Is usage of winter tyres in Poland late autumn, winter and early spring a myth or necessity? Maybe another useless demand for drivers not connected with reality nor safety?
Absolutely not. Polish Tyre Industry Association strongly recommends seasonal change of tyres. In our climate, with hot summer time and severe winters this is a warranty of safe driving. And as German independent statistics clearly show, the risk of road accidents and collisions is 6 times bigger in winter than in summer.[1] With winter tyres the braking distance on wet roads is reduced by 20%.[2]
Why is that? When temperature goes below 7 degrees C. the rubber compound used for summer conditions becomes harder. This downgrades its grip heavily. Winter tyres are made from specially developed compound with more natural rubber and silica so they do not harden when it becomes cold. This means increased grip on the cold winter road and greater safety. Also winter tyres have specific and more numerous patterns and groves allowing to improve grip on ice or snow. The set-back is that winter tyres then become too soft in summer conditions.
Summer tyres are not suitable for winter conditions because their tread is not having such design. They offer less grows and harder compounds for more rigid structure increasing grip and precision when driving on dry and wet warmer surfaces while winter tread is designed to remove a slush from under the tyre and same time to key into the snowed surface giving a needful grip.
- This is why using of winter tyres is so essential, not only for sport activity and rally performances. They are necessary for all those ordinary drivers who really care about their own safety and safety of their families – says Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of PTIA - A vehicle fitted with winter tyres will come to standstill on a snow-covered road (from a speed of just 50km/h) after 35 meters – with normal tyres the braking distance required is a further 8 meters (43 meters). That is another two cars length – he adds.
This is a well known truth across the Europe, in all those countries with cold winters with or without snow-fall within the year. In fact Poland is one of the last EU Member State with no winter legislation at all. And the only one from this group, which lies in moderate climate area with hot summer and severe winter. German Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development recommends explicitly the use of inappropriate tyres causes serious accidents. Safety-conscious motorists must in any case mount winter tyres in the cold season in order to protect themselves and other road users. According to a current DEKRA survey, the legal requirement to fit winter tyres is in fact supported by nine out of ten motorists in Germany.
Today more and more European countries made winter tyres mandatory – after Germany these are: Czech Republic; Slovakia; Austria; Norway; Sweden; Lithuania; Latvia; Estonia; Finland; Romania; Slovenia and even Croatia. Other countries such as France, Spain and Italy require winter tires when ordered by authorities.
We still hear sometimes arguments that this only the industry propaganda because 30 years ago there was no winter tyres in Poland and people were able driving even in winter. That is true. Since that time however much has been changed in our country. We have faster, stronger and most important, heavier cars than in eighties. And what is crucial, there is much more cars on streets. All of this causes we as drivers need much sophisticated tyres than our parents and grandparents. And this is why tyre industry within many years of research and development provided variety of winter tyres that are dedicated to cold weather conditions. Even if daily temperature fluctuates between i.e. 2 and 9 degrees centigrade, winter tyres are more universal and safer than summer ones.
Another myth is that using winter tyre will increase the tyre consumption and benefit tyre companies. If you change your tyres in winter then you store away your summer tyres and put them back on when season changes again.. So in reality you will not buy more tyre, you will just use each set of tyre twice as long as before as they are each used only during half of the time. Moreover, if you use your winter tyres in summer they tend to become too soft with the heat and they will then wear out much faster so then by not changing them you will in reality buy tyres more often! So of course when following seasons you need to exchange tyres twice a year which has a limited servicing cost. But then it allows checking each time that tyres are in good condition and pressure or balancing are right thus increasing your safety and your comfort. Then also you will always have best adapted tyres to the seasonal conditions and make the best usage of your car at maximum safety.
- When driving any vehicle mounted on tyres, our life and safety depends on the good tyre contact with the ground as well as on its ability to make our vehicle follow the desired trajectory. No matter the car class, all engine power and force of braking systems is transferred to this part of the tyre, which contact with the road surface is the size of the postcard. Therefore the quality of tyres has such a large impact on the safety and ride quality - says Armand Dahi, President of PTIA .
This is why a quality of this footprint and its adequacy to weather conditions is so essential.
[1] source: ADAC, Pro-winterreifen
[2] source: Cortina. A dynamic simulation test when temperature at 5°C
Source: PTIA