In certain parts of Europe, where winters are long and Santa Claus is part of the scenery, it's a legal requirement to change tyres depending on the time of year.
Not so in the UK, where we enjoy (somewhat?) mild winter conditions.
However, it's still never a bad idea to change between summer tyres and winter tyres at the appropriate times.
But what are the differences between summer and winter driving, and how will it affect your driving?
When to Use Summer Tyres?
A winter tyre is designed to perform best in temperatures below 7°c.
A summer tyre is designed to perform best in temperatures above 7°c.
In the UK, this means that you should generally try to switch between summer and winter tyres around Easter and October, as that's when average temperatures tend to shift.
Can I Use Summer Tyres All Year?
Yes, because using summer tyres all year isn't actually against the law.
However, we'd highly recommend that you don't.
That's because there's a few differences between summer and winter tyres which make summer tyres unsuitable for the colder months of the year, and vice versa.
The Tread Pattern is Different
Yep, so tread carefully!
You can tell summer tyres and winter tyres apart by looking out for a snowflake symbol on the sidewall.
But that's not the only tell-tale difference.
Summer tyres also make use of a different tread pattern which is shallower than that found on winter tyres.
Unlike summer tyres, winter tyres contain thousands of tiny grooves (known as 'sipes') in their tread blocks that are used to disperse water and stop aquaplaning. These grooves bite into slush, snow and ice, delivering an optimal grip with the road.
They're Made From Different Rubber Compounds
Summer tyres tend to be made with less natural rubber compound when compared with winter tyres, which means that they are not as 'soft'.
The stiffer summer tyres means that the firmness helps the tyres grip better in wet and dry roads in mild temperatures.
Risk of Cracking
The extra firmness of summer tyres can become a real Achilles heel though when temperatures drop below 7ºC, because the colder the temperature gets, the stiffer and more rigid the summer tyres become. This can cause summer tyres to split or to crack.
Summer Tyres Are Less Efficient On Snow
Sure, we don't get an awful lot of snow here in the UK, but we do get enough of it to make snow driving a real issue at times.
Problem is: summer tyres are great for dealing with the rain, but they're pretty useless when it comes to snow.
Ironically, snow is great for driving on snow, and winter tyres hold snow and slush by trapping it in tread blocks, creating added friction in the right conditions. Weird, right?
On the other hand, summer tyres struggle in snow-covered road surfaces by compacting the snow on impact, therefore making the contact area more slippery – and your drive more dangerous.
Tyre Design Affects Stopping Distances
Crucially, the difference in grip between summer and winter tyres means that driving with summer tyres in winter will increase your stopping distance and lead to shorter braking distances.
And in case you don't already know, stopping distance = the total distance you travel before you apply the brakes + the distance you travel whilst the brakes are slowing you down.
So if you're using summer tyres in winter and driving at 40km/h, you'd stop almost 20 metres longer than a car fitted with winter tyres.
In simple terms, your car will just take longer to stop, which is never a good thing . . .
All-Season Tyres
A nice compromise between summer tyres and winter tyres, and one that gets the best of both worlds.
Yep, all-season tyres do what it says on the tin, being designed to work in both warm and cold temperatures.
The catch is: they'll only offer an average, middle-of-the-road solution for driving in the two types of conditions.
At the end of the day, winter tyres will still be better for driving in winter, and summer tyres will still be better for driving in summer.
So for optimal performance, no matter how convenient all-weather tyres might be, we'd still recommend switching to the relevant type of tyre for the time of year.
Tyre Storage for Summer and Winter
It's an obvious point, but one that's easy to overlook.
Of course, both sets of tyres can be pretty big and cumbersome, so you'll need space to store the ones you've taken off and aren't driving with (which, unless you drive the Reliant Robin from Only Fools and Horses, is going to be 4).
A garage would come in handy here. Or, failing that, an attic or an out-of-the-way cupboard.
So if you live in a cardboard box or a dingy 1 room apartment in London (house prices, eh?), then you may be out of luck.
Summary
Yes, you can use summer tyres in winter, as we live in a relatively mild climate where you can get away with using them all year long. However, it's still not as effective as using winter tyres or all-weather tyres.
So never a bad investment to consider!
FAQs
Is it safe to use summer tyres in winter?
Yes, but it's obviously not as safe as using winter tyres. Whilst they are passable, they obviously weren't designed specifically for winter and are better optimised for summer temperatures. It is therefore more wise to stick with winter tyres in winter, or at least all-weather tyres.
Do I need all-season tyres in the UK?
No, but using all-season tyres the whole year round is still not a bad way to go. The UK has relatively mild winters and winter tyres are not a legal requirement seeing as we don't use snow ploughs or chains to clear our reads each year. So if you wanted, you could use summer tyres or winter tyres for the whole year.
Can I use summer tires all year?
If you live in a climate like that of the UK which doesn't really experience any weather that's too extreme, then yes, summer and winter tyres can be used all year. However, it's still not as ideal as using the proper tyres for the season.