The bill on winter and summer tires has been discussed in Russia for quite some time. And so it happened. In 2016, a law was passed and enacted throughout the country that obliges drivers to use winter tires (in special cases, all-weather) in their cold season. There is an opinion: as soon as November comes, rolling out on a “non-cross-linked” car is fraught: dangerous, and the traffic police are on the alert. Carries out raids, fines negligent. How are things really? When should I change a car for the winter?
Roses should be spiked
Let's look at paragraph 5.5 of Appendix No. 8 of those. the regulations of the Customs Union, which defines the cornerstone requirements under which the operation of wheeled vehicles (TS) is as safe as possible for the owners and others. About the mandatory replacement in November there is not a word.
But it’s clearly stated: June, July and August are the times when our “swallows” cannot ride on tires with anti-skid spikes. In December, January, February it is prescribed to "wear" winter tires. So there is no doubt whether to change the car for the winter.
Pay attention to local specialties. Climatic conditions are different everywhere. Regional bodies of executive power of the states of the Common Economic Space are entitled, if necessary, to postpone the ban.
With plus or minus?
Drivers, at least for beginners (and pedantic), like air need a hint as to when to change the car for the winter. Does the law define clear signs that signal to car owners that the time has come? What exactly is oriented in such an important matter as a timely change of protectors?
It is believed that it is important to monitor the air temperature. As a rule, when the column of the thermometer outside the window during the day does not rise above the + 5-7 ° C mark, frosts already occur at night. Roads can be covered with a thin crust of ice, which is equivalent to winter conditions, even if it is far from the calendar December.
However, too early “shoe changing” does not go in the future. At + 10 ° and higher, winter tires rubber, heating up from warm asphalt (and just under the sun), becomes soft, quickly erases. Proper temperature orientation ensures long-term safety of expensive wheels.
Again a blizzard, and the owner toils: how to be?
There is another statement: when deciding when to change a car for the winter, look at the condition of the roads that you regularly plow on your four-wheeled horse. Transport in megacities is simpler: has asphalt freed itself from snow and ice? Winter tires can be folded neatly in the garage.
But the townspeople among the owners of the vehicle, as a rule, are few. Most motorists drive not only along the smooth Avenue of Enthusiasts, but also along the unpaved country roads. Then it is better to change tires later. Actually, this is for the better: winter tires allow you to more confidently move into off-season thaw.
Think: an early descent of the white cover is not yet evening for winter. It happens, followed by romantic snowfalls, and even heavy snowstorms. How is it among the people: "March came - do not remove the tangle"? That is, reliable tires ... Yes, braking on winter tires on dry asphalt is not an ice. But this is better than riding in the snow in the summer.
Better to be safe
It is simply amazing how many people have approaches to the question of when to change shoes for winter tires! Some are pulled before the onset of stable minus indicators (- 5, - 7), only then they begin to act. In this case, many find themselves in a situation where they have to move to the tire workers in the snow. Faced with the undesirable consequences of being late, in the spring they are in no hurry to remove winter tires.
Fearing the return of a blizzard, powder and frost, they reason like this: let the rubber erase better than we will again be “cows” on ice. This category of motorists is waiting for a steady plus six, plus seven. In their opinion, summer tires are still not relevant below this temperature limit: adhesion to asphalt is not that.
Braking is worse, even if the asphalt is light, dry. The substance from which summer treads are made, when lowering the thermometer column is not able to maintain softness, becomes a hard "plastic". The followers of this theory do not risk; they change the “winter” to the “summer” with the onset of +7 degrees.
Unisex style is not relevant
Among theoreticians there are also those who consider: the most elastic, and therefore less damaged, rubber in the temperature corridor from +10 to +25 degrees. Just what you need when sorting (removing the bus from the disk and installing the right one). They are sure: with a minus (even if the indicator is slightly below 0 degrees ), any operations with rubber are not recommended. By analogy, a reverse replacement is performed.
It is important not only to decide when to put winter tires. How to choose it correctly is no less complicated thing. Here, too, there is a sea of ​​opinions and approaches. In an age of universal access to information, it is sometimes difficult to understand where the truth is, and whether it exists at all.
Fans of objects of various applications do not want to believe that universal rubber does not exist. There are tires for specific operating conditions. As for multifunctionality, it must be remembered: the higher the level of universality of rubber, the lower its ability to maneuver under certain weather conditions.
But technology is evolving. It is possible that there will be a basis for tires, which will adapt to any season. And the question of when to change the car for the winter will disappear by itself. In the meantime, it remains to act carefully, taking into account the climatic situation and the condition of the road. It seems that no sensible driver will fly on a snowy highway with wind speed only on the basis that his car has winter treads.
Rubber is different
The average vehicle speed in winter should be reduced by about twenty percent. No need to make drastic rebuilding, trying to slip into the gaps of the flow of cars, endangering yourself and other participants in the movement.
Let's continue. To understand when you need to change a car for the winter, it is worth clarifying how winter tires differ from summer tires. The first thing that attracts attention is the tread pattern. Anti-slip "footwear" more massive, embossed. It is made of a base that is resistant to low temperatures: tires retain the desired properties, do not become brittle, like summer ones. The chemical composition of tires is very important!
Standard rules: winter tires are operated at temperatures above +5 ° C. The summer hardens when approaching the zero mark of the thermometer, increasing the risk of drifts even on a comfortable road. In a typical puncture situation, rupture of the wheel is not excluded. All-season protectors are stable in the range from -5 ° to +10 ° .
Sailing increased
When discussing when to change a car for the winter, you can hear that cars with all-wheel drive in the winter are just that! They guarantee safety, not just the front and rear wheel drive "iron brothers." However, the beast car accelerates only faster. Braking under similar circumstances shows: no difference.
A car with an increased distance between the supporting surface and the lowest point of the central part of the car (clearance) is unstable on a road resembling a skating rink (aerodynamics are worse, windage is increased). The SUV is designed for pits and humps, but not for open spaces dressed in ice. High inertness is noted.
Advantages are observed only when overcoming spaces covered with loose snow. Doubled caution while driving is relevant anyway. Winter tires for a jeep required! Tires Beginners often mistake their SUVs for all-season. That's because in the summer and winter versions they look thoroughly.
Thrift inappropriate
Many motorists believe that winter tires are needed so as not to slip on an icy road and it is easier to brake. Therefore, having decided when to change the car for the winter, some drivers decide: the "change of shoes" of only the driving wheels is enough. Others in cars with rear-wheel drive “dress up” all four wheels, and on the front-wheel drive - only two. Wrong approach.
Winter tires not only pull the car out of the snow or deftly stop it in front of a red traffic light. They equalize the centrifugal force in a bend when the weight of the machine cannot cope with this task. In this sense, the timely rearrangement of the wheels cannot be overestimated.
The owner, selectively replacing the front-wheel drive tires, runs the risk of falling into a skid even at low speed. In this situation, it is more difficult to remove the vehicle from a dangerous situation than with rear-wheel drive. On the number of winter tires: experts believe that there should be five of them (a winter spare is a plus).
Variety is not good
It would seem understandable: you need to be responsible and not violate the requirements of safe movement. And still there are people who in every possible way evade the tedious procedure, even knowing when to change the tires for winter. It is necessary to change cars for the winter. Although in 2016-2017, a fine for summer tires flickering during the cold season is not provided. But should everything rest solely on punitive sanctions? After all, the road is a place where sometimes the price of the issue is life.
And a little more about the tires. SDA provide that they are the same on the same axis. If the car is single-drive, this option is still somehow acceptable. And then, provided that the driver understands: the braking forces on the axles with a variegated pattern are different. As a rule, this does not affect braking, but the danger of drifts increases.
All-wheel drive cars require tires that are identical in model, pattern, height, wear. The wheels in this design are not only active in cornering or braking. Violation of the originally laid down requirements for the balance is fraught with grave consequences even in simple traffic situations. Be carefull!