Time for the winter tires!

And when do you change to winter tires? At the first snow?

There is no time to change to winter tires. The legislator omits an exact deadline or even a date. But who then in the snow, on ice and smoothness becomes an obstacle or even a threat, threaten penalties, as well as the profile sinners with too little tire profile in the winter season.
The road traffic regulations are clear, ambiguous: “In winter road conditions” you need the right tires. So if you are caught with summer tires in slush, slippery snow or freezing wet, you pay € 60 and collect one point. At least. And in the event of an accident, there can also be problems with your own insurance.

From O to O is the tip!

From October to Easter it makes sense in our latitudes to mount the winter tires. Of course, a golden October during the day may well animate again to wear a T-shirt, but already in the morning, it can come to bridges and glades to frost and under these conditions, the winter tire is the summer tires then clearly superior.

If you do not have any winter tires yet, then it's time! Because when the first snow falls, they will not be the only one who dusts to the tire dealer. But then it may be that the desired tires or the required size is no longer in stock.

And then? To collect a fine? Therefore, better now think of winter tires!

Why winter tires?

The special tire tread has great water displacement properties and efficiently reduces the risk of aquaplaning. Aquaplaning situations arise on very wet roads or large puddles of water. The grooves of the tread can no longer displace the water under the tire, which causes the situation of “floating”. In addition, the rubber compound of the winter tires is specially optimized for the cold season. The braking distance of a winter tire is significantly shorter than that of a summer tire at less than 7 ° and in wet conditions. Summer bikes slide around helplessly on ice and snow. Incidentally, 4 × 4 vehicles such as SUVs and other all-wheel drive vehicles only have an advantage with winter wheels. No all-wheel drive helps when braking. The tire has to establish contact with the road.

Driving tips with ice and snow:

Start gently, brake gently. When it comes to ice and snow, you have to readjust a little while driving your own car. As soon as winter arrives, you need to consider a few tips. But you should not only drive on winter tires when the first snow falls, but at the time when the thermometer falls below the 7 ° mark. Remember: modern cars have ABS, so in the event of an emergency stop firmly on the brake pedal and then look where you want to go! If you then have the right tire fitted, you have the chance to avoid the dangerous risk of accidents.

The right air pressure:

Check the Barometric pressure of the tire best with every refueling process. If you travel frequently on the motorway, you can adjust the air pressure up to 0.2 bar higher than recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

The correct storage of the summer wheels:

As in the picture? No, that's just racing teams: 6 Tips on the topic: Store tires correctly! [click]

Change wheels yourself:

To change the tires to the workshop? Or do it yourself? To the tips!

my-auto-blog Winter Tire Test 2017:

Pirelli Sottozero 3

The Pirelli Sottozero 3 is a high-performance winter tire for premium vehicles and drivers who do not want to compromise in winter. Its enlarged contact area and a completely new rubber compound ensure shorter braking distances and the best handling at the usual temperatures in winter and during the transition phase.

Premium tires save fuel

With the EU label, tire customers in Europe have, for the first time, the opportunity to distinguish thrifty brands from those that have a greater impact on the environment. The information system on the label rates tires with regard to three important criteria: fuel efficiency (fuel consumption), wet grip (safety) and noise emission (rolling noise). Tires in efficiency category A have a roughly 40 percent lower rolling resistance than those in category G. High-performance tires can be more expensive to purchase, but they reduce fuel consumption by up to seven percent. In the long run, consumers will benefit from these fuel savings.

For example, with a fuel price of 1,60 Euro per liter, a car that drives 15.000 kilometers per year and consumes seven liters of fuel over a distance of 100 kilometers can save more than 130 Euro fuel costs compared to F tires with Efficiency Category B tires , The additional investment from 20 to 50 Euro per "green tire" has therefore returned in less than two years.