With temperatures dropping down each day, and climatic conditions getting worse, everything needs extra care, your vehicle too. Give your vehicle extra protection, and yourself an assurance of your safety by swapping your normal tyres into winter tyres. Winter tyres are one of the three major tyre types, apart from summer and all-weather ones.
What are Winter Tyres
Winter tyres, also known as snow tyres, are a legal requirement during winter months in most European countries. One can imagine how much they affect the safety of the vehicle and how essential they might prove in the handling of the vehicle on snow or slush covered roads.
Though winter tyres are not a legal requirement in the UK, they should be used if you plan to take your vehicle out on damp and cold winter roads. It might depend on your preferences if you choose to use winter tyres or not, but if you plan to take your vehicle out quite often during winter months, or plan to drive for longer duration's or longer miles, you absolutely cannot do without winter tyres and would risk your vehicle and safety and lives of yourself and others on the road if you choose to use summer tyres. All-weather tyres may prove to be an advantage, but they are obviously not as effective as the winter tyres.
Are They Affordable?
While many people consider winter car tyres as an extra expense to owning a car, the UK, just like many European countries is considering the importance of these not so cheap tyres. Consider it this way, you are just using an extra set of tyres for specific weather conditions, and you won’t have to replace your summer/standard tyres for a long time now because you would give them a four months break every time you use winter tyres.
You just have to keep the set of tyres not in use covered and away from direct sunlight. So if you don’t plan to sell your car off any soon, winter tyres should be a great long-term investment. You might find some cheap winter tyres in the stores though, or enter your registration above to find great deals on winter tyres online. Also, winter tyres have more powerful fore-tyres, thus, have to be bought in a set of four, and not two.
About the Laws
In the UK, unlike Canada or Finland, weather conditions are not so poor that anyone would have to use winter tyres with metal studs. Thus the law does not tell us it is compulsorily to use winter tyres but there is certainly a requirement of designs which deal with the snow and slush. And if you plan to drive abroad, always check the local rules and regulations, because most countries in Europe often compulsorily guide the drivers to use winter tyres, and not using them might result in an on-the-spot fine by the police. However, the extreme weather conditions caused in 2009-2010 have resulted in the UK drivers realising the importance of swapping the tyres into winter tyres, and the insurers no more consider it a modification in the car, but a necessary practice.
Buy winter tyres now to drive safe, even in the extreme weather conditions, and get your car a grip over the snow.
Tips and Tricks for Driving During Winter:
- Keep the windshield as clear as possible.
- Drive slow on wet or snowy/icy roads.
- Winter tyres lead to effective braking on winter roads as compared to summer tyres.
- Keep a check on your tyre pressure, it falls down quick during colder weathers.
- Turn the engine of your car on every couple of days during winters for a few minutes, even if you are not driving it. This will save the engine from being jammed.