It’s not worth the risk: auto experts explained why it’s better not to drive on winter tires in summer

This year, the Verkhovna Rada registered a draft law, the authors of which propose to oblige drivers to “shoe” their cars in winter tires from November 1 to March 31. Is it possible, for example, not to change the winter “shoes” of the vehicle in the summer, but after waiting for autumn, change them for a new winter one?

AutoCentre experts talk about the nuances. The fact is that winter tires are softer, with a large percentage of rubber. Such a mixture is designed to work at sub-zero or near-zero temperatures. For the warm season, such tires are too soft, and the heat “dries” and destroys winter tires in summer.

The second important factor is the special winter tread pattern, which provides grip on snow, ice, wet snow, as well as effective removal of wet snow. On hot pavement, all this becomes ineffective, the tire breaks in corners, the tread holds the road worse.

Consequently, the braking and cornering efficiency drops, and the braking distance increases significantly. On dry pavement, when braking from a speed of 80 km / h, a car on winter tires may need 7-10 meters more than on summer tires, and at city 50-60 km / h - 5 meters. On wet pavement, the distance for winter tires increases by about one and a half times compared to older ones.

The handling of the car is noticeably worse. In particular, driving around a sudden obstacle with summer tires can be done at a higher speed - the difference is about 10 km/h.

Read the material on how to choose winter tires on the FACTS website.

Pixabay Photos