WINTER TYRES: Snow go

Date: 10 September 2013

Winter tyres are made up of different rubber compounds that are specifically designed to cope with low temperatures and handle wet, snowy and icy surfaces. They also have distinct tread patterns and a greater number of grooves than summer tyres, which allow more water/ice/snow to move into the crevices of the tyre, meaning there's more rubber in contact with the road surface than there would be with a set of summers. The upshot of that is better grip and less chance of aquaplaning over puddles and standing water on the road. 

Michelin says that braking distances can be massively compromised when a driver slams on the anchors with summer tyres in very cold weather. The firm claims that a vehicle on summer tyres will need an additional 31m to stop in the snow - 63m in total - while an equivalent vehicle fitted with winter rubber will need 32m. 

National sales manager for car fleets at Michelin, Dave Crinson, tells BusinessCar: "We've got to get across to people that it's under this temperature band that they start working. We do the swap over in October on all our own cars. 

"They should be fitted in October time when the temperature drops to seven degrees - not when there's snow all over the roads. Part of the problem is the attitude - we in this country want them when we see a heap of snow."

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