When you drive, it is essential to have good grip. You need grip to accelerate, to be able to take corners and to be able stop. There can be a few reasons why you are not getting the grip that you expect from your tires. Some are obvious and some are less obvious. Some of the obvious are that you have bad tires. Either the quality of the tires is bad, or the tires are already worn out. If the tread depth is below 5/32 inches, the grip will diminish, and you need to purchase new tires. You will be more inclined to have to experience aquaplaning during the summer season with all-season tires and slushplaning during the winter with your winter approved tires.
Bad grip can also be due to the fact that the tire pressure is wrong. Both over inflated and underinflated tires, can cause the vehicle to act in a way that makes the vehicle difficult to control. Underinflated tires will also consumer more fuel and wear out faster. Overinflated tires tend to have higher tire wear on the middle of the tire and diminished contact area and lower grip. Inflating the tires to the tire pressure that is indicated in the owner’s manual is an easy task.
Your car’s shock absorbers might also play a role if the grip is bad. Bad shock absorbers are not able to push the tires squared against the road, creating enough traction. Cars with bad shock absorbers tend to have longer braking distance. This should be checked as well, to see if this could be the cause. Shock absorbers will wear out over time, so they can easily cause this problem. Since there are four shock absorbers on a car, each located above the tires, you will now and then have one that has gone bad and needs to be replaced. It is neither expensive nor time consuming to get them changed by a service station and also have them to check the status of them.
Finally, bad grip might just be down to you having the wrong tires for the driving circumstances. You might be trying to drive on ice or snow with all-season tires, or you have bad tires for wet roads. The tires tread has a big impact on the traction that a tire has. Check that you have the correct tires for the current conditions. If you drive during wintertime in winter conditions, then you need proper winter tires, winter tires that have been approved for winter driving. The tires that have been approved for winter driving should have the 3PMSF-symbol on the sidewall of the tire.
I think if you go through this list that then you will find the reason for your limited grip of your tires. If not, then go to a tire service station and ask them to help you assess other problem areas. You need to sort it out urgently as driving without proper grip is associated with great danger.
For more information regarding tires, visit: https://www.nokiantires.com