When you drive or plan to drive in winter conditions, you definitely need car tires that are winter approved. They will need to have the severe service emblem on the sidewall of the tires. All-season tires and tires that have the M+S marking are not to be used on snow, ice and slush.
Even before winter arrives, you will need to change tires on your car, as you don’t want to end up with the wrong tires when you have to get somewhere. All-season tires will not work, but if you live in an area where the winters are not so severe, you can often manage with all-weather tires. Tires that are approved for winter use have the right properties to get you safely through the winter, when driving on both snow and ice. It is a very convenient tire as you can drive all-year round with the same tire and never has to worry that you have the wrong tire mounted on your car. In a similar way you don’t have to worry about not getting the winter tires on early enough or that you changed to summer tires too early.
If the winter weather is severe enough during the winter, then you will probably have to get studded tires or non-studded tires that provide you excellent winter protection while you drive. These tires will give you the grip and control that you need while driving on snow, ice and slush. Studded tires will have better grip on ice, while on snow and slush, non-studded and the studded tires tend to be quite equal. Selecting the best winter tires for your area and for your vehicle might not be that easy, so reading independent tire tests conducted by car magazines will probably help.
For more information regarding winter approved car tires, visit: nokiantires.com