The Swiss organization TCS has just published the results of its 2022 winter tire test. Several models are to be avoided.
The summer page having been definitively turned, it’s time to think regarding… winter tyres. To put it simply, these are effective as soon as the temperatures drop below 7°C. They must therefore be mounted during the autumn, especially since there is now a deadline in France with the “Mountain” law, that of November 1st. This law, which came into force last year, creates a traffic jam in garages in October.
With it, the prefects of the departments located in a mountain range can make it compulsory to wear or have winter equipment for vehicles “in order to improve safety and traffic conditions in the winter period”. What gave a hell of a gas plant, between the departments entirely concerned, those affected in part… and those who refused the measure!
The start of PV in 2022?
Faced with the vagueness of the situation, especially since the departments had decided late, the government had decided not to apply any sanctions for the winter of 2021/2022. After this one-year reprieve, there may therefore be fines from November 1, 2022, the start of the new winter period for tires (and which stretches until March 31). But here once more, it is uncertain… especially since the tense context on purchasing power may not facilitate the implementation of the law!
According to decree n°2020-1264, which sets the rules, you must have at least removable non-slip devices in your trunk allowing you to equip at least two driving wheels. But the best thing is to wear “winter” tires on at least two wheels of each axle.
Authorized tires are identified by one of the “M+S”, “MS” or “M&S” markings or by the joint presence of the “Alpine symbol” marking and one of the “M+S”, “ MS” or “M&S”. Thus, alongside “real” winter tyres, so-called “4 season” tires are authorized.
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However, there is no range of winter tires dedicated to electric or hybrid vehicles. As explained our journalist Soufyane Benhammouda last year, “if manufacturers are starting to develop ranges of summer tires adapted to electric drive once more, winter tires cannot benefit from them for the moment: their specific recipe and performance needs, in particular grip, annihilate any search for efficiency, silence and durability”.
Beware of low-cost Chinese erasers
There is therefore an offer similar to that of thermal vehicles. And to help you make a choice, the Swiss organization TCS offers a renowned winter tire test every year. This year the TCS tested 33 tires, including 16 tires in size 185/65 R15 88T, which may be suitable for the Renault Clio or the Zoé.
In this size, the TCS salutes the results of the Continental WinterContact TS870, Goodyear UltraGrip9+, Semperit Speed-Grip5 and Michelin Alpin 6. On the other hand, it sounds the alarm for the Imperial Snowdragon HP and Wanli SW611. These rubbers from China behaved badly in the wet.
For size 215/60 R16 99H, which may correspond to the Peugeot 3008, the TCS warns of the Coopertires WM-SA2+. Conversely, the Continental and Michelin shone once more, as well as the Dunlop Winter Sport 5.
Your final choice will depend on your budget. But it is an important security element. We can only advise you to opt for four real winter tires if you are in a cold region. And not just two, which is counterproductive by creating a grip mismatch between the axles.
Our journalist explained, for example, that with electric vehicles which are often propulsion, it is “useless to improve motor skills if the steering gear cannot do its job. Conversely, having front axle when the rear wheels are slipping is of interest close to nothing”.
