Winter van tyres? Continental’s got them for you
Just six weeks ago, as frozen Britain struggled to keep moving, the benefits of winter tyres were a common talking point. As the thermometer once again drops there will be those van operators who are worrying about keeping their vehicles working and earning should the weather once again bring the nation to a halt.
Continental Tyres is urging van users to look more seriously at the merits of fitting winter tyres, which can be used all year round and have benefits not just in ice and snow but on wet roads too. What is more, it’s not too late to acquire some of these special tyres. Though stocks of any brand of winter tyre were depleted across the nation during the crisis before Christmas, Continental announces today that there is a good availability of its winter tyres for most types of vans from the Kwik Fit network.
There is a huge lack of awareness in the UK about winter tyres. Vehicle owners either are not aware they exist or they think that the tyre can only be used during times of heavy snow or ice. Drivers will benefit from using winter tyres on slush, ice, frost and even wet roads, when the temperature falls below +7 degrees centigrade.
Intensive testing undertaken by Continental has shown that a van’s braking distance when travelling at 30mph in icy conditions dramatically increases by up to 31%. The average extra distance a van will travel when braking on standard tyres versus winter tyres is 13 metres while a passenger car or car-derived van will travel a further 8m – an increase of 23%.
With a unique compound which stays supple in cold weather, the advanced Continental VancoWinter 2 tyre family aids drivers with sipes – the small slits in the tread blocks of the tyre – that spread when braking. This creates an ice scraper effect on the road surface allowing shorter braking distances on winter roads. Open shoulders on the tyre with wide lateral grooves give excellent water drainage leading to a high level of protection against aquaplaning on wet roads.
As well as ensuring the occupants safety, the VancoWinter 2 has an optimum tyre footprint to give even wear. This, coupled with the winter compound, gives the VancoWinter 2 as much as 30% extra mileage potential in the winter months compared to a conventional van tyre.
Drivers are six times more likely to have an accident during the winter months, with the numbers rising further when snow and ice add an extra hazard. Nearly half of all accident claims are made during the winter months. During the big freeze at the start of 2010, more than 3 million drivers had an accident and 45 per cent had two or more near misses according to a survey by Continental Tyres.
One major national distribution fleet, which re-equipped its entire 700-strong van fleet with winter tyres, was able to make 98% of all planned deliveries in the difficult weeks of late December.
“Against this background there are tremendous benefits in fitting winter tyres – not just to counter snow and ice but to enhance braking and handling performance in low temperatures on roads which are just wet”, says Tracey Hyem from Continental Tyres UK. “We know many were frustrated by being unable to buy winter tyres at the end of last year so we are pleased to announce that our partner Kwik Fit has a good supply of winter van tyres.”