UK drivers need cold-weather tyres - Conti

ERJ staff report (DS)

London -- Continental UK has called for UK van drivers to use cold-weather tyres to improve safety. The UK has been hit by a few days of snow and cold weather, but few drivers in the UK switch to winter tyres. They use summer tyres all year round.

Intensive studies undertaken by Continental have shown that a van's braking distance when travelling at 30mph (50 kph) increases in icy conditions by up to 31 percent. The average distance a van will travel when braking on standard tyres versus cold weather tyres is an extra 13 metres while a passenger car or car-derived van will travel a further 8m - an increase of 23 percent.

Scott Benbow, product manager at Continental, said; “Every winter, we have problems on the road because drivers are poorly equipped to cope. Drivers in most European countries fit cold weather tyres from October to March. This allows them to have greater tyre performance when temperatures drop to below 7ºC - a common occurrence in winter months especially in early mornings and late evenings when most of us commute. To avoid the problems we have had this week van drivers and fleets should think about fitting cold weather tyres next winter.”

Continental suggests van drivers fit the VancoWinter 2. This tyre 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.

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Press release from Conti