Winter tyres in summer

Can you use winter tyres in summer?

It is strongly recommended that you do not use winter tyres in summer; they should be replaced when the temperature is consistently above 7°C. Winter tyres are not built for hot roads as the soft compound tends to wear quickly, so they need to be replaced with summer or all-season tyres. There is another disadvantage to using winter tyres in summer: increased consumption and therefore higher fuel costs. This happens because in the summer months, a winter tyre’s rolling resistance is higher than a summer tyre’s, forcing you to make more frequent stops at petrol stations and spend more money on filling up.

Using winter tyres in the hot months also reduces driving safety because the car tends to skid and lose grip more easily and it increases stopping distances. The vehicle is also less reactive, making it harder to manoeuvre when making an emergency stop to avoid an obstacle that appears suddenly, for example.

Plus, the diminished performance tends to be accentuated at high speeds, so a vehicle with winter tyres in summer is always more dangerous as your speed increases. Overall, winter tyres in summer are less durable and safe, causing increased emissions, wear and fuel consumption.

How do winter tyres work?

Winter tyres are designed specifically to ensure the best performance in winter when the temperature falls below 7°C. The tyre tread is designed especially for these conditions, to increase grip in the wet, snow and icy conditions.

The tyres have a larger number of sipes – which are specially designed grooves in the tyres to optimise traction in the presence of ice, snow or rain. Winter tyres also have a soft compound, are more flexible at low temperatures and have deep grooves for better water, slush and snow drainage.

A winter tyre reduces the risk of aquaplaning, ensures balanced tread wear in winter and improves safety. These tyres ensure optimal breaking and adequate grip in harsh conditions, which is why they are very popular with drivers in alternation with summer tyres.

Difference between summer and winter tyres

There are a number of differences between winter and summer tyres. Firstly, winter tyres have a flexible consistency and a soft compound, while summer tyres have a hard compound and are less flexible, two specific conditions that ensure optimal performance in a particular season.

Winter tyres have greater sipes in the tread pattern to increase the tyres’ drainage ability, while on summer tyres, there are fewer sipes and they are smaller. Summer tyres have fewer grooves than winter tyres and tread patterns specifically designed to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.

In summary, a winter tyre has deeper grooves, a soft compound and more sipes that are very thin, the perfect configuration for low temperatures and driving on snow, ice and water. A summer tyre has a hard compound, fewer sipes and shallower grooves to make it more durable in warmer conditions.

Winter tyres in summer in the UK

In the UK, there is no law prohibiting the use of winter tyres in summer, so it is the driver’s responsibility to decide whether to replace their winter tyres in summer or not. However, drivers are obliged to use tyres that are suitable for the season to make them as safe as possible.

All-season tyres, on the other hand, allow you to drive efficiently throughout the year, achieving the right compromise between performance, wear and comfort. As there are no direct restrictions on the use of winter tyres in summer, it is a question of common sense and drivers should choose the right tyres for each season and the road conditions.

As well as in the UK, winter tyres are not compulsory in other countries either, like France, Spain and the Netherlands. However, the use of these tyres is compulsory in many countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, like Sweden, Finland, Austria and Romania. Other countries only require the use of winter tyres in specific weather conditions, like Italy and Germany.

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