In this article we will compare winter tires versus summer tires.
Did you know that tires are a fundamental piece of your vehicle's safety since it is the only point of the vehicle that is in permanent contact with the road? Precisely for this reason, there are tires of different compositions designed for each terrain.
Main differences between a winter tire and a summer tire?
1. Winter tires have a higher natural rubber content, which allows them to be more flexible in conditions in which temperatures are lower. However, summer tires, due to their composition with more synthetic rubber, harden. in these types of situations.
2. Winter tires also have small grooves in the tread, called sipes, which allow them to evacuate a greater amount of water and adhere better to ice or snow surfaces.
3. Winter tires have greater tread depth than summer tires. Contrary to what we may think, snow attracts itself, which is why larger cavities in the tread allow the winter tire to store a greater amount of snow and increase its grip.
4. Finally, winter tires should be replaced when the tread depth is 4mm, while summer tires should be replaced when the tread depth is 3mm.
It must be taken into account that the braking distance will increase considerably in snow or ice conditions the smaller the tread pattern depth.
A winter tire that is less than 4mm deep will have practically no grip on ice or snow surfaces.
Why should I change my car tires?
Normally, if you live in hot areas, your vehicle will have summer tires. These tires do not have enough grip when the road conditions include snow or mud, a common scenario when we go skiing.
In addition, you should keep in mind that, when conditions worsen drastically, the authority will prevent you from driving your vehicle unless you are using winter tires or chains.
When should I fit winter tires?
It is advisable to fit winter tires from October to March as these months are considered to be the coldest in Spain. Starting in March, temperatures are supposed to be above 7ºC and although there may be exceptions depending on the geographical area where said vehicle is located, we should fit summer tires.
Why should I install winter tires instead of chains?
The answer is clear, winter tires guarantee the comfort of a summer tire with the extra grip in this type of circumstances, in addition, these tires can be used in the same way in summer without losing grip, not to mention that, If there is a situation where there is snow or mud on the road, you should not get out of the car to install the chains with all that this entails.
Installing chains in a vehicle places extra stress on the engine and increases consumption, as well as extra wear on the tires.
To make matters worse, you should know that chains increase the braking distance by up to 3 times compared to winter tires and can influence the useful life of the tire, suspensions and ball joints of your vehicle.
Did you know…?
• 80% of users would not know how to assemble the chains.
• The assembly of the chains is difficult if it has never been done before and in some cases can cause a dangerous situation for the driver who installs them.
• By mounting the chains only on the drive axle, the vehicle may lose stability.
• Chains considerably reduce the speed of use of the vehicle.
• The chains are not universal so you must buy those that fit your tire.
In view of what has been described above, we strongly recommend that before buying chains you keep in mind how many times a year you are going to go to the mountains or find yourself in this type of situation, in order to rule out whether it is better to buy chains or some winter tires.
We want to make it easy for you, that's why at LG Barcelona we have a storage service for your summer tires, this way when the ski season ends or you wish, we can remount the summer tires and store the winter tires again.
Winter tire composition
The winter tire has a greater composition of natural rubber, which allows it to be softer in low temperature situations, so its grip increases at those temperatures. Furthermore, in terms of tread, the larger channels allow a greater amount of water to be displaced than a summer tire.
How to distinguish a winter tire from a summer tire
In addition to its pattern and sipes on the tread, the winter tire will normally have a drawing of a snowflake inside a mountain on the sidewall (side of the tire).
Conclusion
As a conclusion we extract that; We are going to use winter or summer tires depending on our geographical area and how many times we are going to encounter ice or snow situations on the road. If we rarely go to the mountains or encounter this type of situation, we should install summer tires and carry specific chains for our tire in the trunk. If you go to the mountains every weekend, it will be more than reasonable that for more comfort, you decide to install winter tires.
