Winter tires. When should you change?

There is no “best time to change tires” either in summer or winter. When the average daily temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius, all drivers should seriously consider changing their winter tires.

Soft tires are popular winter tires. This means that they remain highly flexible even at low temperatures. This feature is desirable in winter but can cause problems in summer. A very hot winter tire will skid, both when starting off and braking, and sideways when cornering. This will clearly affect the speed of the car's reaction to gas, brake and steering movements, and hence the safety on the road.

- It is best to invest in two sets of tires - summer and winter tires. The first are suitable for summer driving. They are made from a special rubber compound that gives the tires the flexibility to adapt properly to driving,” says Michal Nežgoda, Head of Quality Assurance at InterRisk Claims.

– Winter tires are made from a silica compound that makes the tread more flexible. In winter conditions, such as icy, snowy or icy roads, these tires have better traction, especially at lower temperatures,” he explains.

As a standard, tires should be changed after several winter seasons, but the maximum safe use period is 10 years. Winter tires must be in good condition. For our safety, the minimum tread height is 4mm. Although the official minimum tread height for tires is 1,6 mm, these tires are no longer worth using.

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– Although changing tires to winter tires is not mandatory, I recommend changing tires when the average temperature drops below seven degrees Celsius for several days. Tires adapted to snow and colder temperatures will give us much better traction in difficult weather conditions. An appropriate compound composition will prevent the tire from hardening at lower temperatures,” notes Nizgoda.

Poland is one of the last European countries where the legal provision for replacing summer tires with winter tires is not yet in force. There is still a regulation according to which you can ride on any tires all year round, as long as their tread has a minimum of 1,6 mm. The Saeima is considering a bill that introduces the obligation to change tires. The plans include an order to drive on winter tires from November 1 to March 31 and a fine of PLN 500 for non-compliance with this rule.

Here is a list of countries where driving with winter tires is mandatory in certain months:

Austria – only in case of typical winter conditions between 1 November and 15 April

Czech Republic

– from November 1 to April 30 (with the onset or forecast of the onset of typically winter conditions) and during the same period on roads marked with a special sign

Croatia – The use of winter tires is not mandatory, except when the road is subject to typical winter conditions from the end of November to April.

Estonia - from December 1 to April 1, this also applies to tourists. This period may be extended or shortened depending on road conditions.

Finland – from December 1 to the end of February (also for tourists)

France – there is no obligation to use winter tires, with the exception of the French Alps, where it is absolutely necessary to equip the car with winter tires

Lithuania – from November 1 to April 1 (also for tourists)

Luxembourg – obligatory use of winter tires under typical winter road conditions (also applies to tourists)

Latvia – from December 1 to March 1 (this provision also applies to tourists)

Germany - the so-called situational requirement for the presence of winter tires (depending on the prevailing conditions)

Slovakia – only in case of special winter conditions

Slovenia – from October 15 to March 15

Sweden – in the period from December 1 to March 31 (also for tourists)

Romania – from November 1 to March 31