Summer Tyres v Winter Tyres
Summer Tyres v Winter Tyres
A YouGov study found 88% of British car owners don't switch tyres seasonally, with only about 4% making the change to winter sets.
Winter tyre use is higher in Scotland and more rural areas, where colder temperatures and snow are more common.
So, do we in the UK really need winter tyres?
Often the reason given for not using winter tyres is we don’t get enough snow in the UK.
This shows a lack of understanding of how tyres work, sure, winter tyres will give better grip in the snow, but tyre type work mostly on temperature.
Summer tyres optimal range is 7°c up to +40°c
Winter tyres optimal range is below 7°c down to – 30°c
In some European countries, the 7/7 rule is used, 7 days at 7°c or below requires winter tyres.
Here in the UK, winter temperature is so unpredictable that we could be below 7°c for 2 or 3 days then up into double figures.
The problem with using summer tyres in winter is, where temperatures are below 7°c for a few days, the rubber starts to harden, this affects grip, stopping distances etc. Then, if we get a flurry of snow, the hardened rubber cannot grip, bringing the country to a standstill.
The problem with using winter tyres is, where we have a few days with temperatures close to double figures, the rubber softens giving less precise handling and faster wear.
So, is there an alternative?
All-Season-Tyres. These have an optimal range of -10°c to +30°c
This makes All-Season-Tyres a good all-round tyre for the UK.
There are some drawbacks using them all the time, they can make handling feel a little softer and during dry hot spells, they don’t perform as good as summer tyres and in heavy snow, they don’t perform as good as winter tyres.
In general, if you avoid poor driving such as hash acceleration, braking or hard cornering, the All-Season-Tyre in a good all-round tyre for the UK climate.
A 2024 Tyrepress survey found 65% of UK motorists would consider all-season tyres for their next set.
