Which winter tyres for uk

If you choose to go without, though, there are still options available for those occasional snowy excursions. Snow chains are the most popular alternative to winter tyres. They can be quite tricky to fit and remove, and while they do help keep you on the move in the snow, they make for a very rough ride and need to be taken off immediately when you get to clear tarmac. Snow socks are cheaper than snow chains. The only problem is they wear out quite quickly.

You simply clear the tyre of snow, apply the spray and leave it to dry for a few minutes. Now see how else you can prepare your car for winter with this winter car checklist. Towing with an electric car, hybrid or plug-in hybrid - what's the capacity and can you tow a caravan? Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer. Tips and advice Home Tips and advice.

Previous Next. What are winter tyres? Best winter tyres to buy in Our annual tyre test is an industry benchmark that appears in Auto Express magazine each year. Verdict 1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM review Avon WV7 Snow review Most Popular.

What is a DSG gearbox? Should I buy one? Car buying 3 Nov Tips and advice 4 Nov Top 10 best luxury cars Luxury cars 29 Oct View All. They provide enhanced braking performance in snowy and icy conditions and feature an aggressive tread pattern, clearing away slush and digging into snow for greater traction. Another reason they're so effective is that they are made of a custom rubber compound that stays soft and flexible at low temperatures for better vehicle control. First things first, you should know that all-season tyres won't provide optimal performance under all driving conditions.

It is always a compromise. That said, the tread on an all-season tyre is typically more durable and lasts longer than tyres designed for the winter season. And all-season tyres can boast lower rolling resistance, which saves energy and results in better fuel efficiency.

Ultimately, for daily use, motorists may find an all-season tyre will be more comfortable and quieter. But while all-season tyres offer decent handling in a variety of driving conditions, there are inevitable compromises in managing both summer and winter capabilities. They can certainly provide some grip in wet and snowy conditions. But winter tyres provide the best safety and performance on roads with heavy snowfall and ice. Tyre Finder. You are here: Homepage All about tyres Tyre replacement and fitting Changing tyres Summer tyres, winter tyres, or all-season tyres?

Summer tyres, winter tyres, or all-season tyres? Matching the right tyres to the right season. Winter tyres perform well in all cold weather conditions, ranging from snow and ice to wet and cold dry roads. Summer tyres deliver high grip levels on wet and dry roads, high stability in curves, and optimal mileage performance at warm temperatures. All-season tyres offer decent handling in a variety of driving conditions throughout the year, but with some compromises in straddling both summer and winter capabilities.

When do you need summer tyres? Whenever a modest amount of snow falls in the UK and our motorways grind to a halt, it is never the weather that is to blame, but our lack of preparation. Even as winter tyres become increasingly popular here in the UK, many drivers still misunderstand exactly what they are for and why they should be fitted in a country that rarely sees snow. The truth is, winter tyres are not only designed for snow and ice.

They are also grippier and therefore safer than summer tyres in all weather conditions - even in the dry - so long as the ambient temperature is lower than 7deg Celsius. The most important thing to understand about winter tyres is that they are not ice tyres, or even snow tyres.

They do not have metal studs of any sort poking out of the tread. Instead, winter tyres are simply designed to be used when temperatures are low and the roads are slippery. Of course, they are far more effective than summer tyres on snow and ice, but they will provide more grip and traction even on a bone dry surface just so long as the ambient temperature is less than 7deg Celsius. Between the end of November and the start of March, then, winter tyres are almost certainly going to generate more grip than summer tyres.

Winter tyres are different from summer tyres in three specific ways. The first is that the tread pattern has many more grooves, or sipes, cut into it, which displace water and help the tyre to bite into snow and ice. Secondly, winter tyres are made from a compound that has more silica in it, which means they stay soft and supple even in freezing temperatures.

In very cold conditions, the rubber of a summer tyre becomes extremely rigid, meaning it slips across the surface of the road rather than clinging onto it. A summer tyre, meanwhile, will become clogged up with snow and ice and in effect become completely smooth and entirely useless. In warm weather, winter tyres will wear out much more quickly than summer tyres, hitting you where it really hurts - the wallet.

The Freelander's replacement goes big on prettiness and packaging, and as a result becomes the class leader. The best thing to do is remove your winter tyres once temperatures start creeping up again and keep them in storage for the following winter. To work out if winter tyres are indeed preferable in low-grip conditions to four-wheel drive, we tested a front-wheel-drive Skoda Yeti with winter tyres against an otherwise identical four-wheel-drive Yeti with summer tyres.

In very cold conditions on a Tarmac surface that was covered with slushy snow, the four-wheel-drive car was quicker to accelerate to 30mph from a standstill, which means it had a clear traction advantage.

When braking, a car with four-wheel drive has no advantage over a front-wheel-drive car whatsoever. In fact, given that it will likely be heavier, the four-wheel-drive car will actually be at a disadvantage.

In a braking test from 20mph to standstill, the front-wheel-drive car with winter tyres stopped in a much shorter distance than the four-wheel-drive car with summer tyres. That shorter distance might have been the difference between having no accident at all and having a very serious one. In the cornering test, the outcome was very similar. The four-wheel-drive car with summer tyres was able to generate only 0.

Again, that might just be the difference between avoiding an accident and having a big one. The best solution for our winter months would clearly be a four-wheel-drive car fitted with winter tyres.

What our test demonstrates, though, is that a two-wheel-drive car with winter tyres is much better overall in cold weather than a 4x4 on summer tyres. A set of winter rubber for your existing car will be an awful lot cheaper than upgrading to a new off-roader, too. As it stands, it is not a legal requirement in the UK to fit winter tyres during the cold season. In other northern European countries, including Germany, drivers are compelled by law to remove summer tyres for the winter months.

That law also applies to visitors. As a rule of thumb, German drivers switch to winter rubber between October and Easter. The cost of winter tyres will vary enormously depending on brand and size. Generally, however, you should expect to pay more or less the same for winter tyres as you would for a set of summer tyres.

Designed for countries with moderate climates such as the UK, all-season tyres combine elements of winter and summer tyres for year-round use. They are made of a compound that offers good grip in dry and warm conditions without becoming hard and rigid in very low temperatures. Like winter tyres, they also have plenty of sipes cut into the tread. Many drivers find all-season tyres to be the most convenient option since they can be left in place for all four seasons.

Advertisement Back to top However, all-season tyres are fundamentally compromised. They will be neither as grippy as summer tyres in the warmer months nor as effective as full winter tyres in cold, low-grip conditions. In cold temperatures and low-grip conditions, all-season tyres versus winter tyres is no contest: winter tyres will be far more effective. Winter tyres should be stored in a cool, dry place, stacked on top of one another and away from direct sunlight and heat sources to prevent the rubber from degrading.

When you remove your winter tyres, you should mark each one so that when it comes time to refit them, you can rotate their positions on the car to even out the rate of wear. Your garage at home or the garden shed would be ideal. You should also wash your winter tyres with warm water and dry them carefully before putting them into storage. Only tyres that display the three-peak icon with the snowflake motif within are legally classified as winter tyres. In fact, many drivers buy a set of steel wheels - which are cheaper than alloy wheels - and leave their winter tyres mounted on them year-round.

Yes, you can use winter tyres on a rear-wheel-drive car. In fact, they will confer an even greater advantage than they would on a front- or four-wheel-drive car. Advertisement Back to top. Studded tyres are different from winter tyres and are designed for thick snow and ice.

They might have little studs pressed into the tread, or longer spikes that poke right out of them. Studded tyres are almost certainly not required in the UK, even in the depths of winter. Some companies do offer this service, but it will work out cheaper in the long run to buy a set and keep them stored safely during the warmer months.