subject: Winter Tires And Other Tips On Surviving The Winter On The Road [print this page] Some countries, such as Finland have to endure the coldness of winter and varying snowy and icy conditions even six months of a year in certain parts of the country. In those countries, the winter tyres are required by the law. Its not wonder why some the most leading tire experts in the world come from Finland. Finnish Nokian Tyres is the maker of Hakkapeliitta tyres, which were used to break the world record in fastest driving on ice among other feats.
But fast driving is not what normal drivers do during winter, when they want to get safely from one place to another. We got some winter drivers tips from the Team Hakka from Nokian to be shared with everyone.
As in traffic always its important to be aware of your limits and those of other drivers. In the winter this is even more important than other times.
And you should adjust your driving speed to existing conditions and keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. The key to safety is to avoid situations where you might face the situation of having to brake suddenly on a slippery surface.
Obviously is recommended to use winter tyres because they improve driving safety by providing better traction, braking and handling during frost, snow, slush, and particularly under icy conditions.
When driving on the snow you need to avoid the risk of sliding when pulling away. To achieve this, you should accelerate very gradually. If the wheels slide, engage the next gear up to decrease the force applied to the wheels. Then youll be able to pull away cleanly.
Bends can be tricky. If you see you are tackling a bend, slow down in a straight line. To avoid the tyre sliding and losing control when you take the corner, steer with a constant, flowing movement and dont forget to maintain a slow and regular speed.
You might also face a situation when the car loses grip at the rear (but still has grip at the front), in a front wheel drive vehicle, gently accelerate to regain balance. On the other hand, in a rear wheel drive vehicle, gently lift your foot off the accelerator until the rear wheels regains grip. Then gently accelerate again to maintain your speed. On no account should you brake, as this will accentuate the imbalance at the rear.
