Check air pressure & avoid summer tyre damage

It’s shaping up to be a cardie and umbrella kind of summer, but Continental has some helpful tyre tips should the sun show up again. It points out that high temperatures can damage car tyres, and motorists should thus make sure they check inflation pressures.

“Underinflated tyres and extreme temperatures on long journeys can be dangerous,” warns Andreas Schlenke, who works within Continental’s tyre development division. “Contact with the hot asphalt and the high air temperatures prevent a tyre from cooling down. If the tyre is underinflated, tyre shoulder and sidewall deformation can occur, resulting in rolling resistance. This causes the rubber to heat up even more. If all these factors combine, or if the tyre has been previously damaged by curb contact or the like, a blowout is a distinct possibility.”

Asphalt can heat up to 60 degrees even at an air temperature of 30 degrees, and the hotter the day, the hotter the road. “Asphalt temperatures of over 80 degrees Celsius are entirely possible,” comments Schlenke. “You shouldn’t endanger your safety with unnecessary car trips in temperatures like this.”

Avoid winter tyres in summer

Continental cautions that driving on winter tyres in these conditions is “extremely risky” because their rubber compound is softer than that used in summer tyres, and it heats up more. “This can be really dangerous,” Schlenke warns. “Drivers who think they can save money driving on winter tyres in high temperatures are endangering themselves and others because a tyre blowout at high speeds is always dangerous.”

All-season tyres, on the other hand, are safe to use even in high temperatures – provided they are correctly inflated.