In the first real cold snap of the winter, Semperit Ireland is issuing a warning to motorists to allow plenty of time for braking. While icy roads and poor visibility present obvious dangers to the driver, Semperit is emphasising that, cold temperatures, coupled with damp or wet roads, are enough to affect the performance of your car’s tyres.

It is at temperatures below 7ºC that motorists are likely to encounter, these cold, wet and damp conditions. Research has shown that at and below such temperatures, the rubber compound in tyres has a propensity to harden, lessening their grip with the road and increasing stopping distances. 

Under these conditions, it can take a car up to 5 metres more to stop when travelling at 100km/h - even without there being ice or snow on the road.  Clearly, the presence of ice or snow on the road will exacerbate the effect. 

And even allowing for the effects of global warming, during the winter months, it is very common to encounter temperatures below 7ºC in Ireland.  The average winter temperature in Ireland ranges between 2ºC and 8ºC – directly within the band that will affect the braking distance of your tyres.

The loss of braking effect at low temperatures explains the prevalence of special winter tyres abroad, where drivers are accustomed to changing over from their normal tyres as winter weather sets in. Cold weather tyres feature special silica and natural rubber blended tread compound which allows the tyre to retain its road-gripping ability at low temperatures.

Sales of cold weather tyres have risen by over 88% in the past 6 years across Europe. In some countries sales of cold weather tyres are now higher than those of normal tyres. In Austria and Switzerland they account for 64% and 61% of the market respectively. In Holland where the climate is similar to Ireland the use of cold weather tyres has dramatically increased in recent years.

“Our mild, generally snow-free winters mean cold weather tyres are not seen as necessary in Ireland,” comments Paddy Murphy of Sem-perit Ireland.  “However, drivers here would do well to note that their sole contact with the road is a less sure one in cold weather once the temperature goes below 7ºC.”

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