When to change tires for winter? Tips for motorists

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

With the advent of autumn, all car owners are thinking about when to change tires for winter. It is worth noting that each of the varieties of tires is adapted to certain operating conditions, so you should not rush into this issue. And so that it is not too late, in today's article we will tell you a few rules, focusing on which, you can make "change shoes".

When to change winter tires?

We note right away that you will not find the exact date of “re-shoeing” in any tire data sheet. The rules of the road say nothing about this either. The only condition is that the installation of a winter tire must depend on the weather conditions. But this rule is too broad. When to change tires to winter?

First of all, you need to remember the following: you should never "change shoes" as soon as the first snow has passed. Autumn and early winter are very unstable times, and after a while the entire ice cover cansimply melt away. A good example is this winter. The beginning of December turned out to be very rich in snow, but a week later the temperature suddenly rose to above zero. Someone continued to ride on spikes, hoping for new cold snaps, and someone, worrying about the safety of the spikes, ran to the car center and installed the summer tire back.

Therefore, in order to avoid disagreements, you should first look at the thermometer and look at the long-term weather forecast. If the air temperature is expected in the morning and in the evening below +5 … + 7 degrees Celsius, only then winter tires are installed. The new tire will run with spikes on bare asph alt for the first time, but, as a rule, this is no more than 2-3 days. It will not harm your wheels.

How long you continue to ride the spike depends on where you live. In northern latitudes, winter can last more than 6 months, and in some regions - only 2. Be especially careful in mountainous areas! There the snow may not melt until summer. Therefore, when traveling to the northern and mountainous latitudes, always consider this point.

If the ice caught you by surprise, and your iron friend has not yet "changed shoes", you have two ways - either put on chains or use public transport. It is strictly forbidden to continue driving on a summer tire, as not only you, but also other road users are in danger.

At this stage, the question of when to change tires for winter can be considered closed. It remains only to figure out where to change it.

It is better, of course, to contact a professional tire fitting, but if there are long queues (and this is not uncommon during the off-season period), then you can make the replacement yourself. To do this, you will need a minimum set of tools and a few hours of free time. It should also be noted that after "changing shoes" it is imperative to check the pressure and depth of the profile on the tire. Only then will you be sure of your safety on the road.

So we figured out when to change winter tires, and made sure that the first sign that it should be done is the air temperature.