Do summer tyres work safely in the UK winter?

British drivers tend to assume their ‘summer’ tyres will keep them safe in winter too, unlike their counterparts in Central Europe and Scandinavia who automatically switch to ‘cold weather’ rubber as the temperatures fall. According to Kumho’s expert on the subject, while they won’t necessarily encounter problems by sticking to ‘summer’ rubber all the year round, their risk of having an accident is greatly increased. Indeed, statistics just issued by TyreSafe confirm that the number of accidents caused by wet road conditions increases by no less than 267 per cent in winter and there are some 6,500 more car accidents in winter than the summer, here in the UK.

The reason is that ‘summer’ tyres only retain optimum grip down to +7 deg C (ie well above freezing). Below that, the tread compound becomes less flexible, causing the traction and braking performance to fall away markedly. ‘Cold weather’ tyres are designed to undergo this critical change (known as the ‘glass transition’) at a much lower temperature, so cope far better with such conditions. Already this winter, much of Britain has experienced temperatures down to –5 deg C – way below the level at which ‘summer’ tyres provide their best grip.

Fitting ‘cold weather’ tyres is law in some regions

Said Kumho’s expert, “Those who want to be sure of providing maximum levels of safety for themselves and their family through the winter months, or to be sure of travelling whatever the weather, would be strongly advised to invest in a set of ‘cold weather’ tyres. Those driving to ski resorts or any of the colder parts of mainland Europe in winter should not only do so for their own safety, but could (depending on which countries they are travelling through) risk breaking the law by not doing so.”

Of course, whatever type of tyre is fitted, having sufficient tread depth is never more important than in the winter, when large volumes of rain and possibly snow will be encountered – 1.6mm is the minimum required by law, but more is advisable in adverse conditions. Wrongly inflated tyres can also be extremely dangerous in snow, ice and rain.

A professional tyre check is strongly advised for the winter

For all the reasons above, it is advisable to get one’s tyres checked by an expert at this time of year – one who can ensure they are safe and suitable, and supply ‘cold weather’ fitments if required. Kumho has one of the biggest ranges of such tyres, which are available via the Kumho ECSTA Performance Centre network. For further details of Kumho tyres log onto kumhotyre.co.uk and to locate the nearest Kumho stockist access ecsta.co.uk.