What Types of Tyres Are There to Choose From?

If you follow our blog, you will now be aware that your tyres are the most important safety feature your vehicle has, be it car, van, truck or SUV/4×4. As the only part of your vehicle that makes contact with the road, your tyres need to be in excellent condition at all times to help keep yourself and others safe on the roads. They need to be able to not only be within the regulations of tyre law, but also be able to cope with all types of weather, especially with the ever changing UK conditions.

To maintain ultimate control and steering, your tyres need to be able to carry your vehicle’s weight and load whilst acting as shock absorbers on varying road surfaces. Since the evolution and development of tyres has come a long way, even over the last 10 years; we have seen huge improvements in performance and tyre technology. Manufacturers are continuously coming up with new and innovative ways to improve performance, safety and efficiency. In this blog post we are going to outline the different types of tyres that are available on today’s market. 

Summer Tyres

Summer tyres are commonly known for being fit to new vehicles, unless the vehicle has OE (original equipment) fitted. The summer tyre offers excellent safety, comfort and performance in warmer temperatures. 

Summer tyres are developed with a harder compound, which can adapt to the milder temperatures to cope with dry and wet road conditions we can experience even through summer months. They have fewer sipes and are designed with a unique tread pattern to ensure the risk of aquaplaning is significantly reduced. When temperatures drop below freezing, or if summer tyres are used during the winter months, the tyre compound and tread becomes less effective and this may be the time you wish to change to an all season or winter tyre to ensure utmost performance and safety. If you decide to change your tyres to an all season model or winter, you should change all 4 tyres. This is because the patterns and tread depths are different to those on a summer tyre. Mixing tyre types can be a dangerous mistake and will make it harder for you to control your vehicle, especially during wet and cold conditions. 

All-Season Tyres

All season tyres are exactly what they say on the tin. They have been designed to cope with all weather conditions, combining summer and winter technologies into an all season tyre. The tread depths on all season tyres are thicker than summer tyres, but thinner than winter tyres and possess different compounds and tread patterns. This offers a quiet and comfortable ride whilst being durable and able to last much longer. 

All-season tyres are a great option for motorists who wish to avoid changing their tyres from season to season, especially when it comes to having to store a full set of tyres for each season. The same applies with all types of tyres, you must always switch all 4 if you are fitting all season tyres to your vehicle. Mixing tyre types can be dangerous and will risk you losing control of your car a lot easier in wet/icy weather conditions. 

Winter Tyres

People think winter tyres are only suitable for snow and ice, but this is not the case. Winter tyres have been designed to improve your grip and braking in cold and wet weather, as well as in snow and ice. Winter tyres are an excellent choice for rear wheel drive vehicles. 

Winter tyres have been developed with softer compounds, meaning they do not harden in colder temperatures; this results in much better grip, and greater flexibility. The natural rubber has been designed with more grooves and sipes than a summer tyre, which can help acceleration and braking on snowy and icy roads. Winter tyres best perform when temperatures drop below 7 degrees Celsius, which is quite frequent during a UK winter, making them a popular choice for many UK motorists. If you wish to shop any of our summer, winter or all season tyres, you can search by brand, car model or using our car registration search,  and benefit from a range of fitting and delivery options across our wide range of tyres and brands.