Winter is approaching, and the first thing car owners have to do is prepare their car for the frost. Namely, change summer tires to winter ones. However, choosing winter tires is a nightmare for many drivers. This is especially pronounced in a situation when a driver goes to buy winter tires for the first time and wants, on the one hand, to save money, and on the other hand, not to save on safety.
First, when choosing winter tires, you must determine which type is right for you. There are two types of winter tires: Velcro and Spikes.
Velcro
If in your city the roads are well cleaned and sprinkled with reagents throughout the winter period, then you can choose Velcro. Velcro is a non-studded tire with a special rubber compound that adapts to different temperatures. A distinctive feature of Velcro is a special tread pattern and soft rubber. On wet or dry asphalt, Velcro behaves better than studded rubber. Velcro has a much shorter braking distance than a studded winter tire. On ice, it gives way to a spiked tire. But on snow, where the studs practically do not work, the main load of the Velcro falls on the tread. Therefore, on a snowy road, Velcro significantly outperforms studded rubber.
Thorns
If during the winter you plan to go out of town, or live in a small town with icy roads, then choose the thorns. It is believed that the thorns wear off quickly. But this is not the case! If you follow just a few rules for using winter studded tires, then the tires will remain with studs until the tread is completely worn out. It is not recommended to drive on new studded tires immediately after installation. In order for the studs to be well anchored in the tire, the rubber must travel about 500 km at a speed not exceeding 80 km / h. However, after tire fitting, at the very first turn, speed lovers run the risk of driving on partially studded tires, as they will lose a lot of studs. If you drive softly and calmly, without sudden acceleration and braking, after 500 km you will get excellent tires with well-fixed studs.
