my front (all season) tyres on my car are looking somewhat worn, and given its not too far from the winter season, i was thinking of replacing the fronts with winters a little early before swapping the back two. i didnt think it made sense to have two new summers on the front for a few month before having to swap again.
in case you're wondering why not just put two new all seasons on the front; well the reason for this is im fed up with them as they wear out too damn quick and not cheap.
that though got me thinking, could i actually have a mixture of all seasons on the back and just switch between summer/winter tyres on the front? the rear, for obviovs reasons do not wear out anywhere as quickly.
i suppose i could just rotate the all seasons back with fronts to get even wear but im not entirey happy with the traction in heavy snow so looking to change the season specific tyres.
Likely you will find winter tyres wear quickly in Summer; they do not like high temperatures. If you can keep your speed down then that will help tyre life
I think you will find that if you have an accident in summer, and your car is fitted with winter tires, you may have a struggle with your insurance company if the police report indicates that.
If the police think that inappropriate tyres are a casual factor in an accident then there might be an issue, but otherwise as long as they're all legal there's no problem.
And to be honest it's difficult to imagine a scenario where winter tyres in summer could cause an accident, so I don't think you should worry too much on that account.
But given that they also mention that the brakingdistance with winter tires in summer, dry conditions, is longer, why take the risk?
Again, how fast are the all seasons wearing out, is the wear even? Is the OP expecting too much traction from the allseasons in winter, or are they just crap allseasons?
Surely the opposite would be a problem — driving in winter with summer tyres? Winter tyres would provide extra grip in all seasons but will wear much quicker in summer, due to the heat of the road and the higher speeds usually experienced in the ice- and snow-free summer months. As long as they have the legal tread depth, winter tyres should be fine year-round.
Incidentally, I put my 4X4 SUV through the MFK inspection this month (August) with winter tyres fitted as I had barely used the car all year. The examiner didn't say a word about the tyres.
This article suggests a 15% differential in all-round performance between summer and winter tyres, in summer, and that winter tyres actually have less grip than summer tyres.
Yes, from the same tcs link above. Although it is legal to drive with summer tires in the winter, your insurance my not cover you fully:
I suspect that the same logic would apply the other way around.
I've done the MFK with winters on in early summer to. The inspector pointed it out, but didn't note anything down.
btw, if the vehicle in question has any form of active stability control system, I would strongly suggest that different compounds fore/aft would be a bad idea. I tried this on a Merc once, and it split arsed if I even thought "10% slip"
As we all know, winter tyres are not legally required in Switzerland, but where people may come unstuck is when they take a trip into Germany. There a ‘situational winter tyre obligation’ exists, meaning that tyres marked "M&S" (that's Mud & Snow, not where you bought the tyres ) must be fitted when conditions require them. Since that's somewhat woolly, the usual advice is to fit winter (or all-season, they qualify too) tyres from 1 November till Easter.
The OP would be OK from this standpoint if he does as he proposes.
Well, they would say that wouldn't they. If in doubt, ask your insurer. I asked mine and they were surprised I asked the question. "Of course your covered."
I think the whole thing is an urban myth so far as Switzerland is concerned. The article quoted is from a website which is " is a collaboration between public road and transport research organisations in the Nordic countries."
That's the article that I quoted, drawing attention to the performance difference between summer and winter tyres. That applies wherever the research was conducted. The article didn't say anything about the legality of winter tyres in Switzerland.
Fair enough, perhaps the insurance thing is an urban myth, and yes tire shops and garages do have a vested interest.
As to the difference between summer and winter tire performance in climactic conditions other than what they were designed for, that isn't a myth. The tires are (normally) the only point of contact between a moving vehicle and the road. One way to ensure that this remains the case is not to skrimp on tires.
What is the point of traction control, ABS, and all the other safety features that we seek in a car, if the 4 book sized surfaces where this all cashes out aren't as good as they can be? Even 5% longer braking distance with poor quality or wrong tires can be very expensive.
Braking distances are longer with poor driver training too - but there is little point in going on about that.
The vast majority of people get nowhere near the limits of their tyres under braking, acceleration or in the corners. Running a softer winter compound is more likely only going to impact their wallets than a tree, child or wall.