When you switch between summer and winter tyres, you will get ideal performance. The features of these two tyre types ensure that the user gets high performance in certain conditions and provide various advantages in terms of comfort, efficiency, and safety.
Knowing how these two tyre types differ from each other lets you better understand their benefits, so you can choose the right tyres UAE for every season.
Summer & Winter Tyres – The Differences
There are numerous differences between summer and winter tyres, like compounds, technologies, and tread patterns. Both types of tyres are designed to give optimal performance in their particular road conditions and environment while ensuring maximum safety, comfort, and limited wear.
Summer Tyre – Features
- Summer tyres have thinner thread – up to 7-8 mm.
- The hard compound is resistant to high temperatures.
- Summer tyres have specially designed grooves that channel out water and lessen the risk of aquaplaning.
- Summer tyres have a solid tread profile for enhanced braking and driving control.
Winter Tyre – Features
- Winter tyres have a thicker tread –up to 100 mm.
- There is a soft and flexible compound at low temperatures.
- Winter tyres come with more sipes for better grip on ice and snow.
- Winter tyres have deeper grooves that help expel water and snow.
Summer Tyres are Safer During Warm Weather
During hot weather, heat softens the tyre rubber and lessens its durability and performance. The harder compound in summer tyres is designed specifically to respond to higher temperatures. During the summer, the summer tyres ensure shorter braking distances, enhanced grip on the road surface, and better handling.
When you use summer tyres in hot weather, you have better control of the vehicle and have a safe and comfortable drive.
The Way Temperatures Affect Summer & Winter Tyres
The temperature impacts the tyre performance, lessens grip, and increases the stopping distances. When it gets cold it makes the tyres hard. During the hot temperatures the rubber softens, making tyres susceptible to wear and causing small cracks and lines.
So, in both cases, continuing to use a tyre that is not unsuitable for the conditions adversely affects the performance of the rubber, and impacts its comfort and safety. Moreover, using the wrong tyres can also reduce durability, making the tyre wear out prematurely.
The Stopping Distances for Summer VS Winter Tyres
When you use summer and winter tyres in different seasons, it always ascertains optimal stopping distances. Using summer tyres in the winter when the temperatures go below 7°C, stopping distances will be twice as much as those of winter tyre, when the roads are wet.
If there is snow and ice, winter tyres stopping distances can reach eight or ten times. This becomes in major risk for road users. The same is the case when winter tyres are used in the summer when the softer tyre compound underperforms and lessens the actual structural tyre rigidity. This significantly increases the stopping distances.
When temperatures fall below 0 during the winter, a car with winter tyres can stop at 30 mph within 35 meters. With summer tyres, it could be as much as 45 meters. The ice can increase this gap further, making it all the more important to choose the right car tyres.
