TyreSafe video highlights winter tyre benefits

Next month is tyre safety month, and this year TyreSafe plans to focus on winter safety. This theme is being supported by a new online video released by the tyre safety organisation; the short film, titled ‘Stay Safe This Winter’, was shot on an ice rink and highlights the enormous difference in performance between winter weather and standard summer tyres. Through this film, TyreSafe is keen to stress that winter tyres, as opposed to just being snow and ice tyres, really come into their own when the air temperature drops below seven degrees Celsius – a temperature usually experienced throughout the UK between October and March.

In the film, two driving manoeuvres are performed with a pair of almost identical cars, the only difference being the fitment of summer or winter tyres. When carrying out an emergency stop at a speed of just 15mph, the car with summer tyres took four metres longer to stop – almost a full car length. Meanwhile, in a cornering test, the car with standard summer tyres suffered massive under steer and ploughed through a set of cones which simulated the edge of the road. However, the car equipped with winter weather tyres stayed in complete control thanks to much higher levels of grip.

“Our film was shot on an ice rink to drive home the difference between summer and winter tyres in extreme conditions, but in reality, any cold, damp road surface will make a real difference to how a tyre performs. Whenever the temperature drops below seven degrees Celsius the tread compound in normal summer tyres begins to harden, providing less grip and reducing safety,” explained TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson.

TyreSafe expects winter tyres to be extremely popular with safety conscious drivers this year following two successive years of extreme wintry conditions. “For any driver concerned about their safety on the road during the winter, our advice is simple. Winter weather tyres are the safest option. Take a look at our demonstration movie and then you can make an informed choice about whether to fit them or not, but I’m sure many will agree that the results are scary and very convincing,” Jackson concluded.