Are your tyres winter-ready?

As the long nights drawn in and snow and ice threaten the roads ride, tyre performance is a worry such extreme weather conditions. There are two ways to handle the colder weather and the way your vehicle will react to it – your choice will depend on your own mechanical skills and confidence, and also upon the amount of winter driving that you expect to do.

Home bodies

Many basic car tyre maintenance tasks can be done from home, very simply and without the need for any specialised equipment. This includes keeping tyres clean, with the treads clear and of a good depth to keep your vehicle safe. You should also regularly examine your tyres, looking for any signs of changes that could mean that they are weakening or damaged inside. You do not need to be an expert to discover a problem, but it can be enough to alert you to call in an expert who can make a further assessment of the problem and advise what to do next.

Other tasks include keeping the tyres pumped to the appropriate levels. Modern tyres work best at their optimum pressure, and very cold weather can sometimes cause a measure of deflation, so you should check your tyres every day during a cold snap or when the weather has been very changeable.

Winter tyres

Another solution to ensuring safe driving is to make the change to winter tyres. These tyres are specially designed to work below 7°C, and offer superior grip on icy and sleet-ridden surfaces. If you are reluctant to invest in winter tyres, thinking they’ll increase your overall expenditure, set your mind at ease. While your initial outlay will perhaps be more than usual, your winter tyres will actually lengthen the life of your summer tyres – so you will have both sets of tyres for twice as long, meaning you don’t lose out at all.

While everyone can keep an eye on their tyres (and, in fact, should do so regularly!), your friendly local mechanic is always ready and willing to advise you about tyre maintenance, driving safely in winter, and, of course, will fit your winter tyres for you when you need them.

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