ultimately, winter tires have been found to provide a twenty-five to fifty percent increase in traction from your standard all-season tires.
There are many personal injury lawyers in Hamilton that handle accident claims for damages which were due to poor maintenance of the car, slippery roads and lack of alertness while driving on black ice. Having proper tires in the winters can reduce the number of such incidents.