Is it legal to use winter tyres in summer?

[The Zee]

Hi, I have tried searching for this but not found an answer, so sorry if it is there and i have missed it.

 

I have an old runabout I use to and from the station (for work). Its very hilly where I live so when the snow comes - I stop. The old girl is due a new set of tyres soon and I was wondering if I get a set of winter tyres can I leave them on all year legally or do I have to change back to summer ones. 

 

I know this is a slightly odd question because it is legal to use summer tyres all year round so don't see why the reverse would be any different. (But the law can be a funny thing). I am not worried about noise or tyre wear as the old girl only does a couple of thousand miles a year.

 

Cheers for any advice.

[Huskoda]

Why wouldn't they be? They are still up to the legal spec for normal tyres. If you can use 1.6mm Wanli Ditchfinders...

 

I know a number of people who run winters all year around because they are either too lazy to keep 2 sets or only do low mileage.

[Yearofthegoat]

I don't think that's illegal.  I ran mine for a couple of weeks longer than I should have just because I didn't get a free afternoon to change them over (I clean them up etc before storing them so it's more than a half-hour job).

 

As I understand it, in Germany you have to run tyres that are 'suitable for the conditions' - i.e. no summer tyres in the deep midwinter snow.  Not sure how it goes the other way round over there.

Edited 31 July, 2013 by Yearofthegoat

[BossFox]

Not illegal in the UK.

[Huskoda]

Contrary to what a lot of naysayers believe, modern winter tyres are perfectly safe in summer and wont be worn down in 100 yards. When I was on holiday to a warmer country, about 1 in 4 cars had winter tyres on in the 35+ degree summer.

 

I had to highlight the above as someone will nodoubt say that 20 years ago their winter tyres fell to pieces pulling out their drive when the temperature was above 15 degrees.

[Yearofthegoat]

I had to highlight the above as someone will nodoubt say that 20 years ago their winter tyres fell to pieces pulling out their drive when the temperature was above 15 degrees.

 

God, I remember that thread.  It didn't really help in the end either.

 

I noticed mine (Nokians) seemed a little bit 'sloppy' in the warmer weather but not to the point where it got dangerous.  And they didn't wear out much at all through the winter and the couple of weeks of 'summer'.  Not that we had much until lately of course!

[snow_muncher]

Contrary to what a lot of naysayers believe, modern winter tyres are perfectly safe in summer and wont be worn down in 100 yards. When I was on holiday to a warmer country, about 1 in 4 cars had winter tyres on in the 35+ degree summer.

 

I had to highlight the above as someone will nodoubt say that 20 years ago their winter tyres fell to pieces pulling out their drive when the temperature was above 15 degrees.

 

You did use to pull all the little studs out 

 

Use my winters (Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme) without issue in 31+ degrees, to their full speed rating (W)

 

They don't heat up like summer tyres, so you cann't get any hot sticky rubber type friction out of them

[snow_muncher]

OP

 

Winter have to comply to summer safety standards, therefore are as legal as their summer counterpart (to the same speed/weight loading etc etc)

 

You might have to notify the insurance company about the type of wheel/alloy you've fitted, but not in theory the tyre (again, as long as to right speed/weight etc etc)

 

If you can only afford one type of tyre, using winters year round makes more sense if you live rurally in the uk, imho

 

Know lots of others who've come to the same conclusion

[Ootohere]

Your Insurance Company will expect you to have Tyres Suitable for the Load & Speed rating as given by the Vehicles Manufacturer.

 

(They may accept a lower Speed Rating when using Winter Tyres, but they may expect that to be in Winter Months,

They may expect that to be when Winter Fuel is Available in the UK, 15th Oct- March in Scotland.)

 

I run Winter tyres all year on a City Runabout and have for years now.

It only does town miles, or gets used in the rain because the winter tyres behave really well in the wet.

 

Just Fitted Cheap but good new Tyres to car i use more often/weekly and they are Marked M+S, these are all season tyres, but not Winter Compound.

I will be running them till my Winter/Snow tyres  need putting on, that might not be till January, but equally could be October.

 

Ask your Insurer,

but run tyres with the Correct Load/Speed rating for the vehicle.

 

george

[Brimma]

Who knows when winter ends and summer begins?

[Ootohere]

Exactly. Which is why i pointed that out in the post above yours.

(Maybe they might consider it to be within the period that Winter Grade Fuel is Available, maybe they will not, maybe they do not care.)

 

Also Cold Weather or Snow tyres have nothing to do with 'the season 'Winter', maybe only about Cold Conditions and Use.

We Had that in Scotland after official Metrologic Winter was Finished, we actually had Closed Roads because of Snow.

 

 

That is why you need to be sure the insurance company are OK if you have Winter/Cold Weather tyres on all year that are not to the Manufacturers Recommended Load/Speed Rating. (less than.)

 

Or fit Winter/Cold Weather tyres that do match, and use all year if you want.

Use them in any country you may choose to take that car there might be cold/ice or snow,if Insured for that country etc, as long as you meet there tyre requirement there..

 

george

[Kevsta]

Who knows when winter ends and summer begins?

 

The rain tends to be warmer in summer.

[The Zee]

Thanks everyone. As the tyres will cost more than the car is worth and it's low mileage I will leve them on all year (an see how they wear)

 

Thinking of getting Yokohama W Drives [V903] as they seem to get good write ups

 

Cheers

[Greybeard]

We have Michelin Alpin A4's on our 10 year old Punto runabout all year round. Usually does less than 4k miles per year so not worth keeping 2 sets wheels/tyres on the go. Hardly worn at all, handle & stop good enough for round town and OK in the wet at 25c for normal driving. As we only get to 31c every 10 years  or so I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it!

[The Zee]

We have Michelin Alpin A4's on our 10 year old Punto runabout all year round. Usually does less than 4k miles per year so not worth keeping 2 sets wheels/tyres on the go. Hardly worn at all, handle & stop good enough for round town and OK in the wet at 25c for normal driving. As we only get to 31c every 10 years  or so I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it!

I will give them a look, cheers

[Greybeard]

Out of interest, just got the Punto MOT'd and the winter tyres are listed on the MOT certificate as an advisory. Just states "winter tyres fitted all round".

Passed OK.

 

I guess if it was MOT'd in January instead of August there'd have been no mention.

[snow_muncher]

No, it just means the MOT'er is an ignorant muppet

[The Zee]

So why don't they say "summer tyes fitted all round" if MOT'ed in Feb and you have summer tyres fitted. Sounds a daft advisory to me.

 

They never "mud terrains" on the Landy.

[CitigoAllen]

You really do not need winter tyres in the UK (with the possible exception of the Scottish Highlands).  Winter before last we had no snow the whole winter.

[AVTUR]

You really do not need winter tyres in the UK (with the possible exception of the Scottish Highlands).  Winter before last we had no snow the whole winter.

Tend to disagree, we had some pretty hefty snow fall in rural Derbyshire last winter and many cars (mainly BMWs and cars with wide, low profile tyres) were left stranded due to lack of traction.

[CitigoAllen]

BMWs just can't drive in the snow.  Had no problems with normal tyres in my Getz or the Scenic last winter, nor did we with the Vectra SRi which we had the last winter with snow (10/11). 

[Huskoda]

Having driven 2wd and 4wd cars with and without winter tyres, I wouldn't ever be without them again. Given that they don't really cost anything over their life its a no brainer to me.

[CitigoAllen]

Having driven 2wd and 4wd cars with and without winter tyres, I wouldn't ever be without them again. Given that they don't really cost anything over their life its a no brainer to me.

How can they not cost anything?  These tyres are typically more expensive than normal tyres.  Then there is the issue of how do you egt them?  Have the perfectly goos 'summer' tyres removed?  Buy an extra set of wheels?  First option is a proble because how do you get the summer tyres re-fitted the next summer?  I don't know of a tyre place who will fit tyres they have not just supplied.  doption is very expensive, especially if your car should have alloys.  A lot of hassle that is not needed in a country that is unlucky to have more than a week of snow in a year.

[Huskoda]

Winter tyres are generally cheaper than summer tyres, especially if you have a smaller set of rims for them. The cost of smaller steels+tyres can be about the same as for a larger tyre alone, this is from personal experience. Then as you have 2 sets, you don't have to pay anyone to change anything. Winters in my experience do not wear any quicker than summers, especially in season, so there is no real cost to have 2 sets, other than storage. While one set is on your car, the other is not wearing.

 

I don't consider it a lot of hassle as I like that every 6 months I get to fully inspect my wheels. I have the full wheel change down to 35mins per car, with the aid of my beautiful assistant You also save the hassle that when it comes to change the tyres, you just give them the full set of wheels loose off your car so you are free to do it whenever is convenient, you don't have to wait around and you know some monkey hasn't airgunned the bolts into your hubs.

[Ootohere]

CitigoAli,

Is that Northern Ireland that is likely to have 1 week of snow a year.

 

If you do not need or want them, then there is no need to fit them.

If you do not need to travel in Winter Weather for any distance they could well be a waste of effort.

 

My area had 5 Cold Weather Triggers last Winter, that is forecast for or at e 0*C for 7 days. Only a few weeks snow on the ground though.

6 Triggers the year before,

& 10 weeks of Snow on the Ground, with 4 of those with no Black Top roads in town.

 

2010, 6 consecutive weeks below 0*C Day and Night between the end Oct-early December.

Snow on the ground until the December thaw.

Then more snow back early 2011.

 

Small place the UK, but with very different weather from South, East, West to the North.

& even only 50 miles distance can make a difference.

At different times some areas only a little North South or West were no go for other than 4x4's.

Snow tyres or winter tyres count for little if the vehicle can not clear the height of uncleared or treated roads.

 

george