Spain has been plunged into a persistent, cold rainfall scenario in many parts of the country (exacerbated by moisture) and snow in some cases. They are the ideal conditions to be clear about why they can be worth some winter tires.
Even if there is no snow.
Two situations lived with completely different results in recent weeks are your confirmation.
Winter tires for when there is no snow
Winter and snow tires are almost inseparable in the collective imaginary. It makes sense if we think it is the only way to continue circulating when the road has become so complicated that the road is cut for all those who do not have chains or these shoes for their cars.
But, in addition, not only is it that Winter tires They allow us to get ahead when chains are necessary. In addition, they are safer because the control of the car is simpler, it does not force us to maneuver with an accessory that we rarely put in the car (if we get to take it on occasion) while we deal with a icy temperature.
And, as if that were not enough, we do not run the risk of destroying the tires if we are not attentive. The latter is what happens when we do not remove the chains on time and the ice has already disappeared from the road.
As we say, these are the most extreme but not the only ones in which winter tires are necessary. How much we miss them, for example, in our aborted contact of the Ford Capri, when the port of Navacerrada had to turn around. Experience we tell you in this article.
In those we were, in the idea of finding the snow and checking first -hand what were capable of winter tires in our contact of DS 7 crossback, SUV of the company that has been renewed and offered now with new plug -in hybrid mechanics.
But, like Time is capriciousthen wanted our visit to the Aragonese Pyrenees to be marked by rain but, much less, by snow. We even had an offroad route prepared to verify what a car was able to get it out of the asphalt if we put some Michelin CrossClimate 2.
And the result was surprisingly good. It is true that the route did not present great complications for an SUV but had a certain challenge for a car that is not designed to pass stretches where the mud forced us to stay in our site, be soft and constant with the accelerator pedal and, above all, maneuver gently.
Of course, if something allowed to go to DS 7 crossback on the chosen route it was by the tires. Because snow is not necessary to check why they are interesting winter tires.
Tire yield depending on the temperature: 1.- Nordic tires. 2.- Winter tires. 3.- All Season tires. 4.- Summer tires.
Security reasons
The first thing I thought when we started linking mud, mud and more mud on our offroad route with the DS 7 crossback is that in our situation you could find anyone who likes to go out to the field, put the car the car by a simple step and, already late, it realizes that it has gotten into a mess.
There are a thousand examples. From the hiker who approaches the car to a route, which he wants to bring children closer to snow and find it that the road is in the worst state of what he thought. Going through the fisherman who wants to spend a morning in a reservoir and enjoy tranquility. I know who, in the latter case, almost ends inside the water with the car. That day, the tires barely traction in a step with mud that, in reality, was deeper than it seemed to the naked eye.
With a little touch it is something we completely avoid. In our case, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 are designed to be mounted on all stations but have winter certification (M+S and 3pmsf). The latter acronyms (m+s of Mud + Snowmud and snow in English, and Three Peak Mountain Snow Flakewhich can also be identified with a three -spike mountain) is what the DGT demands to circulate with tires as an alternative to the chains.
It is not necessary for the road to be completely snowy to check the efficacy of winter tires
The rubber in this case is structured with great V -shaped slots. That drawing allows you to drain more quickly. It moves much more water and increases the traction capacity in mud situations (such as the one lived in the Aragonese Pyrenees) or with ice and snow (the one lived in the port of Navacerrada). But also, simply, with rain.
Circular these days through the Community of Madrid is to check the problems that some roads have to drain the water that is falling. Winter tires make it difficult to fall into the dreaded aquaplaning Because, as we said, they clear an amount of water well above summer tires.
This is especially important if, in addition, the asphalt temperature is low, as is happening these days. In these conditions of cold and rain, the performance of a summer tire is much worse and the winter wins (with much) the game. Especially if the temperature has fallen below seven degrees.
The structure of the tire with large g grooves facilitates to drain more fluid and improve the braking with the wet floor
Collect the DGT that a winter tire needs 32 meters to stop the car when the road It is wet and is cold When it circulates at 50 km/h. Under the same conditions, a summer tire will go above 60 meters. That extra security deserves money if we live in areas where rains are very common and temperatures in summer are not especially high.
There are also spaces that keep the tires and protect them during winter or summer to exchange rubber twice a year. Each one has to assess whether the highest tire expense in the warmest months forces or not to make the change or, simply, it is enough to keep them all year.
In fact, Daniel Cuadrado, a tester with more than 30 years of experience and director of Autoscout24, assured us that: “They are tires expensive but save lives. In extreme temperatures they are not as good as some summer but they give a very good performance in a wide margin of temperatures. “
In Race they also indicate the wide capacity that winter tires and all season In recent years with an interesting graphic in which braking are compared. Do not confuse the latter with the former because if in the all season The mountain symbol of three peaks is not specified, we will not be able to circulate in snow conditions.
If in our day to day we move for soft temperatures environments that in summer become an oven, it is not worth it invest in themespecially if the rains are not usual. But if we live in a place where cold or extreme temperatures are more usual, from time to time we make some escape to the mountain or a path that can complicate the day and, above all, if we spend our days in mountainous areas where the cold the ice and snow are our bread every day, it deserves and much invest in investment in them.
As we said, if we are not going to circulate through the snow.
Photo | WorldOfSoftware
In WorldOfSoftware | Everything I learned the day that snow surprised me: tips to drive with ice when the situation is complicated
