Winter Tires in Summer: Should You?

Hello!

You probably know the situation.
At the end of winter, you check your winter tires and realize they won't last for another season! Then I had the idea to run the winter tires until they are completely worn out in the summer, because they still have the minimum tread depth required (at least this is the case in Austria) - thus, I could save myself the cost of buying new summer tires!

My questions about this are:

"To what extent can a deterioration in driving/braking characteristics be expected due to the softer rubber compound? I mainly drive in the evenings and early mornings, so I shouldn't encounter temperatures above +20 degrees..."

2.) Could this cause problems with the comprehensive insurance coverage?

Thank you for your active and helpful support!

Okay, so for "Ö", Google finds this here:
http://www.tripple.net/contator/auto/info.asp?nnr=17034

Quote:

At 20 degrees Celsius, on a dry road surface, and at a speed of 100 km/h, the braking distance is reduced by five meters with summer tires.

For D, this:
http://www.pro-winterreifen.de/faq_winterreifen.htm

Quote:

§ 36 (1) of the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVZO) states: "When using M+S tires (winter tires), the speed requirement is also considered met if the maximum permissible speed for the M+S tires is lower than the vehicle's design maximum speed, however..." 1. which clearly indicates the maximum speed permitted for M+S tires within the driver's field of vision. "2. that the maximum speed permitted for M+S tires is not exceeded during operation."

"Last year, I drove my winter tires during the summer; the handling in wet conditions is worse – although I have the standard tire size ('narrow', 195), and it works okay with that."
The insurance company (IMHO, I am not a lawyer!) probably cannot generally object to this, as there is no legal basis for doing so. *However*, if something happens – and an expert determines that the accident could have been avoided with a shorter braking distance – then there will certainly be a higher "percentage of fault," I think.
An interesting question is this (in Germany): The Road Traffic Act now includes something about "equipment adapted to the weather conditions." Could that be interpreted as meaning "no winter tires in summer," or (even though it was probably intended otherwise)?

pschaefer wrote:

With a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, a dry road surface, and a speed of 100 km/h, the braking distance is reduced by five meters when using summer tires.

Just five meters more braking distance is, for me, perfectly acceptable when combined with a proactive driving style .

The 350 euros will probably be saved .

With a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, a dry road surface, and a speed of 100 km/h, the braking distance is reduced by five meters when using summer tires.

Just five meters more braking distance is, for me, quite acceptable when combined with a proactive driving style .

The 350 euros will probably be saved .

Considering that a difference of just 5 meters can, in extreme cases, mean the difference between a serious rear-end collision and barely avoiding one, those 5 meters are significant – more than the length of a car!

A mere five meters more braking distance is, for me, perfectly acceptable when combined with a proactive driving style .

The 350 euros will probably be saved .

Hello Fulda,

I think pschaefer has said it all! A braking distance of 5 meters is not insignificant (almost the length of a car!).

Even with careful driving, a child could unexpectedly run in front of your car...

I certainly don't want to be blamed for stopping 5 meters earlier if I had used new summer tires .

Just for the sake of a simple calculation:
You're probably not saving €350, but at most the amount equivalent to the unused tread on your summer tires during the time you use your winter tires. I estimate that would be around €50-€70.

Besides, winter tires (the ones with the black steel rims) look absolutely awful, but that's just a side note .

Best regards,
K. Oldewurtel

Hi,

Quote:

An interesting question is this (in Germany): The Road Traffic Act now includes something about "equipment adapted to the weather." Could that be interpreted as meaning "no winter tires in summer," or (even though it was probably intended otherwise)?

I've often wondered about this myself. It's not just that winter tires brake worse at 20 degrees Celsius; the theory that "below 7 degrees, winter tires are better even without snow and ice" isn't 100% valid either, and has been disproven in various tests. Therefore, it's questionable whether it's justified to penalize someone more severely who doesn't quite manage to stop in time with their summer tires on snow, compared to someone who can't do it with winter tires at 5 degrees Celsius on a wet road (or even at 15 degrees... which certainly happens during the winter tire season). A strict interpretation of the rule would mean having to put on the appropriate tires before every trip...

Best regards,

Jan.

oldewurtel wrote:

Even with careful driving, a child could unexpectedly run in front of your car...

You can't completely prevent something like that, even with new tires and driving at 30 km/h... In situations like this, it's especially important to consider the legal implications, so I have already contacted a lawyer.

oldewurtel wrote:

Just for the sake of a simple calculation: You're probably not saving €350, but at most the amount equivalent to the unused tread on your summer tires during the time you use your winter tires. I estimate that would be around €50-€70.

I'm a commuter, and I go through a set of tires every season.

oldewurtel wrote:

Besides, winter tires (the ones with the black steel rims) look absolutely awful, but that's just a side note .

As Ulf once said: It's better to have quick cutting discs that can be repurchased at any time when needed, than powerful and fuel-consuming rollers, which would be extremely counterproductive, especially for commuting .

I don't believe that it is actually a safety issue to completely wear out winter tires.
When examining why winter tires have a longer braking distance, the explanation lies in the fact that, due to the deformation of the individual tread blocks (which a winter tire has because of its numerous sipes), winter tires exhibit poorer braking performance. However, when a winter tire is worn down for winter conditions (to 8-4mm), the height of the tread blocks is halved, which also reduces their flexibility during braking.
The rubber compound is also not entirely unimportant. However, when choosing winter tires, I would opt for one that offers very good braking performance on dry roads.
Soon it will be spring, and maybe then some people will be able to do a small brake comparison test.

Another aspect to consider is that for those who use a set of tires for more than one season, winter tires that have been driven for two winters and are down to approximately 4mm of tread are significantly harder than new winter tires with 8mm of tread. The 'soft' rubber compound is only achieved through plasticizers in the rubber, which evaporate over time. That's why you rarely find tires with a DOT number more than one year old at reputable tire dealers – not because they don't sell enough, but also because there are legal regulations regarding this (in Austria).

I can't quite understand the claim about the longer braking distance by 5 meters (at least not from my own experience), but I also always use 'old' winter tires in the summer.

Regarding optics... there are many people who also have beautiful alloy wheels in the winter, even though the size is probably smaller in the winter for most people than it is in the summer.
225/50/16 for summer tires (if there are no winter tires available).
195/65/15 tires for winter use - both mounted on Audi alloy wheels.
Best regards,
Martin

Dear Mr. ,

Regarding your inquiry, I would like to inform you that this is solely a legal matter.
There are absolutely no concerns about using winter tires in the summer!

Best regards from the club.

Legal Department, East Graz.
ÖAMTC Styria.

The €350 will be ->

Hi,

I would strongly advise against anyone attempting a full emergency stop without ABS and with winter tires on asphalt that is at a summer temperature of 32°C (90°F).

Summer tires don't brake poorly in the winter because a lot of rubber is worn off; they brake poorly *because* a lot of rubber is worn off.

I'm definitely never using winter tires in the summer again!

Regards,
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Micha"