Is it possible to drive on winter tires in summer: safety rules, tire structure and differences between winter and summer tires

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Every motorist knows that with the advent of the cold season, it is necessary to change the wheels to studded or Velcro. Also, at the end of the winter months, you need to “change shoes” on the car. However, not everyone understands how different rubber can be, depending on the season for which it is intended. And sometimes a situation may arise when the driver has to drive on a summer road with winter tires. It is worth figuring out how safe it is and how traffic police officers can react to this. Today's article will tell you whether it is possible to drive on winter tires in the summer and what it threatens the motorist with.

Referring to the letter of the law

The rules for seasonal tire replacement are regulated by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union. It is this document that provides for the mandatory use of winter tires for 3months - December, January, February. Summer wheels should be installed between June and August. In the off-season, these rules do not apply, which means that driving on winter tires is allowed. This Technical Regulation applies to all vehicles except trucks and city buses. Today, for a person who decides to use winter tires in the summer, the fine is 500 rubles, but there is already talk of a possible increase. Of course, not everyone is stopped by the risk of getting caught by traffic police inspectors, but here it is much more important how the car will behave when driving along the highway at high speeds. However, sometimes the driver has no other choice.

There are situations in which the driver can use winter tires in the summer. This refers to wheel damage on the road. If the spare wheel in the car is studded, it is allowed to install it instead of the punctured one and drive this way to the nearest tire fitting point. For such actions, traffic police officers do not have the right to issue a fine. But you should figure out how the rubber intended for another season will behave on the road.

Control deficiencies due to improperly fitted wheels

Many motorists believe that if the tires hold the road well on slippery surfaces, then a dry road will provide even better traction. These reasonings are erroneous. Despite the fact that winter tires are much softer, they behave completely unpredictably on the summer road. In this case, cracks may appear on it, and adhesion tothe surface of the track decreases sharply as the wheel heats up. You can not talk about the braking distance - it increases at times. Why is this happening?

Rubber manufacturing technologies are different for different seasons. And if the wheels are designed to keep the road well on a slippery surface, then under tough cornering conditions on hot asph alt, it simply lacks strength. As a result, cracks appear on the side surfaces. But this is not the only disadvantage of using winter tires in summer.

Wheel weight: what does it affect?

Anyone who has "changed shoes" on a car knows that studded tires carry more weight than a summer stingray. The same applies to "Velcro". It is this factor that causes increased fuel consumption, load on the chassis of the car and, as a result, its rapid wear.

Also, an increase in weight affects the length of the braking distance. In addition to the fact that heated winter tires have worse grip than summer tires, the weight of the car due to the installation of such wheels further increases the risk of a collision with the car in front.

Fine insurance: what winter tires can you use in summer?

It happens that the car owner does not have the opportunity to change the wheels after the winter period, but the car must be used. How to be in this case, to avoid traffic police fines? This is possible, but only on the condition that there are no spikes on the wheels. Outwardly, the Velcro looks like a summer slope, and there is not a single one to consider the badges on the rubber.the inspector won't. However, in this case, it should be understood that the average speed when driving along the highway should be less than usual, and the ride should be much more accurate. It is not uncommon for a tire to fly off the disc when entering a corner at high speed, leading to terrible accidents.

If winter tires are used in summer, the main risks are a significant reduction in handling. The car obeys the steering wheel worse, the driver is constantly in suspense. Adds discomfort and additional noise - despite being soft, winter tires hum strongly on dry pavement, even without studs.

Motorists' opinions on this issue

Judging by the reviews, winter tires in summer are not the best option for driving a car. There are many negative aspects of this use of rubber. Of course, there are all-season wheels, but in terms of performance, they are inferior to products designed for a certain season.

Among car enthusiasts, according to surveys conducted by an independent company, about 60% believe that it is dangerous to drive on winter tires in summer. 7% found it difficult to answer, but the remaining 33% believe that there is nothing wrong with this, and complain about the increase in fines for such a violation. Among professional drivers who drive most of their lives, there is no such division. All respondents strongly opposed the use of wheels "out of season".

Those readers who are not convinced by the above can be advised to watch the video, whichclearly explains whether you can drive with winter tires in summer, and talks about the consequences of such driving in your car.

Judging by the reviews, those who once changed the wheels with the onset of the new season do it periodically. After not too complicated manipulations, it is felt how the fuel consumption drops, the car goes easier, fitting into the turns more clearly.

Rules for the use of studded wheels in other countries

Surprisingly, winter tires are not the same everywhere. There are a number of countries where the use of studded tires is prohibited by law. And there are states in which other requirements are imposed on driving on winter roads, which are not even familiar to novice motorists. It makes sense to consider the laws of some countries in force today.

German laws governing the movement of cars in the cold season

Despite the fact that the use of winter tires in this country is mandatory in the presence of ice, frost or snow, the use of studded tires is completely prohibited. Similarly, the authorities are trying to prevent the rapid deterioration of the road surface. In addition to winter tires, if there is a prescriptive sign, the drive wheels of tractors must have snow chains. This rule is confusing. What kind of safety of the roadway in such a case can we talk about?

Regulations for using winter tires in Greece

Everything is more democratic here. For the Greeks, there is no question whether winter tires can be used in summer. The authorities left the choice to the driver. If the owner decided that the weather conditions allow you to “change shoes” on the car, then he is right. The same principle applies to the use of snow chains.

On the one hand, it's good when drivers are not fined for out-of-season tires, but on the other hand,. such a law can lead to an increase in accidents on the roads - not all drivers understand the seriousness of the consequences that may occur.

Other Spike Ban Countries

The list of states in which it is impossible to travel on public roads on rubber with metal inserts is quite extensive. Here are some of them:

1. Austria. Studs are only allowed on passenger cars. Driving at speeds over 100 km/h is prohibited.
2. Bosnia and Herzegovina - complete ban (as well as further countries).
3. Bulgaria.
4. Hungary.
5. Macedonia.
6. Netherlands.
7. Poland.

The list goes on and on. The most interesting thing is that after the collapse of the USSR, when many people got the opportunity to go to another country in their own car, there were often situations when customs had to pull out spikes from tires with pliers so that the car was allowed into the country of destination.

There are several reasons for adopting such a law, but three main ones can be distinguished:

1. Destruction of the roadway.
2. More accidents, longer brakepaths, poor traction on corners covered with reagents (no snow and ice on them).
3. Danger to other road users. If a spike flies out at 90 km / h, then its speed can be more than 160 km / h. At the same time, the trajectory of its movement cannot be analyzed.

Continental tires with ContiFlexStud technology

For these countries with a ban on studded tires, Continental has created a revolutionary tire. Sales of such rubber started not so long ago, and the size range is still quite small. The essence of the new technology is that the spike is covered with a layer of hard rubber. As a result, there is no metal-to-tarmac contact, suggesting no damage to the pavement.

According to the manufacturer, such spikes do not fly out at high speed, and the wheels hold the road perfectly, regardless of the condition of the surface. Despite the fact that such tires have appeared recently, there are already heated debates around them about the possibility of their use in the warm season. Most experts agree that such rubber is prone to problems inherent in conventional spikes or Velcro.

Is it possible to drive on winter tires in the summer if they are made using a similar technology? Most likely, the traffic police officer will not issue a fine for such movement, but the problems of control, fuel consumption and rapid tire wear will be the same here as on simple winter wheels.

Summing up the aboveinformation

There are many ways to avoid fines for using tires out of season. However, it should be understood that, first of all, such actions pose a threat to the life of the motorist himself and other road users. In addition, even with extremely careful driving in one summer season, winter tires can become unusable, fuel consumption will be much higher than usual, and the chassis of the car will have to be repaired much more often. This is the answer to the question of whether it is possible to drive on winter tires in the summer. Acceptable, but irrational, and sometimes dangerous. So, it is worth spending a certain amount and buying wheels for different seasons. In the end, it will cost less than repairing a car after even a small accident.