November has arrived, and with it the first frosty mornings, wet leaves on the road and, in higher regions, the first flakes of snow. For many drivers this is the moment when a familiar question returns: are my tyres ready for winter? A tyre change is not glamorous, but it is one of the simplest things you can do to make every journey over the next five months safer.
Summer tyres are built from a rubber compound that works best in warm weather. Once temperatures drop below roughly seven degrees Celsius, that compound becomes noticeably harder, grip falls and braking distances grow. Winter tyres use a softer mixture and a tread full of small sipes that bite into slush and snow. On a cold, wet road the difference can be several car lengths when you need to stop quickly.
How do you know your tyres are still good enough?
Start with the tread depth. Many countries set a legal minimum of 1.6 millimetres, but tyre experts recommend at least four millimetres for winter use, because performance on snow and slush drops sharply below that. A cheap tread depth gauge from any auto parts shop gives you a clear answer in seconds. Check several points across each tyre, since uneven wear can hide on the inner edge.
Next, look at the age. Rubber hardens over time even when a tyre has hardly been used. You will find a four-digit code on the sidewall: the first two digits show the week and the last two the year of production. Tyres older than six to eight years are worth replacing, even if the tread still looks fine. Finally, run your hand and eyes over the sidewalls and look for cracks, bulges or embedded stones.
Book early, store smartly
Workshops are busiest in the first weeks of real cold, when everyone remembers their tyres at the same moment. Booking an appointment now usually means shorter waiting times and a calmer chat with the mechanic. If you change tyres yourself, tighten the wheel nuts with a torque wrench to the value in your owner’s manual and check them again after the first 50 kilometres.
Your summer set deserves some care too. Clean the tyres, mark their position on the car (front left, rear right and so on) so you can rotate them next spring, and store them in a cool, dark and dry place. Tyres on rims can be stacked flat or hung; tyres without rims are best stored standing upright and turned now and then.
All-season tyres as an alternative
If you live in a mild region and rarely see snow, all-season tyres with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol can be a sensible compromise. They save you the twice-yearly change and storage space. For drivers in mountain areas or with long winter commutes, dedicated winter tyres remain the safer choice.
Whatever you choose, do not forget the rest of the car: check the tyre pressure once a month, because cold air lowers it, top up the screen wash with antifreeze and keep an ice scraper within reach. A few minutes of preparation in early November can make the coming winter far more relaxed on the road.
