With the winter months now upon us in the northern hemisphere it’s now more important than ever for readers experiencing sub-zero temperatures to ensure their vehicles are properly equipped to handle the harsher conditioners.
If you happen to live in areas where winter usually means driving in thick snow or even black ice, not having winter tires may mean the difference between life and death as this video from tire manufacturer Yokohama reveals.
Using a pair of Lexus CT 200h hatchbacks, one equipped with winter tires and the other with regular summer rubber, Yokohama testers proceed to drive the vehicles on a flat sheet of ice (at a local ice-skating rink in this case) to demonstrate the performance difference between the two tire types.
As Bentley recently showed us, the benefits of winter tires are not restricted to extreme winter conditions. At temperatures as high as 44 degrees F (7 degrees C), the compound of winter tires with its greater percentage of natural rubber and silica, remains more flexible than that of standard tires, ensuring greater contact with the road and therefore improved grip.
Enjoy the video, and then click here for a similar demonstration conducted by BMW with its X3 SUV.
