Tag: Winter Tyres

Time For A Tyre Change From Winter To Summer Tyres

As the summer is almost here it is time to change your tyres from winter tyres to summer tyres. Depending on country you live in, there may be some restrictions for when you have to change the tyres at the latest. If you will change the tyres yourself, then you don’t have to book a time. If you want to get a tyre service center to do it, then you should book a time for it, so that you are sure you can get it done.

Doing a tyre change is not so difficult, but most people don’t have the correct equipment. The tools that come with the spare tyre are not  the best tools for tyre change. If you do not have the proper equipment, it is  better to let experts to do the change for you.

When tyre experts do the change for you, you know that experts have changed with proper tools. They will also check the condition of your tyres and mark them so that they can be properly rotated upon the next change. They will wash them to get the salt and dirt away from the tyres. In some locations they can also store the tyres for you, so that you don’t have to carry them back and forth between the changes. Before mounting the summer tyres, they will check the valves and replace them if needed, check the balance of the tyres and the tyre pressure. They will check the tread depth and mount the tyres in the correct position based on the rotation.

If you do the change yourself, you will need to ensure that you mark the tyres, so that next time you know how to rotate them. Preferably you need to get the tyres correctly inflated while mounting them. If you don’t have tools to do that, you need to drive to the petrol station. Remember to store the tyres in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

When the summer tyres are mounted, it is just to drive and enjoy the summer.

For more info regarding summer tyres, visit: www.nokiantyres.com

Benefits Of An All-Weather Tyre

When it comes to tyres, it can be difficult to choose which one is the best for your vehicle. Each different category of tyres will have different benefits. The benefit with the winter approved all-weather tyres is that they can handle almost any type of weather conditions. Be it warm and sunny roads or icy and cold roads. If you need your car on a daily basis, with all-weather tyres you will always be ready to drive regardless of the weather.

The all weather tyres is also a good option is  you travel a lot across Europe. With all-weather tyres you won’t have any problems and there are no restrictions for these tyres.  This is what makes this tyre a very good alternative for countries where you might not have the harshest winters, but you still have four seasons. Or if you travel a lot to these countries and you will need the safety of winter tyres when you visit these countries that have winters.

It is good to realize though that an all-weather tyre is a compromise of a summer tyre and a winter tyre. If you want the absolutely best performance out of your car and your tyres in summer, a dedicated summer tyre will do better than an all-weather tyre and the same goes if you are in really harsh winter conditions with a lot of ice, then a dedicated winter tyre will outperform the all-weather tyre. Seasonal tyres are developed for the particular season and that’s why they perform better.

The all-weather tyre is though much better than a summer tyres during winter conditions. If you change to summer tyres during early spring and the winter weather returns, then you are in much worse situation than if you are using all-weather tyres. It is also much better to have all-weather tyres than winter tyres during summer. Even tough it is a compromise it is a really good and useful tyre combining the best properties of a winter tyre and a summer tyre.It may suit some countries perfectly, especially the countires, which don’t really have 4 distinct seasons.

For more information regarding all-weather tyres, check out: Nokian Tyres

When To Purchase New Tyres

Many drivers don’t know exactly when to change tyres. They seem to drive way too long on the same tyres before they change them. This is especially the case if they don’t rotate the tyres or change between summer tyres and winter tyres. In addition, they may forget to check the tyre pressure regularly and they do it only when the car is brought for service or during the vehicles mandatory inspection.

First of all, a driver should actively maintain the tyres and check them on a regular basis. All aspects of the tyre should be checked. Check the condition of the tyres, based on just looking at them in good light. How do they look, do they look worn out, are there any visible damages to the tyres? If you see any problems with the tyres, it is good to bring them to the tyre service station to let the professionals have a look at the tyres. They can easily assess if they tyres are still ok, or if you need to replace the tyre or all the tyres.

The second thing you should do is to measure the tread depth. The easiest way to measure it is to push a coin into the tread and measure how deep the coin could be pushed into the tread. The tread depth should be more than 4mm for you to still be driving with them. If the tread depth is 4mm or lower you need to purchase a new set of tyres. When you go below 4mm you loose a lot of the tyres’ key properties such as grip and stability. Also the braking distance is prolonged, and the likelihood of aquaplaning is increased.

The last ting to check is the tyre pressure; this should be checked on a regular basis. The tyre pressure can be found in the car manual. It is good to know that the tyre pressure varies with temperature. The valves might also leak and cause a loss of pressure. Driving with too low pressure is not good for the tyre and the tyre wear increases, as does the fuel consumption. So if you don’t keep them inflated, then you will need to buy new tyres soon.

For more information regarding new tyres, check out: Nokian Tyres

Cautious Driving Is Always Better During The Winter Season

Driving behavior is always important, especially during the challenging winter season. Slippery surfaces such as snow and ice make driving much more difficult, so you really need to adjust your speed and drive cautiously. Aggressive driving tends to be the worst, as you need to gain the inertia for the tyres to get good grip.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t drive if you have winter conditions and you don’t have winter-approved tyres on your vehicle. You are very likely to be in an accident if you try. So please don’t.

Some countries have made it mandatory to have winter tyres mounted if there is winter weather. Making it illegal to drive without.

If you have studded tyres, the need to drive cautiously is even more profound. The studs that protrude from the tread can get ripped out, if you drive very aggressively.

Making the wheels spin when you try to accelerate too fast can make the studs to fall out. So adapt your speed to the winter and the conditions that prevail. 

During winter driving it is important not to stress. Take your time and concentrate on your driving with minimum amount of distractions.

The braking distance is prolonged during winter when you have ice and snow, so take that into consideration when you drive. Make sure that you have more than 4mm tread depth remaining, so that your braking distance is not even further prolonged.

Winter driving doesn’t have to be that difficult, but you will need to drive cautiously and respect the winter conditions. You need to have proper winter tyres that are approved for winter conditions and you will need to have ample time to get to your final destination.

For more information regarding sparing your tyres and improving your safety, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/tyres/passenger-car/winter-tyres/

For more information regarding sparing your winter tyres and improving your safety, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/tyres/passenger-car/winter-tyres/

Why Some Tyres Are Better Than Others

There can be several reasons why one tyre is better than another tyre. It can be related to the quality of the tyre or then the fact that the tyre hasn’t been optimized for that specific use. A summer tyres will not be as good as a winter tyre in winter weather as it hasn’t been optimized to perform in those conditions. While a low quality tyre will not be as good as a high quality tyre, because they have most probably saved some material costs, to make the tyres cheaper. Part of what makes high quality tyres more costly than lower quality is that they spend a lot of money on research and development. This ensures that they can deliver a tyre that has been tested extensively in all different conditions. Their tyres are also continuously being improved so that they can continue to deliver the safest and best driving experience.

When it comes to winter weather, you do however need to have winter tyres that have been approved for winter use. Even a high quality summer tyre will not perform well in these conditions. Summer tyres are great in summer and can deliver you the best driving experience in those conditions, however when you go below zero degrees the rubber used will become hard. A hard tyre can’t provide you with the grip that you need, as part of the grip comes from the fact that a soft tyre will conform to the surface to provide you increased friction and therefor better grip.

A high quality winter tyre will give you the best possible circumstances to drive safely regardless of how harsh the winter weather you will need to drive through. If you choose a studded tyre you will have studs that provide you with great grip on ice and the tread design will ensure that the tyre can maneuver through snow and slush.

Check the tyre pressure to make sure that you have properly inflated tyres even during the cold weather. Since the tyre pressure will decrease when the mercury falls on the thermometer, it is worth checking when you stop for fuel. Low tyre pressure will make your car less stable and you will loose some grip. The increased fuel costs due to low tyre pressure makes it worth checking on a regular basis.

For more information regarding tyres, visit us at nokiantyres.com

You Need A Lot Of Practice To Be A Good Driver

Practice makes perfect as the old saying goes and there is a lot of truth in that. Driving is associated with dangers and you need to pass a driving test to be allowed to drive a vehicle. Driving different vehicle types can require different licenses, as knowing how to drive one, might not necessarily give you the right skill set to drive another. This can vary between moped, motorcycle, car and various sizes of trucks.

Also different terrains and weather can cause the driving to be different and another skill set is needed. It tends to be impossible to perfectly learn in driving school the full skill set for any given situation, so you will need to learn and develop over time. With winter driving, which is one of the most challenging conditions to drive in, you should prepare yourself and make sure you practice in these conditions.

When driving on winter surfaces such as snow and ice, it is important that you have proper winter tyres mounted to even have a chance to drive safely. Without proper tyres on the vehicle, even the safest one will be very unsafe. Even with good qualitytyres that have been approved for winter conditions, some driving practice is needed and a lot to become a perfect driver. You will need to learn how the vehicle behaves in sharp turns and how the braking distance is affected by the surface and the speed.

If you are driving on ice, you are better off with studded tyres that have metal studs that will give you very good grip on ice. If you drive on mainly snow, then both the studded and the non-studded tyres will give you good grip. The non-studded ones use a unique tread design to achieve the grip on snow and also on ice. If you get the chance to try both you will learn the difference of how it is driving with them on your vehicle.

So to become a better driver regardless of weather and terrain, always take the chance to practice and improve. Try to practice in the conditions that you mainly drive in, but don’t forget also to improve in the ones that you will face sometimes. It will make you a better and safer driver.

For more information regarding practice driving with different tyres, check out: www.nokiantyres.com

Safe Driving Will Greatly Depend On Your Tyre Choice

I think everyone wants to make sure that they are always safe when they drive. Selecting a safe car tends to be the first decision in this quest. It is sad to see though that despite tyres being a key factor in the car’s safety, very limited time is spent on selecting them and some see high quality tyres as just an unnecessary cost to invest in. I do hope that this is something that will start changing.

Some countries have made it mandatory to e.g. use winter tyres during the winter season; this is of course done because they are so much safer. All winter tyres are still not the same, there are some that are safer and perform better in winter conditions. So if you have put a lot of effort into selecting the safest car, make sure that you put some serious effort into also finding a tyre that will provide you the highest level of safety. A safe car with unsafe tyres is in the end of the day not a safe car at all.

With the vast range of tyre options out there in the tyre shop, there will be some that are good and some that are not. What will vary is how well the tyres can handle various challenges. Some manufacturers spend a lot of money on research and development to ensure that the tyres behave well in various conditions that the tread is optimized for various challenges. You will need to be able to handle heavy rain with the risk for aquaplaning, where the tread is designed to remove a lot of water to allow the tyre to remain in contact with the road surface.

When you buy new tyres it can be worth checking the EU label that has easy to read values of braking distance, rolling noise and rolling resistance. The braking distance is great to check from a safety perspective. A lot of accidents can be avoided if we are able to bring the vehicle to a halt quicker. The rolling resistance is good to ensure a high driving comfort and the rolling resistance will impact your fuel efficiency so that a high rolling resistance will need more fuel for the same distance. Solve the safety aspects first and then try to get a tyre that has low rolling noise and resistance.

For more info regarding a good tyre choice, visit: www.nokiantyres.com

Don’t Let Your Tyre Options Limit You

When you select tyres for your vehicle, you should make sure that you select tyres that are optimal for you so that they don’t end up limiting you. There are a lot of tyres to choose from and some will be better than others to suit your needs. A lot depends on where you live and your driving behavior. If you plan to drive off-road or long-distance commute on highways, you should take this into consideration. Same if you have a very fast vehicle, you will most likely want to get high-speed tyres.

If you have real winters where you live in is another key factor, as this will impact your tyre choice. If you have some occasional winters that are maybe not so harsh, you can get by with an all-weather tyre. If the weather is real winter weather with lots of snow and slush, you will be better off with a dedicated winter tyres that will give you the best performance in wintertime. The choice of a studded tyre or a non-studded tyre will also depend your main usage. With studded tyres you will be somewhat limited if you travel between countries, but you will have the best performance on icy surfaces.

With non-studded tyres you will be a bit more flexible and still have a great winter tyre for the harsh winters. The choice is not always easy and for a lot of the older generations in winter areas, they see the studded tyres as the only real option, but decades of advances have made the non-studded tyres an equivalent option for winter roads. If however, you want the pest performance on ice, the studded tyre does provide you with the best performance.

With the vast tyre options out there, you should be able to find the best tyre option for you and your vehicle. Doing some research and asking experts tend to get you quite close to your final option. It is important though to realize that tyres are important and making the choice of tyres is an important safety decision that should be done carefully and not just left for chance. Tyre reviews done in car magazines might provide you with which manufacturers produce the best tyres for the various conditions that you are looking, to ensure that you get the best tyre for you.

For more information regarding tyres, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/

All-Weather Tyres Might Be The Flexible Answer You Are Looking For

Regardless of what type of vehicle you drive, if it is a normal passenger car, an SUV, van or a 4×4, there are all-weather tyre options for you. They are classified into passenger cars, SUV, 4×4 or vans, so that you can select the best all weather tyres for your vehicle.

The beauty of this tyre, especially if it is approved for winter driving and has the 3PMSF symbol, which means that it has been tested and approved for winter use, is that you will have great flexibility whichever roads you drive on in Europe. You will not have to be dependent on any weather forecasts anymore, as this tyre will provide you with great performance on wet and dry and even in winter conditions.

The convenience of not having to get caught with the wrong tyre on your car for the weather conditions that can constantly change is great. Not having to stress with trying to maybe shift from summer to winter tyres at the same time as hundred others are also waiting at the tyre shop, is nice. It gives you more flexibility the same way that you can freely travel between countries without having to worry about if you have the correct tyres on your car.

There can be several restrictions on tyre use throughout Europe, some tyres that are not allowed and some that have to be used. In the Nordics winter tyres are mandatory during winter when winter temperatures prevail and e.g. studded tyres are not allowed in Germany. With an all-weather tyre you will comply with the use of winter tyres in the Nordics and you don’t have studs and can drive in Germany. This gives you the perfect freedom and flexibility to travel a lot throughout Europe throughout the year.

Still if you live in an area with long and quite harsh winters, it is recommended that you change to a dedicated winter tyre that will have better properties on snow and ice. It is in these harsh conditions that you need the utmost from your tyres and any compromises will not do. With a non-studded winter tyre you can still travel through Germany and any other country, but you should change to summer tyres when the summer comes, not due to regulations but because they perform better and last longer in summer temperatures.

For more information regarding all-weather tyres, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/

How To Get The Most Out Of Your SUV Studded Tyres

An SUV studded tyres is great on all winter surfaces if you have been taken care of the tyre. In order for the tyre to have excellent grip and control, you will need to make sure that you have sufficient tread depth, correct tyre pressure, that the studs are still in its place and that there is no excessive wear. Winter tyres should always be used if you have winter conditions or even if you have sub-zero temperatures, as the rubber in summer tyres will become hard and will not be able to provide you with the grip and control that you are expecting from your tyres.

If your tyres don’t have the mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall, then they are not approved for winter use and you should avoid driving if you have cold weather or snowy, icy or slushy roads. You will not have any control over your vehicle as you will have no grip.

Wrong tyre pressure will cause your SUV to consume more fuel when you drive and the tyre wear will increase, so checking your tyre pressure can save you a lot of money, both short term and long term.

For more information regarding SUV studded tyres, check out: www.nokiantyres.com