France - winter tires/tyres required Nov. 1st

Transportation, Travel and Trips
21

Corsica is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean, and is rough even by Alpine standards. The GR20 hiking trail is notorious but ultimately fun (though I would not go there until COVID is well under control given that this involves plenty of huts).

https://www.explore-share.com/blog/h...-hiking-trail/

22
All mountain regions wil request the use of snow tyres on all cars from 1st of November. So if crossing the border, check if the area you are using will be included.

This will be the case for anyone crossing over at Ballaigues/Vallorbe from VD/FR to go shopping in Pontarlier, or for those crossing at Les Verrières from NE, BE, etc.

Border Guards will be checking, and Police too at impromptu check-points along the roads.

This is irrespective of the weather, and or ice/snow present.

23
Perhaps a quick remark that as per my understanding, one can also have snow chains in the car to satisfy the requirement (even with summer tires mounted - which definitely seems reasonable considering the abnormal temperatures!).

24
My goodness, my rule of thumb is to change to winter tires/tyres when the temperatures reach 6°.

While I won’t be driving into France over the next days I would hope they would apply some common sense.

25
Yes about snow chains- most people do not have any however.

The Law is the Law, and the French Police can be absolute pain in the proverbial when they want to. Yes, you'd hope they would show common sense, but ...

26
It’s actually dangerous to use winter tires in these temperatures.

27
Agreed, just stating the Law as it stands, as signs have been put up everywhere around here.

28
Most cars on the road now will not have summer tyres on. You might wait until temperatures drop/rise, but many people simply switch over October and April.

29
The problem with that is that once the temperature drops that low everybody rushes to change their tyres and it’s not so easy to get an appointment at the garage if you need them done by professionals.

That’s fine if you do them yourself at home.

We haven’t had ours done yet, we usually get them done mid November but our son had his changed this week as he drives up into the Jura where it is often significantly colder than here (although not at the moment) and he didn’t want to get caught out.

30

Same. We usually change ours by the second weekend in November at the latest. Need to look at booking that as temps by the end of next week are forecast to be between 3 and 11C.

31
Or tyre socks or using all season tyres. Frankly, for people living in low altitudes, not going up mountains often, it makes no sense using summer/winter tyres. All season tyres have made technological leaps over the last 7 years or so.

32
But are not legally approved by the new French Law. Only tyres with the 'snow mountain' logo will be accepted.

Correction, just checked. They will be tolerated until 1st of November 2024. After that, no longer.

(Jusqu’au 1er novembre 2024, les pneus neige uniquement marqués « M+S » seront tolérés.

Les pneus 4 saisons (4S, All Weather, All Season ) n’ont pas de définition réglementaire : pour être considérés comme pneus hiver, il faut qu’ils soient estampillés « 3PMSF », ou au minimum « M+S » jusqu'au 1er novembre 2024.)

33
Plenty of 3PMSF-rated all-season tyres to choose from.

https://www.michelin.ch/fr/auto/tyre...crossclimate-2

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/...ato-all-season

https://www.bridgestone.co.uk/our-pr...ntrol/a005-evo

And the list goes on... For some reason, all the French people I've talked with, believe that all-season tyres are worthless, even though Michelin manufactures probably the best all-season tyre that disrupted the whole all-season tyre market back in 2015.

34
Here https://www.odopass.fr/loi-montagne is a listing of the French Departments where some municipalities apply the law. (Click on the departments name to see the municipalities).

I believe all the departments bordering Switzerland are on the list.

It’s in French but language skills are not required. Geographic skills may be necessary.

35
You can tell it's autumn on EF as there is a winter tyre thread!

36
Ah lol yes. This time though, the French Police are making it necessary. Fines will be very expensive, and if you have an accident!

Despite this amazing Indian Summer and highest temps ever- as we are driving to the UK mid November- and returning early December- we just have to bit the bullet and get the tyres changed before.

37
Not dangerous, but the softer compound of winter tyres will wear down faster in warmer temperatures.

The tyre dealers would like us to use the old adage "Oktober bis Ostern (Easter)" for winter tyre use...

38
I only use my liitle Yaris 'runaround' locally, and I never bothered to change tyres at Easter. Same for the clock, so I am ready x 2, lol.

39
It will, but in warmer temperatures you will also get less responsive handling and longer braking distance in dry and wet tarmac vs the summer tyres.

40
From some Canadian site: