Are you planning a skiing holiday, and plan to hire a car? If the skiing vacation is planned to be somewhere in Europe then the car must have winter tyres fitted on them. Even if the vacation is planned to be spent in UK, make sure that the car that is hired is fitted with winter tyres.

Tyre manufacturers now use advances techniques of making winter tyres. Now, the winter tyres that are on the market have softer rubber used in them. This allows the tyre to get firm traction on the road surface. When cars were mostly rear wheel driven most customers thought that using winter tyres on the rear wheels was sufficient to provide the necessary traction on icy and snow covered roads. Also, nowadays some people feel that front wheel driven cars only need winter tyres on the front wheels. Both these beliefs are incorrect!

All four tyres of the car must have winter tyres on them. Also, the tread, size, and condition of the winter tyres should be the same. As much as traction is required on wet and slippery roads, so is the ability to apply the brakes. When brakes are applied, all the four wheels are forced to stop, and if one or two tyres are different then the car can go out of control. The reason is that the brake pressure will not be even.

Temperatures in winter can lower suddenly and the weather can be very random. So, nobody wants to get trapped on the road with defective tyres. Remember, clearing snow off the road takes time and all the roads do not get cleared of snow and ice at once. So why take a risk? Just being cautious on the outset can save a lot of headaches later on. More incidents occur in winters than in summers, so being careful always helps.

Tell the car rental company where you intend to spend your skiing vacation and also insist that the car they are going to rent out is fitted with winter tyres. When taking the car, make sure all the tyres are winter tyres and are in the same condition. If you are not sure of the tyres, it is preferable to take the car to a tyre shop and get their opinion. Now what some people tend to forget is the spare tyre. Check that also, and make sure it is also a winter tyre.

Ask any tyre shop mechanic about the tyre pressure that is required for the tyres, and make sure that the right tyre pressure is maintained. Check the tyres pressure often as the higher you go the more rarefied the air gets. Winter tyres look slightly flatter than summer tyres, and this is due to their having a wider traction and not because they are underinflated.

Many ski resorts are on subsidiaries of the main roads, and the chances of having to drive on snow covered and ice topped roads is very high. With the correct tyres there will be no issues during driving on these road surfaces, and odds of the car going out of control or skidding will be removed.

Besides the tyres, it is very important to make sure that the car’s brakes are in good condition. A slight tap on slippery surfaces with faulty brakes can make the car to go out of control. So, do look at the brakes. When driving on icy or snow covered roads, use the gear to slow down and maintain traction. Use the brakes as little as possible.