Pleasant temperatures and not a trace of snow — When do I have to change my car tires?

Created: 04/11/2022 05:28

By: Victoria Krumbeck

Theoretically, the cold and dark season has started again, but in practice the weather looks different.

Finding a suitable time to change tires is difficult.

Munich — Some drivers are regularly faced with the question of when it is time to change their car tires again.

A simple rule provides guidance.

"From O to O", i.e. from Easter to October, it is recommended to drive with summer tires and October to Easter with winter tires.

But behind us lies an extremely warm October, which brought a late summer.

There is no trace of winter.

So when is the right time to change tires?

Winter tires despite high temperatures can be dangerous

Summer temperatures and winter tires are two things that contradict each other.

Anyone who changed their tires on time in October was probably surprised when the thermometer showed 25 degrees in the middle of the month.

Rightly so, because as the ADAC found out in a test, winter tires can be dangerous in summer.

Tire selection has a major impact on braking distance, as a tire comparison showed.

Winter tire with snowflake icon.

© Michael Taeger/IMAGO

At a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the braking distance with winter tires on a warm road can be up to 16 meters longer than with summer tyres.

The test also showed that the higher the tread depth and the outside and asphalt temperatures, the longer the braking distance was.

Especially newly purchased winter tires or tires that have not been used that often have a high tread depth.

This is important in ice and snow, but in summer it can have devastating consequences.

With winter tires, which only had a residual profile of 4 millimeters, the difference in braking distance was reduced to 5 meters.

But in an emergency, the braking distance was still too long.

Either way, the risk of an accident increases if you drive with winter tires in the summer.

Driving with winter tires on warm roads also promotes tire wear.

Situational winter tire obligation in Germany - fine of up to 100 euros

In Germany, there is a “situational winter tire obligation”.

According to § 2 paragraph 3a StVO, drivers are obliged to drive with winter tires on "black ice, snow, slush, ice or frost".

Single-track motor vehicles such as motorcycles or commercial vehicles used in agriculture and forestry are exempt from the obligation.

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According to the catalog of fines, you risk a fine of 60 euros and a point in Flensburg if you drive with tires that are not suitable for the weather conditions.

If there is also a disability, the fine increases to 80 euros, and if there is a risk to 100 euros.

Accordingly, summer tires are prohibited in wintry weather conditions.

The tires are adapted to high temperatures and can lose their grip on the road in wintry conditions.

Tire change: Pay attention to the weather forecast in autumn and spring

If you don't want to deal with changing tires, you can switch to all-weather tires - also known as all-season tires.

As the name suggests, these tires can be used all year round.

Make sure that the tires have an M+S label.

It is also important that the tires have the Alpine symbol.

Only then are the tires considered suitable for winter use.

Driving from O to O can provide orientation, but it should not be taken too seriously.

It is only a recommendation.

Because if you switch to winter tires too early, you risk a higher risk of an accident.

So if you don't want to take any risks, you should look at the weather forecast to find a suitable time for the change.