WHY WINTER TYRES ?
WHY WINTER TYRES ?
Choose safety: fit winter tyres when the cold season begins.
Roads are always less safe in winter than in summer: grip is much less on a snowy, icy or even wet road.
Also, summer tyres have characteristics that mean their performance deteriorates below 7°C. It is therefore advisable to fit your vehicle with winter tyres.
Winter tyres are specifically designed to drive in wintry conditions:
- on all types of surfaces: roads that are snowy, slightly to very icy, simply damp or very wet, in deep water but also cold and dry roads ...
- in all wintry atmospheric conditions: fine or heavy rain, damp or very dry and cold ...
- and at very low temperatures.
Winter tyres reduce the risk of aquaplaning due to their specific shape designed to displace the water underneath the tyre. They have much better grip and excellent driveability, thanks to greater tread depth than summer tyres.
The tread of a winter tyre also has many more sipes than a summer tyre, to grip snow better. Lastly, winter tyres are made of a special blend of rubber containing silica, which adapts to low temperatures and gives better braking.
Winter tyre pressures
Remember to inflate your tyres more in winter.
Tyre pressure decreases when the external temperature is low.
To compensate for this "low temperature" effect in winter, you need to add 0.2 bars (cold) to the normal operating pressure or the pressure specified for other uses of winter tyres.
Fitting all four wheels with winter tyres
For better control of your vehicle and increased safety, it is advisable to fit your vehicle with winter tyres all round.
Opt for four winter tyres.
Fitting only two winter tyres improves driveability, particularly when pulling away. But that is not enough to ensure good performance and optimum safety. It can even be dangerous:
A front-wheel-drive car fitted with winter tyres at the front only is unbalanced at the rear, and is more likely to spin.
A rear-wheel-drive car with winter tyres fitted at the rear only is unbalanced at the front, and risks going straight on at a bend.
Comparison of performances with 2 and 4 winter tyres
Comparison of performances with 2 and 4 winter tyres
|
Driveability |
Grip in bends |
Braking stability |
Effectiveness of braking |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
With 2 winter tyres on the drive axle |
++ |
- |
- |
+- |
|
With 4 winter tyres |
++ |
++ |
++ |
++ |
When to use chains
KLEBER tells you when to fit your chains and how to do it.
Compulsory in some ski stations, chains can be useful in very deep snow.
When buying them, ensure that they are suited to the bodywork of your vehicle and the tyre size.
Preferably choose chains with the maximum number of parts (links) in the contact area (chain with a diamond or ladder pattern having at least twelve crossbars for an average tyre).
It is useful to practise putting them on and removing them in the warmth and in full daylight. This is always easier than doing it for the first time in snow, cold and/or darkness!
Store them in the car in a place that is easily accessible, together with a pair of gloves and a torch, just in case ...
Never drive faster than 50 kph with chains.