When should I switch to winter tyres

As we head into the winter season, it is important to consider changing to winter tyres (like you do your winter boots) for better control on the road in colder temperatures. But what are winter tyres, and how do you know if they are suited to your driving habits? Davanti Tyres is on hand to explain what makes a winter tyre best for the colder months and whether you and your car need it.

What are winter tyres?

Winter tyres offer enhanced performance in wet and wintry conditions, specifically designed to operate best at temperatures under 7°C. The easiest way to identify a winter tyre is to look for the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) and Mud & Snow (M+S) symbols on the sidewalls of your tyres.

For excellent braking and handling, enhanced water dispersion and stability in cold and icy conditions, winter tyres – such as the Davanti Tyres Wintoura – have specific design features, including:

• Two wide circumferential grooves with lateral and zig-zag cuts (known as sipes) to improve traction and lateral grip. In winter, they are excellent at dispersing water and increasing grip in icy and snowy conditions.
• A connected centre rib (the raised section of the tread pattern you see) provides assured steering response in all conditions.
• A flexible carcass construction provides a smooth, comfortable drive in tricky, wintry conditions.
• Angled tread block edges actively help reduce noise.

Winter tyres are researched and tested in the most severe conditions to ensure performance and reliability. For example, Davanti Tyres headed to the Arctic Circle to ensure its tyres could perform in the most demanding winter conditions.

And are winter tyres for me?

Designed for wintry conditions and temperatures under 7°C, in the UK, you’re most likely to require winter tyres if you live in an isolated area or face rugged terrains, where these conditions are more common and long-lasting. Not forgetting, it is important to consider in parts of the EU it is mandatory to have winter tyres fitted when the temperature falls below seven degrees – so keep any longer drives in mind, too.

If you’re likely to be facing less extreme conditions this winter but plenty of wet weather, all-season tyres are the more suitable option for you.

As the name suggests, all-season tyres are built to adapt to the changing weather and road conditions from season to season. Davanti’s Alltoura 4-Seasons, the all-season passenger tyre, is a great example, as it balances exceptional wet and dry grip performance, delivering an all-round strong cross-climate tyre that consistently performs and eliminates the need to change tyres

For more information on winter tyres, visit our winter product page