With the winter weather drawing in fast, and the roads becoming covered with snow and ice, now is definitely the time to consider a set of winter tyres. So what exactly are the benefits that come with a set of winter tyres?

Winter tyres are instantly recognisable by the snowflake or snow-capped mountain symbol which can be found on the sidewall of the tyre, and are proven to greatly improve performance on road surfaces in winter conditions. Being made of a special tread rubber compound with a high silica content, they are designed to work at temperatures below 7°C, with the ability to retain their flexibility on wet and icy surfaces. These attributes drastically improve traction performance, as softer more flexible tyres have better grip than summer tyres that would remain hard in cold conditions.

Whilst performance is important to many, safety is probably the main consideration in winter weather with accidents becoming much more likely, and with this in mind winter tyres are also guaranteed to improve braking distances in winter conditions. Tests have shown that these tyres stop 11 metres shorter than summer tyres in icy conditions, and 4.8 metres at 7°C and below. For the more risk conscious among us this is certainly a drastic improvement over summer tyres. And as they remain functional up to 7°C their life can also even extend up to six months. With the weather often staying below 7°C from October to March in the UK winter tyres could be more useful than you might think! (http://www.tyrepriceadvisor.co.uk/en/consumer-guide)

Winter tyres are even a legal requirement throughout most of Europe, where Austrian motorists for example can face a fine of up to 5,000 Euros if they are found not to be using them between the 1st November and the 15th April, and are also legally uninsured if they fail to use them during this period. Whilst the benefits are clear these tyres are still not a legal requirement in the UK and do not affect insurance premiums; however they are nevertheless a good precaution for those of us not so used to driving in the nasty winter conditions but also need to travel on the roads.

So as the snow and ice builds this winter, let us help you find the best deal on winter tyres (http://www.tyrepriceadvisor.co.uk/en/winter-tyres-1) with a range of benefits that will give you added confidence in the tricky conditions this winter.