If you have ever thought that your car tyres aren’t suitable for all seasons of the year you are not alone. Many motorists in the UK don’t actually know that there are three different options for tyres and each of them are suited to different times throughout the year. As the name suggests summer tyres are perfect for the dry summer days while winter tyres are good for the wet and slippery winter weather. All season tryes are perfect for to keep drivers firmly on the road when we get the rare combination of summer and wet days. This post is going to dive into differences between the tree different types of tyres and the perfect time to make the switch.
The Basics
Winter tyres that are marked with a snowflake symbol are made with special low temperature resilient rubber compounds and have deep treads that grip unploughed snow, idea and other inclement conditions under your tyres. On the other hand, for all season tyres, some might be branded with M+S for mud and show but are not necessarily better in heavy snow.
When to change
There is no specific answer as to when to change your tyres, this is mainly because there every area is different and in a country like the UK where you can never really predict the weather accurately. After the summer, you should aim to change them from summer to winter tyres when the weather worsens. The earlier you get to change them the less waiting at the shop you’ll have to do. It is worth noting, you can technically leave winter tyres on your vehicle all year round although this is not advised. A downside to using your winter tyres all year round is that by the time winter comes back again your tyres would be worn out.
Best tyres for the UK
When it comes down to it all-season tyres should be the best suited for use in the UK, as it is rated best for use in the sorts of temperatures we face throughout most of the year. While all-season tyres are better in the wintry weather than summer tyres and the other way around, it is not necessary as good as keeping two specialist tyres and switching between them from season to season.
How to change
Before switching tyres, you should take a note of the quality of the tyres, paying special attention to the read depth. While there is a minimum requirement for tread depth in the UK (1.6mm), it is recommended that once the winter tyre tread depth reaches 4.0mm or summer tyre tread depth reaches 3.0mm you should start considering changing. This helps ensure that all the vital properties of the tyre such as grip and braking distance are still functioning as normal.
Remember that your tyres are the most important feature in your car and should be treated accordingly, if you are unsure how or when to change your tyres or if your find any bumps or holes in your tyres you can all out a mobile tyre fitting team to help with making the change.
