What are the dangers of using winter tires in the summer?
That the onset of cold weather necessitates changing summer tires to winter ones raises no questions, but at the same time, there are many car owners who see no point in changing winter tires to summer ones, especially if the vehicle is equipped with non-studded tires. Moreover, having come to believe that all-season tires are not a solution for all seasons despite their name, many opt for Nordic non-studded tires, commonly referred to as "lipuchki" for year-round use.
The perspective of such drivers will drastically change if they learn that not changing winter tires to summer ones in the summer is just as dangerous as not changing summer tires to winter ones in the winter.
To begin with, winter tires have a fundamentally different composition of the rubber mixture, which is adapted for winter conditions. It is precisely those components that keep the rubber elastic in the winter period that are prone to rapid wear at high temperatures. Moreover, winter rubber mixtures literally melt before your eyes at summer speeds. It is enough to look at how the lamella-cut blocks become worn and lose their shape after just one summer of use. Thus, using winter tires in the summer significantly reduces their lifespan. We are not talking about 3-5%, but about a much greater wear and tear of 30-50%.
But the main thing, of course, is not how quickly the tires wear out, but that they are unsafe to use in the summer. It is precisely because of the large proportion of lamellas that the blocks are not as stable as on summer tires. As a result, handling becomes extremely dangerous. But the most dangerous thing is, of course, the long braking distance on asphalt. Winter tires are inferior to summer tires in braking characteristics precisely because of the large number of lamellas. Moreover, this difference can reach 30%, which is extremely dangerous if you are moving in a stream of cars on summer tires.
It would seem that this is already enough, but no, this is not all the drawbacks of using tires out of season. Winter tires have higher rolling resistance and therefore consume more fuel than summer tires. This is also due to the high proportion of lamellas in the contact patch and the rubber mixture. The reluctance to change tires to summer ones can result in an increase in consumption by an average of 10%. This factor alone negates the entire savings of using one set of tires and saving money on tire fitting, not to mention the increased wear and serious reduction in overall road safety.
Operating a vehicle has never been a cheap endeavor. Therefore, when choosing one brand or another, one should be aware that one of the most expensive and necessary consumables will be tires and their timely replacement.