Volvo tests winter tyres against standard tyres

By John Loughran

As temperatures drop and experts predict a harsh winter for the UK and Ireland, Volvo Car UK invited television personality and Volvo V40 driver Louise Thompson to demonstrate the effectiveness of winter tyres for driving in snow.

Two identical Volvo V40 D2 hatchbacks, one on standard tyres and another on winter tyres, were ready to meet Louise at an indoor ski slope in England, where she attempted to drive each one up the slope to the summit.

And the results were enough to dispel any remaining doubts about the advantages of fitting winter tyres. During the test, Louise struggled to hit the five-metre mark on standard rubber but comfortably cruised past the 100-metre marker and continued on towards the summit as soon as she switched into the car fitted with winter tyres.

“I’m amazed that it makes such a difference,” she said. “One of the cars has amazing grip and can get all the way to the top, while the other can barely move, so if you’re going to be driving in the snow, I definitely think it’s important to have winter tyres.”

Millions of motorists could find themselves driving in treacherous winter conditions in the coming weeks, and investing in a set of winter wheels and tyres could help them avoid being stranded in the snow.

Winter tyres are at their most effective when temperatures drop below seven degrees. With the Met Office having recorded average temperatures for winter 2012 of just 3.3 degrees, winter tyres could have a huge role to play in reducing accidents and enhancing road safety.

They use a softer rubber compound than standard tyres which helps them stay more flexible in cold weather. As a result, they can grip the road surface far more effectively, retaining stability and traction, and boosting driver confidence that the car is able to cope with the conditions.

To put it into numbers, if a car is travelling at just 19 mph on ice, winter tyres can reduce the average braking distance from 68 metres to 57 metres, while at 30mph on snow the figure falls from 43 metres to 35 metres.

The widespread use of winter tyres could help reduce the thousands of accidents that the British Department for Transport says were caused by treacherous winter weather in 2012.

While winter tyres are mandatory in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, fewer than 5% of new tyres sold in the UK each year are winter tyres, and a lower percentage in Ireland.

Of course ‘All-Season’ tyres are another alternative for winter driving. While not as effective as winter tyres in very bad conditions, they are much better that standard tyres in the wet and wintery conditions. They also have the advantage over winter tyres, that they can be leafy on all-year long. Winter tyres are only suitable for the autumn-winter part of the year, and you should put summer tyres back on for the remainder of the year.