ATS Euromaster Launches 2010 Winter Tyre Offer
Following the onset of the harshest winter driving conditions in years during the 2009-2010 season, there has been much speculation – and some evidence – over the likelihood of growth in the UK market for specialist tyres in 2010. For example, Finnish manufacturer Nokian has recently reported “strongest growth” in winter tyres (see ‘Nokian Preparing for Growith in 2010’). ATS Euromaster is positioning itself for a run on winter rubber having launched a dedicated cold weather tyre offering for car and light commercial fleets up to 7.5 tonnes, in which it will label and store off-season tyres for customers. The company says it will build on “a wealth of expertise within the Euromaster Group”, which already supplies, fits and stores cold weather tyres for fleets across northern Europe. ATS-E says it supplies 300,000 cold weather tyres to Holland every year – a significant number, especially considering this is in a country with a similar climate to the UK.
Steve Bury, head of National Car at ATS Euromaster, says: “We had our first proper taste of cold weather tyres in the UK this January, when a major home delivery fleet took the decision to switch its tyre policy overnight. Within a two week period, using a combination of our massive mobile resource and 380 fast-fit centres, we’d converted an entire fleet of 600 vehicles. This ensured our customer could continue its deliveries without any weather-related interruptions, whilst enhancing the overall safety of its vehicles.”
ATS Euromaster’s offer will include the fitment of cold weather tyres during October and early November, with summer tyres individually labelled and stored ready for re-fitting the following March and April. The worn cold weather tyres will then replace the summer tyres in storage, ready for the following winter.
Commenting on expected take-up in the UK, Bury explains: “Early adopters are likely to be ‘blue light’ and utilities fleets, plus those companies whose business relies on ensuring mobility – such as home delivery operations. We’ve already carried out extensive tests with one emergency services provider, in conjunction with Michelin, and have been approached by a number of leasing companies and major fleets about formally introducing cold weather tyres this October.
“The critical factor is securing supply. Demand is high from mainland Europe and whilst it might only be spring, fleets need to be making formal plans within the next couple of months,” he adds.
It is widely acknowledged that the direct benefits of cold weather tyres start as soon as the temperature drops below seven degrees Celsius, which also represents the point at which the performance of many non-specialised tyres deteriorates. ATS-E explains that as a result of the cold, the rubber becomes harder and less ‘elastic’. This means that the tyres suffer from reduced grip and braking ability, and offer a less comfortable ride. Cold weather tyres help to alleviate this as the larger percentage of silica in their rubber compound prevents the tyre from hardening in the same way as synthetic rubber can in regular tyres. This enables them to maintain better traction on dry roads throughout the cold weather, as well as when driving in the wet and on snow, slush and ice.
Trial data supplied by ATS Euromaster backs up the advice they give regarding the use of season-specific tyres. Braking at 100kmh on dry roads at five degrees Celsius saw the test vehicle stop two metres sooner when it was fitted with winter rubber (39.5m versus 41.5m). In similar conditions at 20 degrees, the cold weather tyres took five extra metres to stop (46m versus 41m). On a wet road, the difference was more marked at five degrees, with the cold weather tyre stopping in 65.8m against the summer tyres’ 70.5m. At 20 degrees, the summer tyres stopped the car 1.7m before the winter rubber.
But it is on ice and snow – as the UK saw this winter – that the winter tyres open the performance gap to the widest margin. On snow at 50kmh it took 35m to bring the cold weather tyre-shod car to a stop, while the summer tyres took it 43m further. On ice at 30kmh, cold weather tyres brought the car to a standstill in 57m, which was 11m ahead of the summer tyres at 68m.
Cold weather tyres are already offered by the Euromaster Group across most northern European countries, and are a mandatory fitment during winter months in Austria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. Their fitment is also common practice in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. In Germany cold weather tyres must be used if driving on ice or snow – with fines for not doing so.
In the Netherlands, a study by ING Car Lease found that whilst cold weather tyres were initially desirable extras, they are now considered an essential safety feature intended for trouble-free driving during the colder months. It claims more than 50 per cent of its leasing contracts in the Netherlands include cold weather tyres, rising to 60 per cent for drivers covering more than 40,000 km a year. Its research also found that across 12 months users of cold weather tyres recorded 1.9 per cent fewer accidents resulting in 10.2 per cent lower claimed damages.
Cold weather tyres are available for most models of car, van and light commercial, forming an intermediary option between summer tyres and studded snow tyres.
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