If you’re a regular reader of our tyre safety articles, you’ll probably already be familiar with the term ‘stopping distances’. If you’re not a regular, or simply need a refresher, it’s worth recapping their importance – and how the tyres fitted to your vehicle will influence this distance.
Think you know what ‘stopping distance’ is? Some may need to think again.
You may be the exception, but many Irish drivers mistakenly believe that it is simply the distance a vehicle travels from the moment the brakes are applied, to when it finally comes to a stop. In fact this description is actually (only) ‘braking distance’. While this is certainly a important component of stopping distance, it’s not the only one.
In fact, before this value can even be considered, there’s an equally important factor – your ‘thinking distance’. This is the length travelled that it takes a driver to realise that they both need to brake, and react. This period can often seem to be relatively short – perhaps just a second or two – but even this small amount of time can result in a vehicle travelling – in relation to the circumstances of needing to brake – a very long way. This is especially the case when driving at high speed.
Your stopping distance equals thinking distance plus braking distance.
A driver’s thinking distance is influenced by their vehicle speed, the quality of their visibility, whether or not they are tired, the state of their sobriety, and any number of internal and external distractions. Given these variables, it’s reasonable to presume that a driver that is sober, alert, and undistracted, and who has clear visibility ahead will demonstrate quicker reactions than someone who may be weary, or distracted, or under the infuence of either alcohol or drugs, while driving in rainy conditions.
The braking distance is influenced by speed, the prevailing weather conditions, and – importantly – the tyres fitted to the vehicle (including their condition, type and quality). It goes without saying that driving at high speed, particularly in poor driving weather, requires a longer braking distance to come to a safe stop, than say that of a vehicle travelling at much slower speeds on a clear, warm day. But what about the tyres fitted to your vehicle? Exactly how much of a role do they actually play?
Tyres make all the difference to your stopping distances
You’d be surprised. Your tyres play a huge role in whether you achieve a short or long stopping distance – particularly in wet driving conditions, and if the temperature is very low. Furthermore, your ability to safely come to a stop will be increased or reduced depending on the condition and quality of your tyres, along with the type of tyres you have fitted to your vehicle. Tyres are that important.
The condition of your tyres really matter
Good tyres matter. Their condition influence your ability to brake safely, and are a factor in stopping distances – specifically your tyre pressures, any tyre damage, and your tyre tread depth.
Your tread depth is vital, since it is responsible for clearing water from between your tyres and the road surface. If your tryes have a deep tread depth, it allows for more to be removed – quickly and efficiently. In contrast, if your tyres have a lower, shallower tread depth, they’ll struggle to remove water.
This matters because the rate of removal determines just how much grip your tyres cab achieve. With less grip, it takes much longer to come to come to a full stop. The more tread depth your tyres have, the greater your grip you’ll have, and the shorter your stopping distance will be.
In Ireland, the legal minimum tread depth is – believe it or not – a paltry 1.6 mm, but tyre experts – including BestDrive by Continental, and leading tyre manufacturer, Continental – highly recommend you have at least 3 mm of tread depth. Why? Because time and time again, independent braking distance tests demonstrate that on wet roads it often takes up to a whopping two full car lengths further for vehicles to come to a stop with 1.6 mm of tread, compared to those vehicles that have tyres with 3 mm of tread depth. That’s a massive difference.
Two car lengths is a significant distance, particularly if you’re driving at high speed, or in poor visibility. It can certainly be the difference between avoiding a collision, or having one. And let’s not forget, it’s not just other vehicles you could end up colliding with. If your stopping distance is too long, and a child walks out in front of you…
Your tyre tread depth is an important factor in determining your final stopping distance. However, it’s not the only one…
Different tyres for different seasons
Would you be surprised to learn that there are different tyres available for different seasons? In Ireland, the vast majority of drivers fit ‘summer tyres’ to their vehicles, all year round, such as Continental’s award winning PremiumContact™ 6. However, on the continent, many of our European cousins choose to switch to ‘winter tyres’ at the end of each year. But why?
There’s a misconception amongst many Irish drivers that winter tyres are for just for using in snowy conditions, and that since we don’t really get that much snow in this country there’s no need to switch to them, right? Wrong. While it is the case that winter tyres do perform significantly better than summer tyres in snowy conditions, it’s not their main purpose, or the reason so may Europeans fit them to their vehicles. Their true motivation is the drop in temperature.
Winter tyres easily surpass the performance levels of summer tyres, once the temperature gets down to 7°C and below. In like for like comparisons, stopping distances are significantly reduced for vehicles fitted with winter tyres. Summer tyres struggle to perform as well at this temperature range. Independent research shows that it take up to two full car lengths to come to a stop.
What makes winter tyres so special at 7°C and below?
Winter tyres outperform summer tyres at this temperature range, thanks to the different compounds they’re made from. They’re made from different combinations of materials, with each compound engineered to perform optimally at their designated temperature range.
The compounds used for summer tyres become much too hard at 7°C and below, and, as a result, provide less suppleness and grip. Winter tyres – which are specifically designed to thrive at this temperature range, perform brilliantly. However, conversely, winter tyres – with their softer, more pliable compounds – can’t perform optimally at warmer temperatures over 7°C. At this point, they become too sticky, and sluggish, resulting in poor rolling resistance – which is a huge drain on fuel expenditure.
A tyre for all seasons?
And what of the popular and recently introduced all season tyres? Surely, as the name alludes to, they offer the best of both worlds, right? Well, yes and no. Unless you’re in the tyre manufacturing business, you probably don’t know what goes into making a tyre.
The process is a delicate balancing act, trying to best manage performance, safety, comfort, and economical characteristics. Different tyre makers put more or less emphasis on each tyre property, depending on the driver and vehicle segment they’re aiming for. But at the end of the day, there’s only so much balancing you can do before opting for a bias towards one characteristic or another, and this ultimately has a negative impact on the others.
And so, at its heart, and while a great idea, the all season tyre is a compromise on the attributes of dedicated summer and winter tyres. Yes, it offers a good spread of warm and cold temperature characteristics, but it can never match the optimal performance levels of its specialist stablemates – and that includes when it comes to delivering shorter stopping distances.
Quality matters, and makes a difference to stopping distances
Speaking of compounds, whether used in summer, winter or all season tyres, quality really matters. Compounds are a mix of man-made and natural materials, that can be combined in an infinite amount of ways. As such, not all compounds are the same. Typically, those used in premium tyres – like those made by Continental – are far superior to compounds found in cheaper, budget tyres.
Why? Because tyre manufacturer’s, like Continental, spend a fortune every year in research and development, the result of which is ever improving compounds that delivers optimal performance – and keeping Ireland’s motorists safer. And because of this, in an exact like for like comparison, premium tyres will always deliver superior grip, performance, and shorter stopping distances. That’s why so many of their tyres regularly win independent tests and awards.
As should now be readilly apparent, grip – achieved through high quality, seasonal tyres in good condition – will noticeably reduce your stopping distances. And that keeps all of us afer, right?
Unsure how to achieve shorter stopping distances? Talk to BestDrive by Continental
At BestDrive by Continental it’s our top priority to ensure you have the very best tyres fitted for your car, SUV, 4×4, van or light commercial vehicle. So if you’re still unsure about how to achieve the shortest stopping distances, talk to one of our highly experienced team of tyre professionals. They’ll provide you with impartial, expert tyre advice, and offer you the best fitting solutions. You’ll find your nearest branch at the top of this page.
BestDrive by Continental – You drive, we care.