How to choose winter tyres: where to start

Every motorist approaches the choice of tyre their own way: some trust mostly incompetent sellers or advertising in its various forms, some read owners’ reviews online, some search for “independent” tests in various publications, some simply buy the priciest or the cheapest tyre.

Sadly, motorists who consciously choose a tyre that suits them, that is, one that takes account of their own individual conditions of use, remain in the minority. And, even sadder, the wrong choice of winter tyres, or a driver’s inadequate understanding of their characteristics, is often, if not the main cause, then one of the factors that make a road accident possible. And that is especially true precisely in winter.

That is largely because most motorists seriously underestimate how much a tyre affects road safety. On top of that, there are often mistaken stereotypes pushed by manufacturers in their advertising and by individual “experienced” motorists in various print and online publications, and on car forums.

To begin with, the first basic truth is that there is no such thing as an absolutely universal tyre! Every modern tyre is designed for certain conditions of use, and it is by no means only about the air temperature around the car! You need to understand and bear that in mind when choosing a tyre.

Straight away we can draw basic truth number 2: the more “universal” a tyre is, the worse its characteristics will be in any one specific set of conditions. Technology, of course, does not stand still, but nobody has yet invented a way to make a tyre whose characteristics do not change at all under different conditions of use.

And, most importantly, remember that no winter tyre, under any conditions (even the most favourable) and in any situation, can let you keep your summer driving style through the winter. You will have to accept that in winter your average speed will have to drop by at least 20%, and the distance to the car in front will have to at least double. What is more, if you like to dart nervously from lane to lane in a traffic jam, it is best to forget about that in winter, even though the gaps between cars in the flow of traffic get bigger.

But let’s take it all in order, without rushing.