If living in an area that does not have winter and if deciding to place all-season tires on your car, you might be pleasantly surprised that these tires come recommended for areas with lots of rain as they have many new innovations to protect against hydroplaning. Places in the United States like Oregon that experiences lots of rain are areas where you could have all-season tires on your car, as the risk of hydroplaning in the fall and winter in areas that get a lot of rain is obviously increased.
Good quality tires are probably the number one protection against hydroplaning. There are many good tires on the market and with newer technologies there have been many advances in tires’ capacity to avoid the loss of control due to hydroplaning. Tires like the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 all-season tires have a new innovative design with lateral grooves that allow more water to store between the tire and the road. This in addition to its polished main grooves help accelerate the flow of water displaced by the surface tread.
Even new all-season tires do not eliminate the risk of hydroplaning, but they do give you the best protection. This, in addition to avoiding areas of standing water, slowing down your speed, especially around turns, and avoiding following too closely behind the car in front of you, will give you the biggest advantage. It is also important when driving in heavy rain to use your windshield wipers, turn on headlights and avoid heavy braking. Properly inflated tires are just as important as high-quality tires. It is also important to have washer fluid in the reservoir. Make sure that all the lights are functioning properly especially the emergency blinkers and make sure the brakes are functioning properly.
Obviously not just all-season tires are equipped to handle rain, all-weather tires also have sipes and grooves along with other innovations to help evacuate water as well as slush and snow. This is important, as hydroplaning increases the risk of an accident. Rainy conditions are directly associated with higher accident rates. There are many reasons for this other than the risk of hydroplaning, some accidents are caused by the fact that a hard rain limits visibility which can be challenging even for the most experienced drivers.
For more information on all-season tires or all-weather tires visit nokiantires.com