At the time of writing this post, snow is falling outside the office so we thought it was the perfect time to share these winter driving top tips.<\/p>\n
Some motorists mistake winter tyres for those which are spiked or studded and more at home in colder countries which come to expect harsh winters as a seasonal norm. Others, almost half of all motorists in fact, are not even aware of them.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re one of the 47% of UK motorists who are completely uninformed about winter tyres, or just need some more information, read on.<\/p>\n
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What are winter tyres and how do they work? Extra deep treads help disperse slush and surface water while tiny slits on the tread block provide better grip on tarmac, snow and ice crystals.<\/p>\n Winter tyres can be identified from their \u201cnormal\u201d counterparts \u2013 summer tyres, which most motorists in the UK use \u2013 by a snowflake symbol on the side. Tyres with studs like football boots are not legal for use on UK roads.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Does a four-wheel drive do the same job?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Can I keep winter tyres on all year round?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Are there tyres that work in both seasons? Switching to winter tyres is the ideal solution if you find temperatures dwindling around 7oC or less for the majority of the winter season. As UK winters can be as unpredictably mild and they can harsh, it can be a difficult one to judge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are winter tyres expensive? But given that you\u2019ll be using them for half the year, they take the pressure off your summer tyres which will last you longer as a result.<\/p>\n Snow socks are a cheaper alternative which fit around your tyres and can be fitted quickly and easily, but they aren\u2019t as effective and are only temporary.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will fitting winter tyres affect my insurance? <\/p>\n Stay safe on (and off) the roads this winter. And if we can be of any assistance with your fleet insurance<\/a> or business insurance<\/a>, call us during office hours on 0800 046 1446<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the time of writing this post, snow is falling outside the office so we thought it was the perfect time to share these winter driving top tips. Some motorists mistake winter tyres for those which are spiked or studded and more at home in colder countries which come to expect harsh winters as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[15],"tags":[55,56,57],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1592"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1598,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions\/1598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>Winter tyres have a number of features which make them better suited not just to treacherous surfaces, but lower temperatures. High-silica compounds keep them flexible in spite of cold weather, which makes them less prone to skidding in all weather when the temperature drops below 7oC.<\/p>\n
\nWhile four-wheel drives do give better traction in winter weather, they don\u2019t provide much more extra help when attempting to break or corner in snow, ice and surface water.<\/p>\n
\nWinter tyres will wear down quicker in higher temperatures for which they weren\u2019t designed, and could also negatively impact stopping distances and cornering in the same way summer tyres would in winter.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>All-season tyres are made from a compound that suits both cold and mild temperatures, while still featuring the slits known as sipes, synonymous with winter tyres, to give greater grip on icy surfaces and control when driving through slush and snow. The cold temperature capability of these tyres is limited to -5 oC %.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Price varies depending on the manufacturer but winter tyres aren\u2019t cheap, especially as you\u2019d need to buy four as fitting just two could cause you to skid or spin when braking or driving downhill. You might even want to consider purchasing extra wheels to accommodate them to make switching easier.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Check with your insurer first but most won\u2019t charge you extra, as long as they\u2019re the right size.<\/p>\n