With the temperature decreasing in winter, many car owners are considering whether to buy a set of winter tires for their cars. The Daily Telegraph of the UK has given a guide to purchase. Winter tires have been controversial in recent years. Firstly, the continuous low temperature weather in the UK during winter has led the public to gradually consider whether to buy a set of winter tires. However, last year’s warm winter made many people think that winter tires are useless and just a waste of money.
So what about winter tires? Is it necessary to purchase again? What are winter tires?
In the UK, people mainly use three types of tires.
One type is summer tires, which are commonly used by most British car owners and are also the most common type of tire. The material of summer tires is relatively hard, which means they soften in temperatures above 7 degrees Celsius to produce greater grip. However, this also makes them useless below 7 degrees Celsius because the material is too hard to provide much grip.
A more accurate term for winter tires is “low temperature” tires, which have snowflake markings on the sides and are made of softer materials. Therefore, they remain soft in temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius to provide the required grip. In addition, low-temperature tires have special tread patterns with fine grooves, also known as anti-slip grooves, which can better adapt to snowy terrain. It is worth mentioning that this type of tire is different from non-slip tire with plastic or metal nails embedded in the tire. It is illegal to use non-slip tire like football boots in the UK.
In addition to summer and winter tires, car owners also have a third option: all-weather tires. This type of tire can adapt to two types of weather because its material is softer than winter tires, so it can be used in both low and hot weather. Of course, it also comes with anti-slip patterns to cope with snow and mud. This type of tire can adapt to a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Winter tires are not suitable for ice and snow roads?
This is not the case. Existing surveys show that winter tires are more suitable than summer tires when the temperature is below 7 degrees Celsius. That is to say, cars equipped with winter tires can park faster when the temperature is below 7 degrees Celsius and are less likely to skid in any weather.
Are winter tires really useful?
Of course. Winter tires can not only park faster on icy and snowy roads, but also in humid weather below 7 degrees Celsius. In addition, it can improve the turning performance of the car and also help the car turn when it may slip.
Do four-wheel drive vehicles require winter tires?
There is no doubt that Four-wheel drive can provide better traction in ice and snow weather, making the car easier to deal with ice and snow roads. However, its assistance when turning the car is extremely limited, and it has no effect when braking. If you have Four-wheel drive and winter tires, no matter how the winter weather changes, you can easily cope with it.
Can I install winter tires on only two wheels?
No. If you only install the front wheels, the rear wheels will be more prone to slipping, which can cause you to spin when braking or downhill. If you only install the rear wheels, the same situation may cause the car to slip to a corner or fail to stop the car in a timely manner. If you plan to install winter tires, you must install all four wheels.
Are there any other options that are cheaper than winter tires?
You can buy snow socks by wrapping a blanket around normal tires to provide greater grip on snowy days. Its advantage is that it is much cheaper than winter tires, and it is easy and fast to install on snowy days, unlike winter tires that require pre installation before snow to cope with the entire winter.
But the disadvantage is that it is not as effective as winter tires and cannot provide the same grip and traction. Additionally, it can only be used as a temporary measure, and you cannot use it throughout the winter, and it cannot have any effect on weather other than snow. The same goes for anti slip chains, although they are rarely used because the road surface must be completely covered by the entire layer of ice and snow, otherwise it will damage the road surface.
Is it legal to install winter tires?
In the UK, there are no legal requirements for using winter tires, and there is currently no trend towards introducing such legislation. However, in some countries with colder winter weather, this is not the case. For example, Austria requires all car owners to install winter tires with a minimum tread depth of 4mm from November to April of the following year, while Germany requires all cars to install winter tires during cold weather. Failure to install winte.
Post time: Jul-22-2023
