Winter has always been considered the best time of year to test motorists. Therefore, to have an accident-free winter season it is necessary to choose the right winter tires.
In winter, you can drive on studded rubber, Velcro and all-season tires. It depends on the conditions in which the car will be operated.
Winter studded tires are indispensable on rolled snow and icy roads.
On the one hand, it seems safe to drive with studs. But if you look on the other hand, then doubts arise. The fact that the studs on the winter wheels tend to fall out, especially at high speeds. Thus, the tire loses its consumer qualities. On a clean winter road or a wet road in late fall and early spring, the use of studded tires may reduce the controllability of the car. In addition, the braking distance also increases.
In addition, studded tires are very noisy. It increases fuel consumption and destroys the asphalt surface.
The most important difference between winter and summer rubber is the composition of the tire and the tread pattern. It should be noted that different models of winter tires may behave completely differently in different operating conditions. So what winter tire is better to choose, with studs or friction “sticky”?
It is not easy to choose a specific set of winter tires. Moreover, the choice of winter tires depends on the weather conditions that prevail in your region. In addition, the operating conditions of your car are also important. These include: out-of-town or only city driving; driving on main streets or frequent visits to yards.
In this regard, it is impossible to say unequivocally which rubber is better to choose: studded or not studded. But still – we will try to give general recommendations on the choice of the best winter rubber for your car.
Concerning whether to choose studded or not studded winter rubber, the answer is ambiguous. From a theoretical point of view, studs should provide a higher coefficient of traction of the wheels with the road, which is especially important in the ice. But sometimes non-spiked winter rubber behaves on slippery roads by an order of magnitude higher than the studded models of tires. So what is the problem?
The car’s behavior on the road depends not only on the presence or absence of cleats. In many ways, the determining factors are the chemical composition of rubber and tread pattern.
Winter tires last from two to four seasons, on average. This depends on the car’s seasonal mileage. As the tire wears, its tread depth becomes less than 4 mm, and it means it is necessary to change the tires.
Lately the most popular among motorists are winter tires with an asymmetric tread pattern. They have an outer part of the tire responsible for driving on asphalt surfaces. The inner part of the tread on a snowy surface. The main thing, only at the tinomantozhe correctly install such tires, according to the marking on it (directional tires).
“Velcro” – winter tires without studs. Thanks to a special composition of rubber and a soft outer layer of tread, provide excellent traction with the road and on snow and wet asphalt. And the same composition of rubber allows the inner layer of the tire to remain solid, which better affects the controllability of the car. In addition, there are sipes on the tread of winter tires without spikes. They drain water, mud and snow from the tire’s contact patch with the road.
Dimensions of winter tires, as well as summer, it is better to choose from those that are recommended by the automaker. If you take a much larger width, the contact patch of the wheel with the road will increase. At the same time, the weight of the car will be distributed in such a way that the grip of the tire with the road surface will be reduced.
If you do not have the right size on sale, you can choose a slightly smaller width model of winter tires, while maintaining the height of the profile.
Many motorists do not change wheels until the first snow, fearing that the asphalt will badly damage the soft winter rubber. It is only partly true. You may change summer tires for winter nonstick ones at the first frosts. Usually when the daytime temperature does not exceed +5 … +7 degrees, and at night falls to minus marks.
Studded tires should be put only when the permanent snow cover or when the temperature at night falls to a minus mark.