The importance of selecting the correct tyre
The contact patch of a tyre with the road is about a large as a postcard, therefore, it’s vital that the part of the tyre that is connected to the road is in optimal condition and ready to handle everything that comes its way.
Ensuring the correct tyre and tread pattern for your fleet is vital as it is responsible for doing many things including:
- Water Clearance; did you know that on some tyres the tread can clear as much as 15 litres of water per second*? Some tread patterns are better at clearing water than others.
- Wet Handling; the ability for a tyre to stop on wet roads can be nearly double that of a tyre on a dry road. That could be up to 38m further when travelling at 50mph or 13 car lengths**. Different tyre patterns will react better than others and the wet braking capability of a car can be found on the tyre labelling.
- Reducing Rolling Resistance between the tyre and the road; it might surprise you that the difference between the poorest performing tyres and the best performing tyres can mean usage of an additional 5 litres of fuel during the life of the tyre. That's assuming that the tyre is always correctly inflated.
*Source: michelin.co.uk. Based on a 195/65 R15 tyre
** Source: RAC.co.uk. Based on average family car