What is tyre traction and how does it work?

When we talk about car tyres, the two things that are very important in relation to tyres are traction and friction. Your tyres grab the energy from the engine and ultimately transfer them onto the roads. That’s how your car steers and propels forward. Have you ever pondered over the science behind this principle? 

If there’s more power coming to your engine Well, then wheelspin is what you get out of it. Now, this needs to be stopped and this becomes possible due to the traction in the Bridgestone tyres Nuneaton. Let’s understand what is traction and how does it work. 

What is traction?

Tyres generate friction when they roll on the road. This is generated between the wheels and the ground. That’s how they move forward. When the torque is applied, the tyres face resistance on the road as they spin. To put it in simple words, it’s a kind of a tussle that takes place between the tyres and the road. 

If the surface is wet at this time, the traction might get reduced as it acts as a lubricant on the surface of the road during this time. If the quantity of water is in excess on the road, there are chances of aquaplaning on the roads. This is where the tread pattern of the tyre comes into the picture. Tread helps the tyre by moving water to the sides. This increases the traction and this also gives the power to the tyres to bring the car to a halt. 

Treads and traction are highly connected to each other. Deep treads are used on the tyres when they need to run on snowy and muddy roads. That’s because such roads are quite slippery. Tyres Nuneaton for racing cars is designed uniquely. Torque is really high in such tyres, so tyre manufacturers use special rubber to build such tyres. This prevents the traction from being lost as the tyres spin. 

What’s the relation between tyre traction and the spinning of wheels?

There are sensors attached to the wheels. These sensors monitor the speed of the wheels. As the wheels start spinning, this information is sent to the processing unit of the vehicle. If there’s one wheel spinning faster than the other, the hydraulic modulator on the wheel is instructed by the processing unit to lower down its speed. In this process, the driver needs to apply the brakes on and off to tame the spinning of the wheels. 

What are the benefits of traction in the tyres?

·      In powerful vehicles, breaking the traction becomes easier, otherwise, it may cause wheelspin. 

·      Roads often get slippery in winters by snow or ice on them. If not this, then there is oil, loose stones and water also on the roads. It’s difficult for you to detect this kind of impending menace, but traction control will perceive it. 

·      Situations like towing another vehicle or pulling a heavy load puts more pressure on the vehicle. You can find friction in a similar amount between the Bridgestone tyres and the road. When you’ll accelerate, there are chances of wheelspin. A similar kind of thing is when you move the vehicle uphill. Here the vehicle keeps moving back due to gravity. But daunting situations like these are brought to control with enhanced traction in the tyres.

·      The weight distribution of your vehicle gets changed while cornering your vehicle. There’s more weight on the outside wheels. As a result, the grip on the wheels inside gets reduced. There are chances that your traction might break during this time. 

Therefore, traction is something that is extremely important for safe driving. Traction coupled with the tread acts as a kind of boon for the vehicles, as this is what keeps your vehicle firm on the ground.