Can you use summer tyres in winter?

It is not recommended that you use summer tyres in the winter months, or vice versa. This is because both types of seasonal tyres are designed specifically for their seasons. Winter tyres are specially devised to withstand the elements of the colder months – and have built-in features which aren’t appropriate for warmer seasons, while summer tyres are designed with features that wouldn’t provide optimal performance in winter.

What is the difference between winter and summer tyres?

Summer tyres

• Rubber – summer tyres have hard rubber compounds which perform effectively in warm weather, but harden at low temperatures.
• Tread pattern – summer tyres’ tread pattern is very simplistic compared to winter tyres. Made up of a simple block shaped tread pattern, this allows for a large contact area with the road surface.
• Structure – summer tyres contain fewer sipes on the tyre’s structure than winter tyres, as they are not required to tackle ice and snow. Instead, the tread block design has specially designed tread bars to help minimise aquaplaning.

Winter tyres

• Rubber – winter tyres contain high natural rubber content, meaning that these types of tyres are able to stay soft – enabling excellent grip to road surfaces.
• Tread pattern – made up of a comprehensive tread pattern, this is designed to gather and compact snow. The deep tread pattern helps to create traction for the vehicle when driving over snow-covered surfaces, and helps push the vehicle forwards.
• Structure – thousands of small grooves make up the structure, which are designed to expel water and prevent aquaplaning. They also provide excellent grip on ice or snow covered surfaces.

Can I mix summer and winter tyres on my vehicle?

It is strongly recommended that you do not mix summer and winter tyres. Mixing tyres from different seasons on the front and rear, or any part of the vehicle, can be dangerous for the driver, passengers and other vehicles, as well as strongly hindering the performance of your own vehicle. This is because the tyres will be working against one another, designed to provide optimal performance for only one season – so will counteract each other when fitted together.

Looking to purchase your own seasonal tyres? Find both summer and winter tyres to buy online from PTA Garages. Locate your nearest PTA branch for your tyre fitting now.