Winter Tyres
We stock a wide range of winter tyres, from budget winters through to premium brands (Nokian, Dunlop, Vredestein, Goodyear etc) and usually start fitting them to vehicles in October time each year. If you wish to discuss options for you and consider costs please just give us a call on 01926 88 77 22 and we will be happy to help.
Why we recommend Winter Tyres...
Winter tyres are specifically designed for winter conditions as their name suggests and therefore they offer better performance in the more extreme of our UK winter driving conditions; remember our bad winters particularly 2010 when we had prolonged periods of ice and plenty of snow. For this reason some people in the UK are opting to change their tyres in October / November time to winter tyres, and change back to their normal tyres when the temperature increases again, around February / March time. The wintry conditions at the end of the 2012/13 winter continued well into April and thus some drivers kept their winter tyres on for longer than usual.
European Driving in the Winter
For those UK drivers who need to drive in European countries where the winter driving conditions are more extreme and where in some of these countries the law dictates the use of winter tyres, changing to winter tyres is a must. If you are travelling to Europe during winter months check to see what laws the country you are travelling to has on the use of winter tyres and don’t forget to check the laws of the countries you are driving through to get to your destination as well. The AA website has lots of useful info on winter driving and advice for when driving to ski resorts in Europe.
Winter Tyres and Insurance
We strongly recommend you inform your insurers before having winter tyres fitted for UK use.
In the UK it is of course your choice to change to winter tyres and NOT a legal requirement. You need to be able to store your normal tyres when you change to winter tyres and when you change them back you need to store your winter tyres. It is likely that you will be able to use your winter tyres a second winter depending of course on their first winter use and resulting condition. Winter tyres are likely to be a bit more expensive than normal tyres but the added safety during the winter months could make the difference between an accident or not.
We at Bespoke Wheels continue to recommend however that in extreme winter conditions, even with winter tyres fitted, you still assess whether your journey is absolutely necessary or not and exercise caution when deciding to go on your journey or not. Even if you are driving with winter tyres in adverse weather conditions you still must exercise extreme caution.
What do the AA say about winter tyres: "Consider changing to winter or all season tyres – these have a higher silicone content in the tread which prevents it hardening at lower temperatures, and therefore gives better grip in cold wet conditions". AA - Sept 09.
Call us today if you have any questions on winter tyres - 01926 88 77 22. We have been fitting winter tyres for years and will be able to give you advice based on our experience.