Here Comes the Rain | Aquaplaning Risks and Wet Grip on Tyres

It's that time of year again! The clocks have gone back and the dark nights are here. Along with it seems to be an increase in downpours! The heavens have opened and the change of the seasons has hit us, the change in driving conditions can be a shock to road users with blaring headlights and heavy rainfall during their drive home.

With more water on our road surfaces across the UK, the tread depths on your tyres are more important than ever! (Although we can't stress enough that it's important all year round to ensure your tyres are safe and legal!).

What is The Legal Tread Depth in the UK?

The legal tread depth is 1.6mm across the central ¾ of the tread around the whole of the tyre. If your tyre drops below 1.6mm, it is illegal. This could result in a fine of up to £2500 PER TYRE and up to 3 points on your licence PER TYRE. Neither of which are particularly appealing!

When Should I Change My Tyres?

The recommended tread depth to change your tyres at is 3mm. Once tyres drop below 3mm of tread remaining, your braking distances are increased and your handling is reduced.

When there is a lot of surface water on the roads, your chances of aquaplaning are also greatly increased.

How Does A Car Aquaplane?

Aquaplaning will occur when your tyres hit a layer of surface water and are unable to grip to the road surface as they're designed to do. This lack of grip results in your vehicle losing traction, meaning its response to braking, steering and accelerating is also lost.

If you don't have any tread remaining on your tyre, the originally designed tread pattern is no longer present. This was designed to disperse water, which improves the contact point with the road in wet conditions. The more tread you have remaining, the better the tyre will perform and keep you safe!

Order Tyres for Mobile Fitting in Cambridgeshire

If you're concerned you don't have ample tread going into the winter months – call us! We're available to help you pick the correct tyres for your vehicle on 0333 444 5454. If it's outside of our opening hours you can leave us a voicemail and we'll get back to you as soon as possible!

If you know which tyres you'd like as a replacement, you can order them online! We'll be in touch as soon as possible to confirm details of your booking.