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With tyre technology progressing as far as it has, it isn’t a surprise that specialised tyres are easily available to the common man. You can choose from a smorgasbord of tyres; whether it is rock crawling or high-performance track duty you need, there exists a tyre for you. Some areas in the world need special tyres for the different seasons (yes, they actually do have two sets of tyres) – let us examine if you need them.
Most of India has consistent weather – in the sense that it is either hot and dry or hot and wet. Temperatures and road conditions do not change so much that the tyres you have cope with the conditions so ineptly that lives are put at risk. What we use are called ‘summer tyres’ – these are designed to perform well in dry conditions, and therefore have slightly reduced performance in the wet or under snowy conditions. Even these summer tyres need tread depth to perform well, so make sure your tyres have at least 2mm tread depth if they are to perform at their maximum ability.
Winter tyres are what are required if you experience snow regularly where you live. These tyres are made from rubber that is soft and that performs well at really low temperatures. Try to drive with these tyres during summer, and they’ll tear themselves to shreds very quickly because of the high temperatures. For those who know they’ll be driving on ice, there even exist tyres with metal studs in them for the ultimate grip. It is illegal to use these tyres on paved roads because of the damage they will do to the road.
To sum up, unless you live in the Himalayas and experience snowfall every winter, it won’t really make sense to purchase winter tyres. If you’re going to make a trip to where it is snowy, source snow chains – these are actual chains that you wrap in a particular way around your tyres that will allow you to have grip in the white stuff. These will do admirably for your driving adventure through the snow.
