Summer tyres
Winter is (finally) over, so it is time to change the winter tyres with summer tyres. It is important to have good quality car tyres underneath your car as the car tyres are the only contact between the car and the road surface. Summer tyres perform best during the summer period when the temperature is above 7 °C. When the temperature hits below 7 °C, winter tyres are recommended for the best and safest performance.
Summer tyres vs winter tyres
When the temperature hits above 7 °C, summer tyres are more suitable than winter tyres. Summer tyres are especially made for higher temperatures. These car tyres have an innovative rubber mixture in combination and a specially designed profile which differs from the winter tyres. At higher temperatures, these car tyres will retain their shape and stick so to say to the road surface. This guarantees stable road holding with good grip. Summer tyres are suitable for driving on both dry and wet surfaces.
Summer tyres in winter is something we do not recommend as they are less suitable for cold circumstances. As we made clear earlier, summer tyres are not made for temperatures below 7 °C. When you do want to keep driving on summer tyres in winter, you must be aware of the dangers. The car tyres will offer less grip than winter tyres and thus will increase the breaking distance. The most safe and suitable option is to opt for winter tyres in the winter period. Are you looking for a car tyre that is suitable in both winter and summer? Then you can choose all-season tyres , also known as all-weather tyres or four-season tyres.
Summer tyres tread depth
The tread depth plays a major role in grip, braking and road holding. The tread of the summer tyre ensures that rainwater is efficiently drained away when driving on wet surfaces. This prevents dangerous situations or hydroplanning (aquaplaning). For summer tyres the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. Nevertheless, it is recommended to get new tyres when the tread depth is around 3 mm. Driving with a low tread depth increases the chance of aquaplaning. Also, the car tyres will provide less grip and the braking distance will increase. To check the tread depth of your car tyres, you can use a tread depth gauge. Is the tread depth 3 mm or less? Make sure to get some new car tyres!
Car tyre labels All car tyres are provided with so-called tyre labels. These are the energy labels, grip labels, speed index and noise production labels. But what do these tyre labels mean? We will explain it to you:
Grip label: this label shows how efficiently a vehicle can brake on a wet road. The label A has the highest safety and shortest braking distance. F has a low safety and a long braking distance
Energy label: the energy label is classified on the basis of fuel efficiency. This is divided into 7 classes, A to G. There A uses 0.1 litres less than a tyre with class B, per 100 kilometres.
Noise production in dB: this label indicates the external rolling noise in decibels. This label was introduced to help drivers be aware of noise pollution. The quieter the car tyres, the better for your surroundings, but also good for you as it also reduces cabin noise.
Speed index: this label indicates the maximum speed that the tyre can handle.
Order summer tyres
Buying the best car tyres is easy at Winparts. But, are you curious about which are the best summer tyres for your car? First of all, we recommend buying good quality car tyres. The saying cheaper is more expensive is certainly applicable here. Some top brands are Michelin, Bridgestone, Vredestein, Dunlop, Pirelli or Good Year. You pay a little more for these brands, but they also last longer.
On our website, you can easily select on your tyre size. Enter the tire width, height and rim size. This information can be found on the side of your current car tyre. A code is displayed on the car tyre, for example 205/55 R16. Here the width is the first digit before the slash (in mm), the height is the number after the slash and the rim size is the inch behind the R. The suitable car tyres for your car are then displayed.
