What's the difference between summer and winter tyres?

Whether it’s to go skiing or on a business trip, anyone who has ever travelled to northern European countries such as Germany, Austria or anywhere in Scandinavia during the winter and has driven a car while they were out there, will probably know all about winter tyres.

For the rest of us, you may never have driven on winter tyres and even less likely that you've considered changing your normal summer tyres to winter tyres as the cold months approach.  After all, in the past few years we haven’t had too much snow in the UK - with the exception of some areas of high elevation and remote parts of Scotland. So why should you even give winter tyres a second thought?

In our latest tyre safety advice article we’ll not only explain what winter tyres are and how they’re different to summer tyres, we’ll also blow apart one huge myth about them too.

Summer tyres, winter tyres – what’s the difference?

Some of the differences between summer tyres and winter tyres are clear to see if you know what you’re looking for. Take a look at these Continental tyre treads; notice how on the winter tyre to the right, the tread cuts into the tyre in curved chevron patterns, while in contrast the summer tyre on the left has a more orbital tread? Once you start looking closely, the differences become much clearer, with another being that winter tyres also appear to be chunkier.

While tyre treads are clearly important, it’s the less obvious, invisible difference that really matters. In fact winter and summer tyres are made from different rubber compounds, with each compound designed, developed and manufactured to adapt to and work effectively in very different driving conditions.

'Unlucky seven' for some

After a long and mostly warm summer, it’s hard to think about what 7°C feels like, but this temperature is incredibly significant when it comes to tyres, and how they perform.

Comparison performance of summer, winter and all-season tyres in a variety of weather and driving conditions.  

Your summer tyres are much safer when it’s warm

Why? Because summer tyres are made with compounds which are specifically designed for use in temperatures above 7°C. However, if you use them below this temperature – which most drivers do – they quickly harden. As a result, their driving properties diminish rapidly.

Using winter tyres is much safer when it’s cold

It’s the other way around for winter tyres if you were to use them in summer. This is because winter tyres are designed for use in temperatures below 7°C. In summer it’s typically too warm, so they heat up too fast, and this significantly impacts their rate of wear. More importantly for driver safety, they’re also not as effective at braking in warm summer weather conditions. It’s the reason why premium tyre manufacturers like Continental invest so much money in researching and developing tyre compounds for dedicated winter tyres. The result of this investment is winter tyres designed to deliver optimum performance in cold weather conditions, and summer tyres that perform at their best throughout the rest of the year.

Busting the myth that winter tyres are for driving on snow

When you think about it properly, it suddenly makes sense. Snow is not the main reason why millions of drivers across northern Europe change to winter tyres every year. Sure, while in some instances they might get more of it, it doesn’t snow continuously from October to March in Holland, Germany, or Belgium either.

Want to learn more? Speak with our tyre experts

If you would like to hear expert advice on the benefits of winter tyres, and which ones are best for your car, SUV or 4x4, speak to a Kwik Fit tyre professional now. We offer impartial, expert advice, fitting services and tyre storage options. You can locate your nearest Kwik Fit centre here.