Traction in hot weather

The weather is hot and our customers often ask - how does hot weather affect tires and traction. This is indeed an important question and we will break it down in detail for you.

First of all, it is necessary to distinguish what kind of tires we are talking about. If it's winter tires, then we have two news and they are both bad. First of all, it should be noted that driving on winter tires in the summer period can hardly be called economy. The fact is that winter tires are made of a special rubber compound that should remain elastic even at low temperatures. Operating such tires in hot weather will simply lead to accelerated wear, much more intense than in the winter period.

Also, one should not forget that winter tires in the summer period are just as unsafe as summer tires. Due to the heated winter rubber compound and the high degree of lamellization of the tread pattern, the braking distance can increase by 20-30%. Which, in turn, makes your braking distance significantly longer than that of surrounding cars on summer tires.

It should be remembered that summer tires are specifically designed for summer conditions. Starting from the composition of the rubber compound and ending with the tread pattern. Everything is aimed at higher speed and sharp maneuvering. In the vast majority of summer tires, there are not only no lamellae, but also the shoulder blocks are paired. This is done for confident and predictable passage in turns.

But it's also impossible to forget that the heating is significantly affected not even by the type and class of the tire, but by the pressure. Tires with insufficient internal pressure heat up much more intensely. This is especially true for the sidewalls of the tire, which heat up due to frequent deformations and the risk of their damage increases significantly.

If you are on summer tires and regularly check the pressure, then everything is in order. Heating of the necessary - tread part can lead only to improved traction and optimal handling. But at the same time, one should not overdo it, sharp acceleration and braking will in any case lead to a decrease in the resource of the tires.