Winter tyres
Winter Tyres
Specialist winter tyres are designed to keep you safe in freezing temperatures, ice and snow. They benefit from specialist tread designs & advanced rubber compounds providing reliable grip when temperatures drop below 7 degrees celsius.
Grip on icy roads
Winter tyres are made using specialist rubber compounds that contain higher amounts of silica & natural rubber. This means they stay softer & more flexible in freezing temperatures, giving you more grip on the roads.
Traction in snow
Winter tyres have a tread design which has “sipes” seen as small cuts in the tread blocks of the tyre. These work by collecting small amounts of snow & ice particles which actually helps you stick to the road.
Safer in freezing conditions
When temperatures drop below 7 degrees Celsius, standard summer tyres harden & so provide less grip. Winter tyres stay flexible in cold conditions, providing consistent handling and keeping you safer on the roads.
When to fit winter tyres
We always recommend fitting winter tyres when temperatures start to drop below 7 degrees Celsius. This is usually somewhere between October and November but varies slightly each year. Winter tyres are safe to use if the weather gets milder however if you have them fitted you’ll be well prepared for any sudden frosts or snowfall. Most drivers tend to swap onto their summer tyres in the spring, after the last frost.
Some drivers worry about where to put an extra set of tyres, which is why we offer a tyre hotel service, which costs just £15 per year for a full set of tyres. This ensures your tyres are stored safely & correctly in a secure environment ready for fitting in the spring time when we’ll put your winter tyres into storage.
How to identify winter tyres
If you’re not a tyre expert, the easiest way to identify a winter tyre is to look for the winter tyre snowflake symbol, which will be imprinted in the rubber of the sidewall of your tyre.
This symbol identifies winter tyres according to UNECE regulations (valid in the EU and various other countries) and the tyre regulations of the USA and Canada. This symbol shows the tyre is proven by objective tests to meet or exceed defined limits set for winter tyres. Tyres with this symbol provide high performance in terms of safety and control on snow, on icy roads, and in general at low temperatures.
How much do winter tyres cost
Winter tyres vary in price depending on the brand, size and what vehicle they’re for. They tend to cost a little more than standard summer tyres due to the specialist compounds used and additional tyre technology.
There’s no doubt that having a set of winter & summer tyres is an investment, however the large majority of drivers who fit winter tyres find it’s one worth making. If you’re reliant on your car throughout the colder months & perhaps live in a rural area which is severely affected by snow & ice, buying winter tyres could be one of the best decisions you could make.
TYRE HOTEL
Check your summer tyres into our tyre hotel for safe, affordable storage.
- £15 per set per year
- Safe, secure storage
Buy winter tyres
If you’d like a quote on winter tyres for your vehicle simply enter your registration number below. Look out for the snowflake symbol that indicate specialist winter tyres or filter your tyre search by selecting “features – winter tyres”