In many European countries, winter tyres are compulsory for the severely cold months. Since they are mandatory, everybody has to switch out their regular tyres at the beginning of winter. It is a tedious task but an essential one for car owners.
Some car owners wonder why they can’t just use these same tyres during summer. It would save them time and effort for the owner surely. But it will come with potential harms to the vehicle, which is discussed below. Here are the reasons why you must switch out winter Run Flat Tyres Milton Keynes before summer.
Safety Risks
Quite obviously, having winter tyres still on your car for summer poses serious safety risks to the driver and passengers. Since the intended use for the tyres is in winters only, using the same tyres in summers may lead to mishandling.
Your car may face damage, but most importantly you might be at risk of meeting an accident. Since winter tyres have a different composition, they may not provide ample control over the vehicle while driving. It might lead to accidents or mishaps, which puts you at risk. It is best to change out these tyres primarily for safety reasons.
Poor Performance
Aside from compromising your safety, winter tyres on summer roads also show poorer performance. The same tyres that tread effortlessly on snow and ice, often fail to perform well on tarmac.
It is because they are not meant for hot and dry roads in the first place, so they do not perform well on them either. You would not get the speed you may want from the vehicle, and the handling won’t be as smooth. All in all, it will not be the most pleasant driving experience to drive with winter tyres on summer roads.
Reduced Fuel Economy
As the performance of the tyres deteriorates, so does their fuel economy. The fuel economy of a vehicle is how well it performs without consuming too much fuel. The lower fuel economy of a vehicle will lead you to pay a lot more for fuel than you used to.
Since the winter tyres need more effort to glide on the tarmac in summer, they require that much more fuel. The increased rolling resistance adds to the fuel consumption in the vehicle, thus increasing the costs. Winter tyres on summer roads are inefficient both cost-wise and if you think of the environment.
Faster Wear and Tear
As you may know, the composition of winter tyres and regular tyres is quite different. Winter tyres are made of a material that has a higher concentration of natural rubber. It makes these winter tyres are extremely flexible. The feature is to prevent the tyers from hardening and cracking even in low temperatures.
But if you use these tyres on summer roads, you can assume what would happen. The tyres will lose their shape and become too soft on the road. The heat of the road will lead the tyres to become softer than they should and cause rapid wear and tear of the tyre. So you must switch to more durable tyres to prevent damages.
Lesser Handling and Control
The tread of a winter tyre and a summer tyre also differ greatly in design. Winter tyres are meant to tread over slippery surfaces like snow and ice, so they have a distinct tread pattern for them. But that tread pattern does not work as well on dry or wet tarmac roads in the summer seasons.
The grip on the road may decrease with the tyres, leading to worse handling. The tread would also wear out faster than usual, leading to further risk. So if you use such a tyre on summer roads, you may not be able to control the vehicle efficiently. Minor skidding may not be dangerous, but the lack of handling may lead to major accidents.
Now that you know winter tyres are unsuitable for summer usage, you must switch them out. Surely not changing tyres might be convenient at first, but it will lead to damage and safety risks to you.
So it is best to switch these Tyres Milton Keynes out when summer approaches and use regular tyres instead. That way, you can ensure your safety while driving and also make sure that no harm comes to your vehicle during the ride.
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