In Germany there is no obligation to put on summer tires.
However, you should not drive with winter tires in the warm months.
Kassel – Summer tires are not required by law in Germany.
From a purely legal point of view, you can drive with winter tires all year round.
However, you should still properly equip your car for summer temperatures.
For the environment, for your wallet and for your safety.
Winter tires are made of softer rubber than summer tires.
As a result, they remain elastic even at low temperatures and lie broadly on the road.
There are also numerous slats in the profile that improve grip on snow and ice.
Real winter tires can be recognized by the "Alpine symbol", a mountain and a snowflake.
All-weather tires are not suitable for every car.
They are marked with "M+S", but in Germany they can only be driven in snow until October 2024.
Why no winter tires in summer?
Changing tires saves fuel and protects the environment
Winter tires increase fuel consumption compared to summer tires.
It increases by up to 15 percent, writes
reifen-vor-ort.de
.
More contact with the road means more control and driving stability, but also more resistance.
If you are too lazy to change tires, you end up paying real money.
Winter tires wear out quickly, especially in summer.
Abrasion on asphalt increases significantly.
This abrasion rises as fine dust in the air.
The environment suffers and you have to buy new tires sooner.
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The right tires for the right season: Winter tires are not designed for high temperatures and should not be driven in summer.
© Gottfried Czepluch/Imago
Winter tires can be dangerous in summer: ADAC test shows "glaring weaknesses"
"In warm temperatures, real winter tires show weaknesses that can even become dangerous," warns the ADAC.
In a comparison test, winter tires cut "blatant weaknesses".
Three models were tested once at ten to 13 degrees Celsius and once at up to 35 degrees.
The result: the winter tires still brake acceptably on wet roads.
On dry roads, however, the braking distance was even up to 16 meters longer than with summer tires.
In the test, an emergency stop was made at a speed of 100 km/h.
Fuel gurgling in car history: 43.5 liters per 100 kilometers
Fuel gurgling in car history: 43.5 liters per 100 kilometers
Wear out old winter tires in summer?
ADAC strongly advises against it - "definitely change!"
Interesting: The more worn the winter tires were, the better their results on dry roads were.
Tires with a tread depth of less than four millimeters are no longer approved for winter use.
The braking distance in summer, on the other hand, was "only" five meters longer than with comparable summer tires.
Nevertheless, the ADAC explicitly advises against keeping old winter tires and "running them down" in summer.
All winter tires showed deficits in terms of driving stability.
The conclusion of the ADAC: "By all means change!"
When do I have to change my tires?
The law does not specify a period - in snow only with winter tires
Incidentally, winter tires are not compulsory in this sense.
The rule of thumb "O to O", from October to Easter, is only a guide.
In Germany, situational road traffic regulations (§2 (3a) StVO) apply instead.
In snow, ice, mud or frost, cars are only allowed on the road with winter tires.
In general, there are a number of myths about winter tires.
Violations will result in fines of between 60 and 80 euros, plus one point in Flensburg.
And should an accident happen with summer tires in winter, the insurance company can reduce benefits due to gross negligence.
Even in the case of an accident through no fault of your own, the liability insurance of the other party may be contributory.
List of rubrics: © Gottfried Czepluch/Imago