1) Is is mandatory to use winter tyres during the winter months? [I'm currently running 'all-season' tyres]
2) Is is mandatory to carry snow chains in the car during winter?
3) Any other winter driving regulations that are worth knowing about?
Thanks in advance!
Tom
BTW, all seasons are terrible. buy a set of summers and a set of winters. you'll only wear the tyres currently on the car so it doesn't cost any more.
not mandatory, as pointed out but much more suitable in this weather, safer and likely to not upset your insurer.
it is worth mentioning that some neighbouring countries and regions mandate winter tyres.
Information explained in very clear terms by TCS in each of the national languages
No, but in steep roads in the mountains covered with snow, specially if there's a schneeketten obligatorisch sign. So far I've only seen this on Graubunden up in the hills https://www.tcs.ch/de/testberichte-r...igatorisch.php
I do see the use for them when driving to the mountains that are much higher, but just for normal driving on the streets and highways? I do it, of course, to protect myself on the insurance side and the fact that they don't plow the roads as frequently as they should. Seems more an attitude of "it's snowing? Stay home."
What causes accidents in the snow, especially the first snow of the season, is people forgetting how to drive in snowy conditions and continuing to think they can go as fast and drive the same as in normal weather. Even with the best winter tyres or four wheel drive, the laws of physics don't care.
Winter tyres definitely have more grip in snow, which means that although you still have to drive appropriately for the conditions you have more friction range to do that and can give yourself more safety margin while still maintaining a decent speed etc.
I could stay on summer tyres, did it the first year I was here, and got fed up of driving around like an old granny or a duck on ice. Second year with winter tyres was a revelation in freedom and stress reduction.
Yeah, it was a bit of hyperbole but the basic tenet rings true that you cannot drive the same in snow (or rain) as you do in dry, sunny weather. It does amaze me that people seem to forget this each year.
Also, if we're being pedantic, summer tyres are not the same as all-season tyres I've driven on fresh snow, packed snow, wet snow, dry snow and during heavy snow storms with all-season tyres and never had an issue.
Driving with summer tires/tyres in temperatures below 4C are going to cause you grief. Guaranteed
Note they are Winter tyres/tires, not Snow tires/tyres.
I feel these wheel ideas just keep going around in circles.
Anyway, it's not news to me, but compared with either of our 'sporty' awd cars with proper winter tyres the grip available is appalling, so I pussy-footed my way down, not helped by quite dense fog at times as well. I've quite a bit of experience with these, and although the LR will get out of anything with its high ground clearance and lockable diff, for normal road driving on those tyres it leaves a lot to be desired.
It's been discussed here many times, but for anyone thinking that all-season tyres are sufficient - please stay away from the snowy mountain roads, as I really don't want to meet you on the road.
Yes, I was meaning to do so, but my time is short and a simple search returns far too many threads to read each in turn. If you could help by finding all the related threads and send them by PM I'll get onto it. Ta.
Well said on the 4WD; those drivers are often the worse culprits!
One thing I forgot to mention in my comments on driving with all-season tyres was that during the winter the temperatures would often be below 4C with a drop sometimes to -18C.
In very slippy conditions ABS is less effective on undriven wheels, they don't have enough friction to keep them moving so they stall even though the brakes haven't really locked.
4WD will keep enough motion to prevent this on all four wheels. Which is also why you shouldn't press the clutch (at least initially) when braking on ice with ABS.
It is also definitely worth going for an hour on a skid pan; obviously it's good fun but it pretty quickly teaches how vehicles behave in these situations. A nice big private car park covered in snow can do the same, in your own car...
I don't understand why people buy pricey and capable vehicles and then skimp on tyres. It's pretty much the most important part of the car that is under your control to change.
In the German speaking part of the country, you can also demonstrate expert knowledge by casually mentioning "O bis O" in conversations
The level of grip from a modern winter tyre is beyond belief. I'm speaking from the experience of being a rally driver well used working with minor improvements to grip from tyres on gravel, snow and tarmac. (and sand!).