Mytyres.co.uk warns of autumn “skidpans”

While many in the tyre business have been pursuing safety messages linked to the use of winter tyres, a theme of industry organisation TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month this October, the recent autumnal weather has led UK e-Tailer mytyres.co.uk to a more fundamental message about tread depth. The company – part of European online tyre retailer Delticom – says that heavy rain, gusty winds and falling leaves “can quickly turn a normal road or motorway into a hazardous skidpan”. It says that customers should consider minimum tread depths of 3mm for summer tyres and 4mm for winter tyres.

“The law requires a minimum of 1.6mm of tread,” a mytyres.co.uk release states, “however, experts recommend that to be on the safe side winter tyres, for instance, should have a minimum tread depth of 4mm… The greater the tread depth, the less likely it is that the driver will experience aquaplaning.

“In addition, the tyre pressure should be correct and set at the level indicated in the owner’s handbook. If aquaplaning does occur, the advice is to stay calm, come off the accelerator and don’t touch the brakes or try to turn the steering. As speed decreases, the tyres will start to bite through the film of water to the road surface and control can be regained.”

Mytyres.co.uk says it has “one of the largest offers of winter tyres available via the internet”, fitted by a network of more than 1,700 service partners in the UK.

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