Summer driving tends to feel safe, but it can still be dangerous

all-season tires

Summers are the best time of the year to drive when you have dry road conditions and great weather. In addition, the visibility is better as you have more hours of daylight. During the warm seasons, the main challenging driving conditions are heavy rain, flooding, or thunderstorms when you have very wet roads. For example, when you have heavy summer rain, the water accumulates on the road surface, which can cause the vehicle to hydroplane.

When the car tires have a hard time removing the excess water, you might end up in a situation where the tires cannot push away the water, causing you to lose contact with the road surface. This means that you lose control of your vehicle, which can cause accidents. The contact is lost until the speed is reduced and contact is regained. This happens as the vehicle is pushed on top of the water layer. When the tires lose their road contact and are now only in contact with the water layer, they will lose speed.  When you lose speed, the tires are again able to push away enough water so that you can regain control. However, if the driver panics and turns the steering wheel, the wheels might be turning when the contact is made, and it can cause the car to jump sideways and potentially crash into cars on the side of it or the railing. The best way to counteract hydroplaning is to get a good set of all-season tires that are good at preventing hydroplaning, and then you should just take your foot off the gas and try to remain calm until the contact is reestablished.

You need to make sure that you have good all-season tires or tires that are means to be used during the summer season on your car, and you need to make sure that they are in good condition. Good condition means that they are free from any damages caused by hitting curbs or potholes and that the tread depth is above 5/32 inches. Low tread depth increases the chance for hydroplaning due to lower groove volume.

The tire pressure also needs to be at the correct level as low tire pressure causes the tires to wear faster than intended, and your car will consume more fuel than planned. So, you must check the tire pressure regularly to ensure that you have the correct pressure.

When you reach cold seasons, where you have under 45°F, you should prepare to change to winter tires. This will allow for safe driving during winter conditions. You always need to have winter-approved tires when you drive in areas that have snow and ice on the roads. The trick here is to know when to change so that you are sure to have the winter tires mounted before the arrival of any snow. The best method tends to look at the temperature and try to change as soon as it starts approaching 45°F, which is when the winter tires outperform all-season tires even in dry conditions.

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