People in North America are way too often taken by surprise by snow or snowstorms, which then creates havoc in the traffic. In Europe, more and more countries are moving away from accepting M+S marked tires for being used in snow conditions. They need to have the severe service emblem, also known as the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol be allowed during wintertime. The M+S symbol is no longer deemed enough to handle real winter weather. With M+S, you can handle sleet and slush, but not snow and ice.
Tires with the 3PMSF symbol have been developed for winter conditions and have passed tests to ensure that they fulfill winter driving requirements. So when you select a tire for the winter season, make sure that you select one tested and approved. If you are not planning to change between seasons and maybe the winters are more sporadic, select an all-weather tire to serve you all year round.
The beauty of having all-weather tires mounted on your vehicle is that you can drive every day regardless of the weather that you will face. You don’t have to check the weather forecast to see if you can drive the next day, and you don’t have to worry anymore regarding incoming snowstorms. I would recommend these tires for people who live in areas that only have occasional winters or not so severe winters. If you have real winters, it is always preferred to change to proper winter tires and use all-season tires or all-weather tires when you are not using winter tires. This will provide you with the best grip and control in the challenging conditions that winter brings with it.
Snow and ice will be challenging for all vehicles and for all tires that are not designed and approved for winter conditions. The main reason is that tires that are not designed for winters will often not handle the low temperatures. The rubber compound used will turn hard as the temperatures decreases and goes to temperatures outside the intended use. This tends to be below the freezing point for tires not indicated for winter use. This is why it is dangerous to drive with other tires, despite having a big truck or SUV with big rugged tires. These rugged tires will be great for grip off-road, in rough terrain, but if they become hard, they will not have much grip on ice. Driving with hard tires will make a heavy vehicle even more dangerous as it might skid down a sloping road.
Make a safe decision; if you are not going to buy winter tires, make sure that you equip your vehicle with proper tires to handle the conditions you expect to face. All-weather tires will be good tires for year-round use and will keep you safe regardless of weather conditions. For an increased safety in areas where you have a real winter season, you should then choose dedicated winter tires and pair them with all-season tires.
For more information regarding winter approved all-weather tires for winter use, visit: https://www.nokiantires.com/
