It's time to change tires. Don't wait for snow
Many drivers have not yet decided to change tires to winter ones. It is not difficult to predict when the sites will experience a real siege, as happened a week before All Saints when the frosts hit.
Automotive experts recommend accepting November 1 as the deadline for replacing summer tires with winter ones. Of course, the date is purely arbitrary, but at this time of the year the weather can surprise. And high temperatures, and sharp, often unexpected cold snaps, including snowfalls.
It was the first frosts and the prospect of long-distance travel that forced us to spend up to two hours in line at some sites last week. The owners of large sites, in order to avoid misunderstandings between the waiting lists, handed out numbers.
Yesterday, the professionals may not have been bored, but they also had much less work to do. However, they know full well when that will change. “It only takes one frosty day or a light snowfall, and a queue will immediately form,” predicts Justyna Zgubinska from Autopon in Swiec. “Looks like drivers who haven't changed tires yet, like every year, will put it off until the weather permits.
Waldemar Pukovnik makes the same observations at the factory in Jitzima. “I'm pretty sure most of them are still running summer tires,” he notes.
Not everyone can afford new ones.
Some drivers will have to buy tires. This is not a small expense. That's why a large group of the less wealthy are looking for used ones. “About 95 percent of customers take used tires,” says Pukovnik. – Including assembly, the kit costs about PLN 350. For new ones you will have to pay at least 750 zł. In rural areas, few people can afford it.
Autopon has a slightly different experience. There, customers rarely choose the cheapest tires. Most are aimed at the middle shelf. “That means a minimum of 220 zł a piece,” explains Zgubinska. – Although there are those who pay 500 PLN when it comes to a large diameter and a well-known manufacturer, such as Dunlop or Goodyear.
