Driving in slush require that you have winter approved tires on your vehicle. Without tires that are meant for driving on slush you risk slushplaning and that you don’t have sufficient grip for safe driving. Winter approved tires have a tread that can channel the thick slush to prevent the slushplaning to happen. Slushplaning is similar to hydroplaning in the sense that the tires lose contact with the road surface and you lose control over the vehicle. This can result in dangerous accidents. To prevent this, you will need to have sufficient tread depth of at least 5/32 inches so that the tread can store and transport the slush to the sides.
A good winter tread can handle slush both to provide grip and traction on this treacherous surface and prevent slushplaning. Without this driving in slush is almost impossible and also very dangerous. Don’t try to drive in slush with all-season tires, as they are dangerous in conditions like that. Even rain mixed with snow, is dangerous and you should at least have all-weather tires that are approved for winter use, but winter tires are the best. The beauty of these tires is that they can be used all-year round. They are basically a hybrid between all-season and winter tires so that they can handle all the varying conditions during the year. The allow for driving on slush, snow, ice and dry and wet roads. They can prevent both aqua- and slushplaning.
The tricky part with slush, as you have a water and snow mixture is that the mixture as it compresses can cause the vehicle to bounce sideways. You need to adjust your speed to it even if you have premium winter tires. If the temperature drops further the slush can freeze and you get very icy conditions. If you have already changed to all-season tires from your winter tires, you should refrain from driving. Just stay home or find alternative modes of transportations.
Slush is often harder to drive or even walk in than snow, which means that you need to have respect for this difficult condition. The more wet the slush is the more difficult the condition will be to handle. Proper dedicated winter tires will be the best on this surface and it doesn’t matter if they are studded or non-studded as it will be the tread pattern that will dictate the performance on the road. You will have deep enough tread depth, which should be minimum 5/32 inches to be able to deliver reliable and safe performance when you drive. If you are below this you will need to invest into another set of winter approved tires to be able to drive safely in winter conditions that include driving in slush.
The premium winter tires will give you the foundation that enable you to drive safely, then combined with cautious driving and adjusted speed you can maneuver through slush in a safe way.
For more information regarding winter approved tires that can handle slush and prevent slushplaning, visit: www.nokiantires.com