Middle East Driving Guide

The Middle East can be a challenging environment for tyres.

Intense heat impacts on the rubber, making it hard and vulnerable to blow outs. Rough surfaces increase the risk of external damage and cuts. Driving long distances at high speeds places extra pressure on the tyre, especially during the heat of summer. The opportunity to go off the road creates adventure, as well as new challenges for your tyres.

Yet the Middle East has always been a place where people have thrived. Through innovation and adaptation, it’s a region with a proud history and a future that is being admired by the rest of the world. Just like people have adapted to the conditions, so must the tyres. Understanding the impact of local driving conditions helps you increase the lifespan of your tyres, as well as maximizing your vehicle’s performance and safety.

Driving Conditions in the Middle East – How it Impacts Your Tyres

Everyone living in the Middle East knows what the climate brings. Over many many centuries, people living in the Middle East have developed their own tactics for staying cool and not being affected by the heat. In the same way, your tyres need to be prepared for the conditions and have capacity to adapt.

Blacklion have tyres which are perfect for desert driving

High Temperatures Affect Tyres

The asphalt gets hotter in the Middle East than almost anywhere else in the world, especially during summer.

Every tyre has a standard international temperature rating. This refers to a tyre’s ability to dispel heat. Look for tyres with a temperature rating of A, the highest possible grading. This is one part of the UTQG international grading system that allows you to compare different tyres. For driving in the Middle East, the temperature rating is probably the most important consideration when purchasing new tyres.

Rubber has an elasticity which makes it the natural raw material for a tyre. Rather than being solid, the tyres are pliable. A tyre with a grade A temperature rating is very pliable, meaning it is flexible but unlikely to crack. Even in extreme conditions, the rubber is able to keep its chemical properties and shape. However, tyres with lower temperature gradings (such as C) are unable to dispel the heat as effectively. This causes fluids within the rubber to evaporate, making the tyre harder and less flexible. A hard tyre is easily damaged by debris or impact. It’s also at high risk of developing cracks and is more susceptible to a blow out.

The Blacklion Tyres 5-point check will get you desert ready

Checking Your Vehicle in the Middle East

Just like beads of sweat run down your back in the middle of summer, your vehicle feels the affects of the temperatures in the Middle East. Your vehicle needs more love and care when it’s straining against the heat, just like you need to stay hydrated and stay out of the sun. This means you’ll need to check your vehicle more regularly.

• Perform the Blacklion five-point tyre checklist – tyres change quicker in higher temperatures.
• Check and change the oil if required – a hot engine needs more lubrication.
• Check your coolant levels – locate your radiator reservoir under the bonnet and ensure the coolant is between the min and max lines.
• Check the air conditioning – the AC system puts more pressure on the battery and engine at high temperatures.

Always Drive With Summer Tyres in the Middle East

Winter tyres and summer roads don’t go together. It’s the same as wearing a thick coat in the middle of the desert in June. Winter tyres are constructed from flexible rubber compounds that gives grip on ice and snow. However, these compounds are less resilient to heat, so it wears quicker and gives you less traction.

Summer tyres are sturdier and stay in shape, maintaining their strength but also their pliability. That means they rotate effortlessly and reduce the work of your engine, resulting in using less fuel. With better traction you can also stop quicker: on average, summer tyres stop 1.5 meters shorter than winter tyres when in summer conditions.

Why You Don’t Need to Change Tyres With the Seasons

In many other parts of the world, defined seasons make it necessary to change between summer and winter tyres. Of course, there is no snow or ice in the Middle East, unless you happen to be admiring the penguins at Ski Dubai. On an international scale, every month in the Middle East is considered to be summer conditions. You don’t need winter tyres in the region: they are not suited to the temperatures and you will be paying more for additional winder features that are not necessary. When buying tyres, always ensure that they are designed for summer.

When buying tyres, ensure that they're designed for summer

How High Speeds and Long Distances Impact on Tyres in the Middle East

Another key consideration when purchasing tyres is how you use your vehicle. Most driving in the Middle East is done on the highways, where you travel at high speeds over prolonged periods of time. Of course, you do have to drive slowly around Deira in Dubai or Mutrah in Muscat. And the rush hour traffic around the cities doesn’t show any signs of improving. But even when driving on the Palm Jumeirah the roads are wide, modern and straight, designed for vehicles moving at speed; that’s a huge contrast to the slow and narrow roads of Europe’s cities.

On an international scale, distances between destinations in the Middle Easywould be considered to be long. For example, journeys Muscat to Nizra or Dubai to Abu Dhabi are short within a regional context, but traveling 150 kilometres at 120km/h places certain pressures on a tyre. As the tyre turns it creates friction, which in turn creates heat. This is heat that’s in addition to the extreme temperatures on the road and in the air.

These driving conditions affect your tyres, just like they can affect your vehicle’s engine. That’s why UAE authorities recommend changing your tyres every three years. Look for tyres that minimise rolling resistance. Not only does this give you a more natural road feel, it helps to minimise the friction and build up of temperature. Features that reduce rolling resistance are also important in maintaining a smooth drive when traveling at speed.

Do You Need a Reinforced Tyre in the Middle East?

While seasonal tyres are not required, most drivers should consider the benefits of reinforced tyres. These are marked as XL in tyre catalogues. Using a special rubber compound, the sidewall of the tyre is strengthened so it can support more weight. This reinforcement allows the tyres to travel a greater total distance without suffering internal damage, especially when used in intensive conditions. It makes the tyre must resistant to impact, like when you hit a kerb at high speed or drive off road. Fitting a reinforced tyre you’ll also notice better traction: because the tyre is stronger it provides better stability and a faster reaction to turning.

However, these enhancements are not necessary for every vehicle. And the reinforcement means a compromise on another aspect of the tyre’s performance or value. The same model of tyre will cost more if it is reinforced, as more technology and materials have been used in the design. Reinforced tyres are noisier, around one decibel louder than the equivalent non-reinforced tyre. Most pertinently, reinforced tyres increase rolling resistance and the weight of the tyre, two factors that lead to a higher fuel consumption.

Easy Checks to Maintain Your Tyres

To further ensure your safety and the lifespan of your tyres Blacklion has developed three five-point checklists.