Stopping Distance - Everything you need to know

When driving your car, have you ever paid attention that your car not only moves according to how you control it but is also affected by the surroundings it is in? You try and control your car the best way possible, but when things go wrong outside, it is really about those seconds that can either save or sabotage you. Weather, temperature, tyre condition, and road surfaces are some factors that influence your drive and should be looked out for. Be alert when you drive, especially when you apply those brakes, or else it might be too late.

Stopping Distance

If you think stopping distance means the distance that your car takes to come to a halt after the brakes are applied, you're gravely mistaken. Braking distance is inclusive of the distance your car takes to stop after the brakes are applied, and also the time you take to analyze the situation and decide to apply the brakes. The distance covered by you when thinking about the situation is known as thinking distance.

Your thinking distance will vary according to your alertness at that time and other factors both, within and outside of the vehicle. An alert person will react to the situation faster than a not so alert person. Similarly, your speed also affects your stopping distance. More the speed, more the stopping distance. Also, your tyre condition is a key factor when it comes to braking. Tyres with low tread depth have lesser braking capacity than the ones that are in good condition and have an ample amount of tread depth left.

Summer and Winter Tyres

Summer Tyres are tyres that are designed to withstand the heat of the summer season while also having a good grip on the road and prevent aquaplaning. Aquaplaning is the drift you feel in your vehicle when it crosses wet surfaces and does not grip the road properly.

Winter tyres are designed using a softer compound of rubber that hardens when cooled by the cold winter roads. These tyres also have tread patterns that help the car cruise through snow-covered roads. Many people don’t switch their summer tyres for a winter set as they don’t drive in snowy areas, but snow isn’t the only factor here.

Temperature Effects

Temperature counts as well. Anything below 7°C starts to harden the tyres and using already hard summer tyres in these conditions can damage your tyres and increase the possibility of tyre bursts. The hard rubber of summer tyres is designed to soften when driven on hot roads, whereas, driving them in even more hardening conditions can be damaging for them. Similarly, driving winter tyres in temperatures above 7°C isn’t a wise choice either. The soft rubber compound of winter tyres will heat up quickly and wear out faster than it would otherwise.

All-Season Tyres – Saviour in Summer, Warrior in Winter

All season tyres are a blend of characteristics of both summer and winter tyres, and provide the driver with ample amount of control and grip in both the seasons. However, let us not forget that they’ll have to compromise on their performance issue for both the seasons and not provide as good grip and control as the seasonal tyres would. Not being as hard as summer tyres and neither being as soft as winter tyres limit the performance of all-season tyres.

Safety should always be your top-most priority no matter how much hurry you’re in. It’s better to be Mr Late than be Late. Mr. So maintain your tyres Hyde or else you are just being ignorant towards yours as well as others’ safety. Your negligence is not only bad for you, but also for anyone who is going on the road while you hardly care to pay attention. If you have any queries related to tyres Prestwich contact our experts at Gilgal Tyre, and we assure to give answers to all your questions.

Crucial Tips to Prevent a Summer Tyre Puncture

 The summer heat is your tyres’ worst enemy. The high temperatures will cause additional tyre damages. Turning a blind eye to this may lead to blowouts other than suffering avoidable punctures due to decadent tread depth.

Hence, properly maintaining your Cheap Tyres Online in Manchester in the summer is absolutely essential. As a car owner, it is vital that you take certain precautions to prevent unforeseen circumstances.

Here are certain tips you can follow to keep your tyres in perfect running conditions throughout the summer.

Maintaining proper tyre pressure

The risk of a puncture is higher if you are running your car with under or over-inflated tyres. Also, having irregular tyre pressure is the primary reason for higher fuel consumption as well as a drastic reduction in driveability.

But this is quite a simple issue to fix and requires minimal effort. You can use a tyre gauge to check the inflation pressure on each tyre. In case you don’t have a gauge, you can head over to an oil station to check your car’s tyre pressure and also adjust it to requisite levels, which you will find in your car manual. Or you can resort to professional auto garages.

Rotating front and rear sets

One of the main reasons for tyre punctures and blowouts are unevenly worn tyres. For FWD vehicles, it’s the front set which wears out faster. RWD vehicles, as well as partial 4x4, will wear out their rear wheels instead. Sticking to the same pairs will result in one pair wearing out well before the other and oblige you to buy a whole new set with the other pair half-worn. Evening out tyre wear by rotating front and rear pairs as per requirements is a smart way to save up on expenses as well as getting better performance.

Rotation of tyres, the front pair for the rear or vice versa, after a period of time helps to even out tyre wear. This also helps in getting the best out of your whole set. Generally, it is advisable to rotate your tyres after every 6,000-8,000 miles, although this varies across cars and manufacturers.

Replacement is necessary

Tyres will lose tread depth over time, even if they are taken care of regularly. Other than on-road debris or any other damage, you can consider tread wear as your tyre wear.

Falling tread depth usually translates into poor traction and on-road grip. So, replace them for better driveability. Now, most owners are unaware that they can measure this tread depth by themselves.

Take a penny. Place it head first onto the tread. If the entire penny is not visible, then it is time to get a replacement of those Car Tyres Online in Manchester auto garages.

Even with proper care and precautions, you cannot guarantee against a blowout. You will require professional expertise to get optimal performance out of your car tyres.

Hence, getting your car checked at Gilgal Tyres is the best option. Let the experts check the tyre conditions and suggest on repairing or replacing them. You can also avail other brake and engine services from them.