Changing tires before winter is a very important undertaking. It only seems that it is enough just to go to the tire service and change the tires. In fact, the issue of changing tires for the winter should be approached with all the attention, starting with the choice of the right rubber.
It is recommended to change tires for the winter when the average daily temperature outside drops below 7 ° C. Indeed, in this case, the night and morning temperatures are about 0 ° C, which means that there may well be ice on the roads. On such a surface, summer tires almost completely lose traction. Hence the growth of accidents on the roads during the transition period.
How to choose tires for the winter
When choosing tires for the winter, you need to pay attention to all the little things. For example, even the pattern of the tires is important. After all, the controllability of the car, the length of the braking distance and even the operating time of the tires depend on it.
Tires that are literally dotted with a pattern all over the outer surface will be most effective. Such, experts say, will have a better chance of grappling with the road in a difficult situation.
You also need to choose a pattern of tires based on what style of driving you prefer and in what areas you drive. So, for example, if you like to drive or you know that ice often forms on your roads, you should pay attention to tires with non-directional pattern. Directional protectors are ideal for snowy roads and driving through snowdrifts. An asymmetric pattern is usually chosen for driving on dry or wet, but not snowy roads.
Of course, it is necessary to very clearly track the size of the selected tires. The size of your wheel can be viewed by the "native" tires or in the car's service book. Also, information about the size of the tires is often spelled out on the gas tank hatch or on the side pillar of the driver's door. Experts recommend choosing the largest possible narrow standard size with a sufficiently high profile for winter. This measure improves the vehicle's handling and makes the ride softer.
Another question that torments motorists is to choose tires with or without spikes. The so-called Velcro is good for city driving, it is good for cleaning the streets. In this case, they have enough characteristics to have reliable grip. Spikes are needed in situations where ice often forms on the roads. For example, in the European part of Russia, despite the rather warm winters, thorns are the ideal option. This is due to the fact that temperature changes and, accordingly, the occurrence of ice here occur much more often.
It is worth remembering that tire spikes fall out after each winter season. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the condition of the rubber in order to have time to replace it.
How to make your tires last longer
Experts recommend that in order for tires to remain usable longer, you need to try to drive at low speeds in winter (this is easy to observe if you follow the traffic rules that specify the optimal speed limit).
In addition, the condition of the tires is greatly affected by such stresses as entering and descending curbs, jumping from various curbs, falling into deep pits and potholes. Also, for greater safety of winter tires, it is not recommended to start and brake too abruptly.
On the eve of winter, adequately assess the condition of the tires. If you have been using them for a long time, but it still seems to you that they are still suitable, it is better to abandon this idea and replace them with new ones. After all, there is nothing more dangerous on a winter road than unreliable tires. You also need to put rubber on time.
And, of course, you shouldn't think that a winter tire is a guarantee of your safety on the road, but it plays an important role. But at the same time, the driver needs to be as collected and concentrated on the road as possible.
