Time to Think About Winter Tyres
The tyre is the only connection between your car and the road. It interacts with all other chassis components from steering to brakes and influences every area of driving dynamics. Having the optimum tyres therefore increases safety and driver enjoyment.
The UK has the lowest use of winter tyres in Europe despite having some of the worst weather – this is because most of us confuse winter tyres with snow tyres!
Frequently Asked Questions
Aren’t winter tyres just for when it snows?
They are designed for optimal performance and safety in the cold, wet, ice and snow – anything below 7 degrees Centigrade.
How do they work?
The hi-tech rubber in winter tyres is designed for all temperatures below 7 degrees Centigrade. In these temperatures, the rubber doesn’t harden like in conventional tyres. The harder the tyre, the less it will grip on loose or slippery surfaces. In the case of winter tyres, this helps prevent accidents on wet or icy roads.
They also have a deeper tyre tread than standard tyres. The deeper tread depth and unique pattern of winter tyres prevents acquaplaning and increases grip on icy roads too.
How much better are they?
On wet roads at 60mph winter tyres will stop nearly five metres sooner than standard tyres and on icy roads at 20mph, you will stop 11 metres sooner.
Do I have to drive slower on winter tyres?
Typically winter tyres have a slightly lower speed rating than standard tyres but the even ‘H’ rated tyres have a maximum speed of 131mph so in winter conditions this should not compromise your driving. The ZR rated tyres that Ferrari recommend allow usage above 150mph.
Do winter tyres wear out quicker?
Winter tyres last just as long as summer tyres and perform better in winter conditions. Depending on your mileage, they should last two or three winters and whilst it is true that winter tyres wear more quickly in the summer due to their softer compound, summer tyres will wear 40% faster than winter tyres during the winter months.
Myths!
Winter tyres cause extra damage to roads
Wrong, that’s snow tyres and they are not necessary in the UK.
My warranty will be invalidated
Wrong, Ferrari actively recommend winter tyres and as long as you use approved wheel and tyre combination your warranty is unaffected.
It doesn’t snow enough here to justify it
Its not about snow. Our climate in the UK lends itself to using winter tyres from October through to March. Average ground temperatures and levels of rainfall during this period align perfectly with the optimal design characteristics of winter tyres.
H.R. Owen Offer
We will fit your Ferrari California with a set of wheels and winter tyres for the special price of £3,470 + VAT. We can store your existing wheels and tyres for you until the summer months.
This may seem somewhat premature but last year nearly all tyre manufacturers completely sold out of winter tyres so its important to get our order in early.
If you would like to order a set phone our service centre today on 0208 090 2932
