Autumn rain can cause problems when driving

What to do to reduce the risk of aquaplaning during the autumn is to make sure that your summer tyres are in good condition. The autumn is known for its beautiful colors but also that the winter is approaching, and the weather is more unstable. The period after the summer ends and before it is time to change to winter tyres, the weather can be very wet and cold, the darkness also contributes to challenging driving conditions. For these conditions you will need to have high quality tyres that can cope with these conditions.

When hitting the road during autumn, it is important to stay safe and make sure that your tyres are in good condition. There is a real risk of aquaplaning during the autumn with unexpected thunderstorms and rain showers being part of the forecast in most areas. The best protection against aquaplaning is a set of high quality tyres that are in good condition with proper tread depth and properly inflated. They should also have incorporated some of the latest tyre technologies into its tread to help prevent aquaplaning.

Aquaplaning is the phenomenon where the vehicle tyre rides up on a thin surface of water and loosing contact with the pavement, resulting in a loss of control.  Manufacturers are always coming up with new technologies to help deal with issues like aquaplaning. Most tyres incorporate this technology but even with a good tyre you can’t completely eliminate the risk. This is why it’s important to know what to do when your car starts aquaplaning. The best thing to do if you start aquaplaning is to stay straight and decelerate to try to regain the feel of the road and control of your car. To avoid aquaplaning, look ahead and avoid large puddles of water and reduce your speed in rainy conditions.

Using a new good quality tyre with adequate tyre pressure is important. Tyres like some of the all-weather tyres, use polished grooves to prevent aquaplaning and are therefore an excellent choice to use during the summer, autumn or even winter. The polished and slippery main grooves allow water to flow easily and effectively. This along with the open design of the main groove openings, thereby increasing the volume of the grooves, help protect against aquaplaning. Some tyres even comes equipped with an aquaplaning indicator, which is located on the center rib. The aquaplaning indicator droplet disappears when groove depth wears down to less than 4mm.

The reason the tread depth is so important is as the speed increases and the tread depth decreases the contact area of the tyre is dramatically decreased. This means the tyres wet grip and aquaplaning qualities deteriorate and the risk of aquaplaning increases. Furthermore, the braking distance is longer and the car skids easier. Aquaplaning does not just pertain to water as you can also have it happen with slush. Slushplaning is when the snow starts melting leaving slush, a mixture of snow and water, on the road.

For more information regarding tyres that are good at preventing aquaplaning, visit: www.nokiantyres.com