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Aquaplaning can happen anytime of the year if you have wet roads

Aquaplaning happens the tyre fails to push away all the water between the road and the tyre, so that a layer of water builds up between the tyres and the road surface. This is very dangerous as you lose control over the vehicle. Aquaplaning can be a danger in every season as even in the winter months there can be slush on the road that can lead to aquaplaning. Manufacturers are always coming up with new inventions that can be integrated into the tread to help deal with issues like aquaplaning. During the winter when you have melted snow, i.e. slush, you can have a similar phenomenon called slushplaning, when the tyres fail to push away the wet snow.

Most high quality tyres will incorporate some form of technology to the tread but even with a good tyre you can’t completely eliminate the risk. You need to make sure that you keep the speed at a reasonable level. It is also important to know what to do when your car loses control due to aquaplaning. Keep your cool, which is probably easier said than done but it’s important to not panic and slam on the brakes. The best thing to do if you start hydroplaning is to keep the car straight and let go of the gas pedal until you regain the feel of the road and control of your car. Try to avoid aquaplaning by looking ahead and avoid any large puddle and reduce your speed in rainy conditions.

When you purchase new summer tyres you will need to ensure that they are good in wet conditions and have incorporated various technologies to reduce the risk of aquaplaning. Some of the new technologies like polished lateral and inside grooves allowing them to store more water between the tyre and the road and accelerating the flow from the main grooves, have significantly reduced the risk. This leads to increased water displacement further improving the aquaplaning properties. Another important safety tip to avoid aquaplaning is to keep the tyres properly inflated and to rotate and replace tyres when necessary Adequate tyre pressure is important as tread depth plays a role. The tyres tread depth is also of utter importance, so when the tyres start to be worn out, there is less volume in the grooves to store water. This leads to worse wet grip and higher risk for aquaplaning.

When you purchase new tyres, make sure to check the EU tyre label to see if they have good wet grip and check what technologies are incorporated to provide aquaplaning protection.  All-weather tyres and winter tyres also takes advantage of the polished main grooves to effectively clean snow, slush, and water off the tyre to ensure a that the tyre grips the road thereby protecting against both aquaplaning and slushplaning. The all-weather tyres are made of rubber compounds that are very similar to the rubber compounds of winter tyres. It also features the snowflake mountain symbol that indicates that they are approved for winter use.

For more information tyres that can handle aquaplaning during the year, visit nokiantyres.com

 

 

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