Higher costs and actual danger
The habit of driving on the right tyres is like brushing your teeth. Apparently, you can neglect it, but sooner or later it will come back as a problem. It will be costs at best. We risk our lives when it comes to tyres. If you have a plan to use winter tyres on your way to vacation, we do not recommend it. The TÜV SÜD test shows that even without heat, you will generate a danger on the road.
Both on dry and wet roads, at an air temperature of +23 degrees Celsius, summer tyres have much more grip than winter tyres. With heavy braking from 85 km / h, the difference is 2 lengths of the compact car. On a dry road, the summer tyres braked 9 meters closer. In the wet, it is 8 meters closer. So many meters may not be enough to slow down before other vehicles. In the case of driving at motorway speed, these differences will be even greater.
Link with the test: https://oponymajamoc.pl/prawidlowe-cisnienie/
Typically winter tyres have a rubber compound adapted to lower temperatures. It has more silica so that they do not harden below + 7 degrees C. However, riding them in the summer also means accelerated tread wear – and thus the need for faster replacement, more frequent refueling or charging the battery and higher volume. Winter tyres in such weather are also less resistant to aquaplaning than their summer counterparts.
– The soft rubber compound from which winter tyres are made is not able to work properly when the asphalt heats up to 50-60 degrees. This temperature range is not unusual on hot days. As the test showed, even with a road warmed up to only 40 degrees Celsius, the advantage of summer tyres is indisputable. And this is only 85 km / h. The TÜV SÜD test was carried out on premium summer and winter tyres, which, unfortunately, are only used by 1/3 of drivers. In the lower segments, the difference will be even greater. It does not matter whether the surface is dry or wet – in both cases, braking will be extended by up to several meters, and each of them is at a premium. Either we can brake or not – draws the attention Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
Winter tyres in summer are like wearing fur when the thermometers show above 30 degrees Celsius. Therefore, people who drive around the city and cover short distances may consider buying all-season tyres.
– People unconvinced to use seasonal tyres should consider installing all-season tyres, especially if they have typical city cars and do not travel tens of thousands of kilometers a year with them. However, you have to remember to adapt your driving style to slightly weaker performance of all-season tyres, which are always a compromise to the seasonal ones – summarizes Sarnecki.
Source: Polish Tyre Industry Association