Winter Tyres & Winter Tyre Safety from Atlas Auto Services

In most countries of mainland Europe it is common, or sometimes a legal requirement, for motorists to have two sets of wheels and tyres – one set of ‘summer’ tyres and one set of specialist ‘winter’ tyres.

Winter tyres use a tread rubber compound (high silica content) and tread pattern specifically designed to retain reliability in low temperatures (below +7C) and give satisfactory braking/traction performance on snow/ice as well as on wet roads in colder conditions .

Usually, the sidewall of a winter tyre will be marked with a symbol showing a snowflake or snow-topped mountains.

Winter tyres are not actually suited to all year round use though – summer tyres tend to give better performance when temperatures are higher and roads are dry – so you’ll need two sets of tyres if you’re going to choose specialist tyres for winter.

Why aren’t winter tyres compulsory here?

There are several practical and economical reasons:

  • Many parts of the country never or only rarely experience weather conditions that would justify use of winter tyres (in most cases!).
  • Many drivers choose not to use the car when snow or ice is on the ground.
  • Assuming that the industry could supply tyres in sufficient volume, the overall cost would be prohibitive – estimated at €700/car x 2.5million cars = €1,75 billion for wheels/tyres plus storage and fitting costs

Should you consider buying winter tyres?

Winter tyres make sense if you live in a remote area where winter conditions are likely to be worse for longer.

Elsewhere it may be harder to justify the cost, though this has to be a personal decision depending on the risk of bad weather, your confidence when driving and how much you have to drive when snow and ice are around.

Winter tyres are made by most of the main manufacturers. Some suppliers will provide these pre-fitted to a set of steel wheels too.

If changing from alloy wheels to steel wheels you may have to change the design of wheel nuts used too. Ask the wheel supplier or car manufacturer for advice.

Winter tyres must be fitted in sets of four. Fitting only one pair will affect the balance and stability of the car.

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