Delticom: Aquaplaning -- Tires Make the Difference Good Tires Help Avoid Water Traps

HANOVER, Germany, Nov 02, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- It usually sets in unexpectedly and is dangerous: heavy rain spatters audibly onto the underside of the vehicle; the windshield wipers have difficulty keeping the windshield clear.

Now in the second half of the year, drivers have to deal more often with unpredictable weather, storms, and heavy rain. If you don't slow down in these conditions, you are taking a risk. When the tires lose contact with the road, things can quickly get dangerous. The vehicle can become an uncontrollable projectile. Experts call this aquaplaning.

The danger arises in low spots on the road as well as in ruts and on especially wide roads, where water takes longer to run off. In addition, the risk of aquaplaning is greater in S curves.

Not only speed and amount of rain on the road determine whether aquaplaning occurs. It is very important that the tires have enough tread and thus traction.

The prescribed minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. However, experts and cautious drivers know that the tread depth on winter tires should not be less than 4 mm to ensure that they are effective. If the tires have less tread, drivers risk losing insurance coverage. If an accident occurs through aquaplaning with tires like that, it may be construed as gross negligence and the insurance is not required to pay for all the damage.

Experts recommend: Don't fall into the water trap -- replace your winter tires promptly when the tread gets down to 4 mm. Surfing is not fun in a car, but it is on the Internet. If you're in the market for quality tires, you can beat aquaplaning and get a good price. At Delticom, Europe's largest Internet tire shop, more than 100 tire brands and over 25,000 models are available, among them the respective test winners. Drivers looking for fuel-saving tires will also find them here. The leading Internet specialist ensures high availability of tires, even in niche sizes. Short delivery times and an extensive network of garages that can be selected directly online and found via Google Maps are other advantages in addition to safe and easy payment conditions.

More information: www.delti.com Tire shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland: www.ReifenDirekt.de, -at, -ch SOURCE: Delticom AG CONTACT: Delticom AG Susanne Kindor-d'Unienville Chief Information Officer Telephone: [phone] E-Mail: [e-mail] Copyright Business Wire 2009 -0- KEYWORD: Austria

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