Sustainable Driving Tips With Winter Tyres From Continental - A Must-Know Guide For Everyone

Before the advent of winter, make sure that your car is ready to tackle the challenges with adequate winter tyres.

• Winter tyres have a different arrangement of sipes in their tread and feature a different rubber composition.
• To keep the winter tyres last long, keep them in optimal condition with correct tyre pressure levels and follow anticipatory driving practices.
• Loss of air from winter tyres is slower compared to those in summer tyres.
• Drive your car sedately to put lesser pressure on tyres and not let them wear faster than usual.
• If your winter tyres are showing signs of wear more than usual, it is better to replace them before the beginning of the season.
• Park your vehicle in a cool and dry place, if it is not going to be used for a long time.

The winters are coming, and with this change in season, your car care processes and the use of systems also make a gradual shift. The functionality of the air conditioner switches from cooling to heating, and some extra care is needed for the battery and lights too. At the same time, your car tyres also undergo higher lower stress levels as compared to summer. If you are living in areas affected by snowfall, you will need a different set of winter tyres which can hold grip even on slippery roads covered with snow.

Winter tyres have a special arrangement of sipes in the tread and different rubber compositions for adapting to colder temperatures. And by opting for correct driving measures, one can maximize the use of winter tyres even in adverse conditions. Following are some of the efficient ways of using winter car tyres, as directed by Robert Waldmann, the head of technical customer service at Continental:

A regular check of tyre pressure levels

Maintaining the right levels of tyre pressure is crucial in winter, despite the lesser rate of loss of air pressure as compared to that during summer. If you don’t maintain the correct tyre pressure levels, there are adverse effects on the vehicle’s driving dynamics, reduced life span and fuel efficiency. According to Waldmann, one should check the tyre pressure levels once in at least two weeks, though at the same time, they should not overfill the tyres with too much air. Also, while checking the air pressure levels, keep an eye on the tread depth of the tyres, and if it falls below the recommended level, it is better to replace them with a new set of tyres.

Following anticipatory driving practices

If your tendency is to drive your vehicle sportily, which includes abrupt acceleration and braking and cornering at higher speeds, there are full chances that your car tyres will wear out at much faster rates. The same goes for the winter-spec tyres, and to prevent faster wearing out of tyres, it is better the following an anticipatory and calmer driving style, which includes maintaining a safe distance from the vehicles in your front and coasting instead of braking at lower speeds.

Extra care when not in use

Even if your car equipped with winter tyres is parked for a long time, it is advisable to give additional care. Ensure that your car is parked in a closed space which is not prone to direct sunlight or other climatic attacks, but has proper ventilation and is an adequately warm place. If your car is going to remain parked for a long time, keep them filled with increased air pressure.

Replacement of tyres at the right time

While you can change your car tyres at any given time, for proper functionality, it is better the replace the car tyres before the beginning of the winter system, so that the heavy variations in the ambient temperatures do not affect the already deteriorating tyres. Winter tyres have the tendency to get warmer sooner when it's warm outside, so if they have already reached the stage of deterioration, make sure you replace them.

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