With many parts of the UK having seen a blanket of snow over the past few weeks and then the black ice that comes with it, it comes as no surprise that winter car tyre sales have seen a sharp rise. Gritting lorries will do their utmost on the main roads, but with many of the side roads, particularly the rural roads in the country many people will suffer and may be stuck at home until the snow clears. This can make life extremely difficult when you are dependent on your car, whether it’s to get you to work, do your weekly grocery shopping trip or the school run (that is if the teachers make it into school and it’s open!).

In European countries opting to have two alternative sets of tyres, one set for the winter months and one set for the summer season is nothing new. They are actually a legal requirement in some northern European countries. With the snow we have seen over the past few years now, maybe it’s time that we followed suit and did the same for our own vehicles’ tyres. Contact “нови зимни гуми” for more help

Winter tyres have been specifically designed for the colder months and the sub-freezing temperatures that we experience, and perform better in these conditions. They are not necessarily going to transform your car into a four wheel drive or some sort of snow plough but can assist you should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself in a bit of trouble. When thinking of winter tyres many people will envisage great big studs of rubber or thick snow chains, this is however not the case. Winter tyres are made of a different type of compound which means they stay softer in lower temperatures, thus providing more grip along with better braking, traction and overall handling. They have a larger amount of natural rubber and silica which doesn’t harden up as much in colder temperatures in comparison to synthetic rubber.

The different style of tread pattern has been designed to create a better grip and traction in cold weather conditions. This different tread pattern and the usage that you’d expect to get from them means that the speed rating is lower. Your driving will not be impaired, although we would imagine that it is highly unlikely you will be wanting to drive particularly fast in the snow and ice! Winter car tyres also perform exceptionally well in the wet as their design helps to disperse any sitting water in the road which will assist in the prevention of aquaplaning.