Drawbacks of Using Different Sets of Tires in Winter
Previously, we talked about how customers have shared their experiences of driving in Europe. We spoke of studded tyres and how they can be useful while driving in snow and ice. We have also talked about winter tyres in some of our articles. Although the UAE does not experience snowfall, we consider it our duty to inform people about driving in different conditions.
Keeping this in mind, today, we are going to be talking about something that is followed by drivers in areas which experience snowfall. Many people in these areas need to install winter tyres for ensuring excellent traction and handling. However, some people, instead of equipping the vehicle with all four winter tyres, only install two.
Therefore, you end up with two types of tires on a vehicle – two winter tyres and two summer or all-season tyres. While it may seem an ingenious way of saving money and ensuring that the car maintains excellent grip, it is anything but all this! Before we discuss why it is a bad idea and why it should never be done, let us talk more about this 'ingenious method'.
Let us take an example of a front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicle for better understanding. In such a car, the front wheels are responsible for the acceleration, braking and handling. In short, the front tires are doing most of the work. Hence, they are likely to wear out faster than the rear tires. It is why we are advised to rotate our tires frequently. It ensures that the tyres wear out uniformly.
You might be wondering how it is related to the topic? Well, what people do in the winter months is that they change the front wheel tyres and replace them winter tyres. Therefore, you end up with winter tyres on the front axle and summer or all-season tyres on the rear axle. Some call it ingenious, while others call it outright dangerous and stupid.
Why Having Different Types of Tyres is Dangerous?
Mounting two winter tires instead of four means that you cannot enjoy the same level of handling, traction and acceleration, a set of four sets can provide. Moreover, you are also likely to lose rear tire traction while cornering on a snowy or icy road. It is also likely that you will lose traction when braking in such conditions.
Why? The reason is simple. The summer or all-season tyres are not meant to be driven in such conditions. While the all-season tyres may work in light snow yet changing all four tyres is always recommended. Moreover, having a separate set of tyres can cause your vehicle to skid. This phenomenon is known as rear-wheel skid and can prove to be quite dangerous and costly.
Some of you might be thinking that the example only talks about FWD vehicles and that the rule does not apply to rear-wheel drive (RWD) vehicles. Please keep in mind whether it is an RWD, FWD or any other vehicle, PitStopArabia always recommends changing all four tyres. It is for your own safety and those of others.
If you are still unsure, let us tell you the reason. In an RWD vehicle, the rear wheels are responsible for providing the power. On the other hand, the front wheels are responsible for the steering. Therefore, if you just change the rear wheels, thinking that it will do the job, you are reckless and irresponsible. The reason is that the front wheels will not be able to steer properly.
Instead, you will find it increasingly difficult to steer in the direction that you want. You are more likely to end up skidding or worse, in an accident. Moreover, in various articles, we have discussed how non-winter tyres cannot perform in temperatures less than 7°C. Therefore, the myth that it is okay to change just two tyres in the winter is nothing but a myth.
Winter is around the corner, and many of our customers and readers might be travelling to areas which experience snow. Therefore, let us briefly discuss switching to winter tyres as well. This will help ensure that they find all the relevant information in a single piece of writing instead of reading through different articles.
Switching to Winter Tires
You should not wait till it has started snowing or the temperatures drop considerably before mounting the winter tires. A widely followed practice or consensus is that when you are able to see your breath visibly, it is time to install the winter tires. However, ensure that the tires you are mounting are meeting the specifications set out in the owner's manual.
The size, speed rating and load capacity of the tires should match with those mentioned in the owner’s manual. Otherwise, you are unnecessarily putting yourself in harm’s way. Likewise, do not wait too long to remove the winter tyres. Once the temperature starts going above 7°C, it is time to remove the winter tyres. All-season or summer tires are ideal for driving in temperatures above 7°C.
Irrespective of the tires, always be wary of the snowy and icy conditions. These conditions are always unpredictable, no matter how much experienced you are. It does not take long before you lose control of your vehicle or it starts losing traction. Therefore, PitStopArabia recommends driving slower than usual in such conditions. It will keep you safe and others as well.
Conclusion
This concludes our article today. While some of you might consider it unrelated to driving in the UAE, nevertheless, we encourage everyone to read it. The future can surprise you anytime, and you might find yourself driving in snowy conditions at any point in your life. Therefore, having this knowledge can prove useful at the time.
Lastly, we tell our customers never to compromise on their safety and those of others. You might end up saving money by only installing two tires instead of the recommended four, but you are also endangering your life and those of others. You can always earn more money and they are much better ways of saving money than this.