The tyres on your car have a great impact on your safety when driving. A tyre’s tread is a rubber pattern that is designed to provide grip, adhesion and traction to the road, as well as aid suspension. These qualities give you added control over your car, which increases both dry road handling and wet road grip.
Dry road handling
The level of grip that your car has with the road is determined be the contact between your tyre tread and the ground. There are a number of elements that affect this, such as the percentage of grooves in the tread pattern. The less grooves in the tread, the more rubber there is to hit the road and provide traction. For turning purposes, flat tyres with squared edges are the most effective. The rigidity of the tread pattern is the key to high levels of control and quick reactions to your steering; this could be vital in situations where you have to swerve to avoid danger.
Wet road grip
In wet conditions, keeping a secure grip with the road can be a challenge. Aquaplaning is a common and frightening experience that could be avoided by reducing speed and ensuring you have the correct tyre tread on your car.
When driving on a wet road, your tyre tread is responsible for channelling the water through its grooves and away from the surface that your car has contact with. Therefore, the more grooves that your tyre treads have the more effective this process will be. The shape and directions of the tread patterns also determine how quickly the water can be drained away. Sipes, which are small slits in the rubber of your treads, help your tyre to move the water and improve the levels of traction in wintery conditions.
Legal requirements
As a driver, you have the duty to maintain your tyres in order to ensure the safety of yourself and others on the road. Tyres wear down the more they are used, meaning less traction to the road which could prove dangerous. Therefore, you are required by law to replace tyres when the tread is worn down to 1.6mm. It is advised to assess your tread depth at least once a month to check they do not drop below the legal minimum. If you are caught driving with illegally flat tyre treads, you could be fined and also risk invalidating your car insurance policy.
Choosing the right tyre tread
In reality, different tyres react to the road in different ways. It is important to decide which tyres suit you and your regular driving conditions. It is worth asking your local garage for advice and to ensure that you check that your tyres are correctly inflated to the Manufacturer’s recommended pressure at all times. It is also important to read the terms and conditions of your car insurance policy to determine how your tyre depth could affect the validity of your cover in the event of an accident.
