If you have invested in high quality winter tyres because you live in a place that experiences harsh and severe winter weather with both snow and ice you should know that winter tyres should not be used during the summer. When the winter has passed, and the temperatures are above zero it is time for summer tyres. The summer tyres are on the other hand only suitable for spring, summer, and autumn, but shouldn’t be used during the winter. The summer tyres can be mounted on the vehicle once the final snow has melted, the roads remain dry and the risk of returning winter conditions remain low.
For your summer tyres, the key property is safety while driving in warm conditions. That means that they will need to have excellent dry and wet grip. The wet grip on summer tyres can be seen on the EU tyre label, which highlights their performance for wet grip and also fuel efficiency. If you invest in AA-tyres, they rate in the highest category for both fuel efficiency and wet grip.
When you buy winter tyres they are meant to be used only during the winter months. Using these tyres during the other seasons is not recommended. In some countries, it is against the law to use studded winter tyres after a certain date, while some don’t allow the use of studded tyres altogether. Winter tyres, especially studded winter tyres remain the best choice for harsh winters with lots of snow and ice where they provide the ultimate traction, especially lateral traction. Even for SUVs, 4×4 and light tricks the best choice for severe winter weather are SUV studded tyres.
All winter tyres, whether studded or non-studded tyres, are specifically designed to maintain good traction in cold, icy, snowy, or slush filled roads. The rubber compound remains softer and flexible at low temperatures, allowing the tyre to conform to the road. The same flexible rubber compound that works good in the winter does not dissipate heat well and will wear down faster if they are used on dry summer roads. When you use them on hot summer roads, the risk of overinflating or blowing out will be much higher. This specialized rubber compound and tread design of winter tyres are not designed for optimal warm climate performance or wear, where you need a different tread design.
The softer rubber compound and the tread design that winter tyres are made out of also create more rolling resistance when driven on dry roads causing you to use more fuel and wear down the tyres faster. This is not a very ecological nor economical solution. If the idea is not to change tyres after the winter season, then the second-best choice to provide safe driving in winter conditions would be to invest in all-weather tyres. The all-weather tyres in contrary to all-season tyres are marked with the “Three peak mountain snowflake symbol”, like winter tyres. The 3PMSF symbol indicates that the tyre has a severe snow service-rating having which means that it has met required performance criteria in snow testing.
For more information regarding tyres for the summer, visit: nokiantyres.com