Why Tyres Lose Grip Even Before They Wear Out

According to a common fact, bald tyres lose grip. It means they cannot hold the road surface effectively. Sometimes it happens that you check your tyres and find they have proper tread. But they slip on even dry roads, and they do not help you take sharp turns. Moreover, their braking efficiency is also reduced. If you are surprised because of this behavior of your tyres, you need to know more about tyres and their gripping efficiency.

The gripping power of Bridgestone Tyres Cardiff does not depend on only tread alone.

In this blog, we will talk about why your healthy tyres lose grip and what you can do to avoid this condition.

The truth about tyre grip

You are utterly wrong if you think only tread depth is important for tyre grip. Surely, tread pattern and depth matter, but other factors, such as rubber quality, temperature, tyre age, and road conditions, also play their role. You cannot ignore these factors while measuring the strength of your new or old tyres. Therefore, tyres with optimum tread depth may also be dangerous because of other factors.

Tyres might slip due to hard rubber

Check the rubber of your tyres if they often slip on the roads. Tyres grip the road well when they are new, but over time, they lose their gripping power due to hard rubber. Rubber gets harder over time due to several reasons. These reasons include heat, UV rays, oxygen, ozone, overloading, over-speeding, and chemical and humidity.

You should note that hard tyres do not hold the road surface well. Rubber material should maintain optimum flexibility. Therefore, do not be surprised if your tyres have not lost their tread but they slip on roads. Maybe the hard rubber is the main culprit.

Heat cycles can be the silent enemy

Tyres heat up when you drive them. Moreover, tyres heat up due to the summer heat as well. In the summer season, rods are hot. Therefore, tyres get heat from the road surfaces as well. Tyres cool down when you park your vehicle in the shade. The heating up and cooling down of tyres is called a heat cycle. When tyres experience several heat cycles, they start to break and lose their flexibility. Each heat cycle changes the tyre a little, but you do not feel the changes. You observe the warning signs when they are visible.

Cheap tyres can be risky?

If your tyres slip often on roads, they may be made up of low-grade rubber. These tyres may assist you in normal conditions. But they will fail in tough driving conditions. Moreover, the rubber material in these tyres will harden faster due to its low quality.

If you want excellent gripping power in both normal and unfavorable driving conditions.

Tyre pressure is also considerable

This is a simple rule. Wrong pressure means a bad grip. If tyres are run on roads with high air pressure, more central areas will touch the road. If they have low air pressure, both sides will carry more load. In both conditions, the size of the contact area is disturbed. Improper size of the contact patch reduces the gripping power of car tyres.

You should check the air pressure once a month to fix this problem. Use a high-grade gauge to get correct readings.

Store your tyres wisely

Do you use seasonal tyres or park your car in a garage for months? In this period, your tyres are not in use, but they still age. A lot of factors are responsible for ageing in tyres.

These factors include:

Temperature: Temperature of the storage area. You should keep your tyres in a cold area.

Humidity: Tyres will age faster in a humid environment. Therefore, you should keep your tyres away from water and moisture

Sunlight and UV rays: Keep your tyres in a dark place. Direct sunlight is not a good sign for your vehicle.

Oxidation: Oxygen is also not a good factor for car tyres. Oxygen is everywhere; therefore, controlling this factor is not easy for car drivers.

Ozone: Your tyres will age faster due to ozone.

Chemicals, fuel, paints: Keep your tyres away from chemicals, paints, lubricants, and fuel.

So, unused tyres may lose grip and traction due to ageing.

Therefore, you should not use your tyres after 6 to 10 years according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Inappropriate tyres for the season:

Summer tyres are appropriate for hot weather. They provide better grip and traction on hot roads. On the other hand, winter tyres are suitable for cold conditions. These seasonal tyres will provide better grip if you use them according to their characteristics.

If you use summer tyres in the winter, they lose grip fast. Similarly, winter tyres would not grip well in summer months.

Therefore, use the right tyres if you are looking for proper grip and traction.

Driving style is also important:

Your driving style may affect the gripping power of your tyres. If you are an aggressive driver, your tyres are expected to lose their grip due to uneven tread wear. If you drive smoothly, your tyres will serve your vehicle for a long time.

Tyres may crack silently:

Tyres experience dry rot. Your tyres are experiencing dry rot if you observe tiny cracks in their sidewalls. Cracks may allow leaking, and they take in dust and water as well. Moreover, cracks in the sidewall indicate that the rubber material is losing its strength. Tyres with cracks do not provide better grip on dry and wet roads.

If you observe sidewall cracks, you should change.

Conclusion

The conclusion is clear. Even if your Tyres Cardiff look well, they can lose grip due to several reasons. These reasons include aging, heating, storage, using cheap materials, and cracked sidewalls. You should not ignore these reasons to keep your tyres in good condition.