2024-01-03
Do you need to change winter tires in winter?
Car tires are like shoes worn on human feet, carrying the car forward at the same time, directly affecting the safety and performance of the car.
The deep winter has arrived, while we have changed ourselves into more warm shoes and boots, let's also pay attention to the consumables that directly affect the safety and handling performance of the car - tires.
Many friends asked Xiao Bang, should we change the winter tire now?
Next, Xiaobang will give you an analysis.
First of all, let's look at the difference between different tires.
Summer tires | four seasons | winter tires
Generally suitable for family car tires are mainly divided into summer tires, four seasons tires and winter tires.
Summer tires are actually what people call ordinary tires, suitable for use in areas with higher temperatures throughout the year, the surface pattern of this tire is very shallow, and the guide trough is deep, which can ensure the stability and good handling in areas with higher temperatures.
The four-season tire is common in off-road vehicles and SUV models, the tire surface pattern is larger and deeper, the friction is better at room temperature, the tire noise is slightly larger, the main purpose is to design through the performance, can be used in a very broad climate conditions.
The winter tire is designed for use in low temperature climate conditions, many winter tires have a snowflake logo, it has a special texture and tread, tread cross Z-shaped knife groove pattern technology, not only improve the snow and ice braking performance, but also shorten the braking distance of low adhesion road. At present, many cars that prefer to control attributes will be standard with summer tires, and many urban SUVs are standard with ordinary four-season tires, and there is no corresponding mandatory requirement for the use of winter tires.
Winter tyres VS snow tyres
In view of the popularity of winter tires in the country is not very high, and there is no relevant regulations to force the use of may be a problem that many people struggle with before is what is the difference between winter tires and snow tires, then here again comb
Winter tires and snow tires are actually different, winter tires refer to the temperature below 7 ° C suitable tires, its rubber formula is much softer than the four seasons tires, can maintain good elasticity in the low temperature environment, its countertop pattern groove is relatively deep, can provide a strong grip and anti-slip.
The snow tire usually refers to the products used for snow roads, in fact, it can also be understood as the commonly known nail tire, which is studded in the rubber block can deal with the ground with lower adhesion.
Winter tires VS four season tires
The difference between winter tires and four seasons is even greater, and the main difference comes from the design of the formula and pattern. First of all, the plasticity of winter tire rubber plays a decisive role in the grip, when in contact with the road surface, the rubber of the winter tire with silicon and other elements is deformed into the protruding of the road surface to provide a reaction force, such a reaction force can account for 80% to 90% of the tire grip.
In addition, the pattern design, compared with the four seasons tires, the number of tread blocks of winter tires increased by 15%, so that the wheel can have a better grip on the ground when rolling over the snow and ice pavement. Winter tires have a denser, finer pattern, and those grooves greatly improve the vehicle's performance on icy roads.
But as mentioned earlier, if the tire is too soft, then excessive deformation will make stability difficult to ensure. Therefore, most of the winter tires will improve the rigidity through the structure of the tread block, and the Z-shaped grooving throughout the tread block is designed for this purpose. During the turning and braking process of the vehicle, each tread block can use the deformation of the rubber to obtain the grip. At the same time, the internal structure makes the tread block more stable.
In some countries in Europe, the use of winter tires has risen to laws and regulations, according to different national conditions and the environment, some countries stipulate that winter tires must be used within a fixed date range, for example, Sweden's regulations require that from December 1 of each year to March 31 of the following year, owners need to install winter tires for vehicles. Swiss regulations are more interesting, in the event of a crash, the party who did not use winter tires may be primarily responsible. Of course, there is no such regulation in our country, so it all depends on self-consciousness.
Do you need to replace winter tires in winter
Xiaobang introduced in the previous article, winter tires are suitable for tires below 7 ° C, then, as long as the temperature of the vehicle is less than 7 ° C, you need to change the winter tires?
Not necessarily, because it depends on the road conditions. If there is snow or ice on the road, the low adhesion is easy to make the stiff summer tires and four seasons tires lose grip, and at this time, the winter tires that are more resistant to low temperatures and full of friction blocks can greatly enhance the stability and safety of the driving.
If the dry asphalt surface below 7 ° C, the acceleration and braking performance of the winter tire is not as good as the four seasons tire, while the fuel consumption will increase, so whether to change the winter tire can not only depend on the temperature of the car area, but also combined with the specific car environment. For example, in northern regions, winter tires should be used for snow and icy roads that are common in winter.
Matters needing attention
Winter tires need to be replaced by four, and some owners think that as long as the driving wheel is replaced by two, but the different grip of the front and rear wheels will cause the vehicle to be unbalanced when turning, difficult steering, and even dangerous. Summer tires ensure that the same axle is the same tire on it; However, winter tires must ensure that the four tires are the same grip, in order to ensure the safety of driving on ice and snow roads.
Secondly, due to the low temperature in winter, the tire valve nozzle is easy to age leading to imperceptible air leakage, and the air pressure must be checked frequently to prevent the tire from running out of air. At the same time, more than 4 years of winter tires will reduce the grip performance with the aging of rubber, and need to be replaced in time to ensure the safety of driving.
In addition, the winter tire is prone to irregular wear because of its soft texture, and when the tread is irregular wear, the reduced ground area of the pattern will reduce the grip of the tire on the snow and ice road, so it is necessary to change the tire position on time. When not in use, winter tires are best assembled on the hub for proper storage, and regularly check the tire pressure, until the next winter when it is needed to reload the car.