Winter & All-Season Tyres

Seasonal and all-season tyres address the fundamental limitation of summer tyres: their rubber compound hardens significantly below 7°C, reducing grip on both dry and wet cold roads regardless of tread depth. Winter tyres use a silica-enriched rubber compound that remains pliable down to −30°C, combined with a denser network of sipes (fine tread slits) that create additional biting edges for traction on snow, slush, and cold-wet surfaces. The performance difference is substantial: on a cold, wet road at 7°C, winter tyres stop a vehicle travelling at 80 km/h up to 8–10 metres shorter than summer tyres — a difference that determines whether a collision occurs. All-season (or all-weather) tyres use a compromise compound and tread pattern that performs acceptably in both warm and cold conditions without excelling in either — they carry the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol if meeting winter performance standards, not merely the M+S (mud and snow) designation which is a basic claim without performance testing requirement.

Winter tyres provide safe traction, braking, and cornering at temperatures below 7°C where summer tyre compound hardens beyond its functional range. The compound formulation is the primary differentiator, not the tread pattern — a winter tyre on a dry cold road out-grips a summer tyre of equivalent tread depth because the compound is operating within its designed temperature range. The sipe network provides additional performance on snow and slush by generating evacuation channels for snow, increasing the tread-to-surface contact edges, and providing mechanical interlocking with packed snow (snow gripping snow). All-season tyres offer a year-round alternative for regions where winters are mild (temperatures rarely below −5°C) or where regular seasonal tyre changes are impractical — but they represent a compromise at both temperature extremes compared to dedicated seasonal tyres.

Fitting winter tyres too late or removing them too early: The 7°C threshold applies to average daily temperatures, not just nighttime lows — fitting winter tyres when the overnight forecast drops below 7°C is the correct timing, not waiting for the first snowfall. Conversely, running winter tyres in summer significantly increases wear rate and reduces dry road performance as the soft compound overheats.

Winter tyres on front axle only: Fitting winter tyres on the front of a rear-wheel-drive vehicle while retaining summer tyres at the rear creates dangerous oversteer in cold conditions — the rear provides more grip than the front in cornering, causing the vehicle to spin. Always fit winter tyres as a complete set of four.

All-season tyres with M+S marking but no 3PMSF symbol providing false confidence: M+S is a tyre manufacturer’s claim requiring no standardised testing. Only the 3PMSF symbol confirms the tyre has passed performance testing in winter conditions — an M+S-only all-season tyre may not perform meaningfully better than a summer tyre in cold conditions.

Level 1 — Owner check: Confirm whether your tyres carry the 3PMSF symbol (a mountain with a snowflake) on the sidewall if winter performance is required. Check tyre sidewalls for the season designation: summer tyres are not marked; winter tyres are marked with the 3PMSF symbol and often with a W or Winter designation; all-season tyres carry both M+S and ideally 3PMSF.

Level 2 — Detection: Store seasonal tyres correctly when not in use: clean, inflated to 0.5 bar above normal storage, covered, and stored horizontally (stacked) or vertically on a tyre stand. UV and ozone degrade rubber rapidly in uncovered outdoor storage. Label each tyre with its previous wheel position to maintain wear-equalising rotation patterns when refitting.

Level 3 — Professional service: Consider purchasing a second set of steel wheels for winter tyres — the cost of twice-yearly tyre mounting and balancing on single rims typically exceeds the cost of a second steel wheel set within 3–4 seasons, and eliminates the risk of alloy rim damage during winter mounting.