Winter Tyres

If you’re thinking about getting winter tyres, you may have a lot of questions: why are they better than normal tyres? Would it be cheaper to just put them on two of your wheels rather than four? When should you put them on?

We thought we’d put together this guide to explain winter tyres.

Why buy winter tyres?

Winter tyres, also known as a cold weather tyres, feature a snowflake symbol on the side and are made from a soft rubber. The softness means they remain more supple than a harder summer tyre in the cold, giving you more grip in wintery conditions. They also have a different tread pattern, with fine grooves in each thread block, which means your car will handle better on snow.

When should I fit winter tyres?

When temperatures drop below about 7°c, it’s definitely worth considering fitting winter tyres to keep you and your passengers safe. Average temperatures tend to drop to around this level at the start of November, but you may wish to fit your winter tyres earlier than that if there’s a spell of bad weather.

Can I fit two winter tyres rather than four?

If you’re thinking of saving money by fitting just two winter tyres rather than four - don’t. With only two winter tyres, you’ll experience an imbalance in grip levels between your front and rear wheels, which could cause you to lose control of your car.

If you only run winter tyres on your front wheels in wintery conditions, the rear-end of your car will have less grip in wet or icy conditions. As a result, there’s more chance your car will experience a rear-wheel skid and the lack of rear-end grip also increases the risk of rear-wheel drive cars spinning their wheels under hard acceleration.

If you only run winter tyres on your rear wheels in wintery conditions, your front wheels will have less grip than your rear making a front-end skid known as ‘understeering’ more likely. This could cause your car to skid off the road, so the safest thing to do is to fit four winter tyres to your car.

What are the alternatives?

One of the slight drawbacks of winter tyres is that you’ll need to swap them out for summer tyres each year, and you’ll also need the space to store the set you’re not currently using.

A handy alternative is all season tyres, which are a compromise between summer and winter tyres. They offer more grip than summer tyres in the winter (though not as much as winter tyres), and more grip than winter tyres in the summer. This means you don't need to switch tyres when the weather changes.

Which winter tyre should I buy?

Here at Halfords, we offer a range of winter tyres from a variety of top brands. Simply enter your vehicle registration number online and you’ll be shown suitable tyres for your specific car.

Any other tips?

Before you set off for a journey in cold weather, check the current conditions and have a read of our Essential Winter Driving Kit Checklist to help prepare you for driving on more potentially hazardous roads.