If you are in the market for buying new winter tyres, you have a few options of where to go. The most convenient place is to buy them at the tyre service station where you usually change your tyres. If you don’t already have a tyre service station, which you typically use, it is time to find one. You need a place to purchase good tires and have your tires changed, rotated, and fixed. You want to find a place that gives good service, gives good advice, and has the expertise to know if the tires need to be serviced changed or are ok to drive with. It is also good if they can store your all-season tyres as you leave with your winter tires.
If you go with one of the bigger tyre store chains or service stations, you know that you will get reasonable prices when you buy new tyres. They should also have a good assortment of tyres, which you can choose from. Even if you have decided to get a set of studded tyres, you still have many different models and brands to choose from. Key items to look for are the noise level and the rolling resistance. The noise will impact your driving comfort, and the rolling resistance will impact your gasoline bills. If you select one with low rolling resistance, you will save money as you drive, and with current gasoline prices, this will very quickly warrant paying more to get a good quality tyre with good properties.
One of the most common comparative tools we have for tyres is the EU tyre label, which shows how the tyres perform based on 3 different tyre characteristics. You have the tyre noise, which measures the noise generated by the tyres as you drive. If you have a very quiet vehicle, such as an electric or hybrid, the tyre noise can act disturbing and reduce the driving comfort. On the label is also the fuel consumption which is correlated with the rolling resistance. A high resistance will cause the vehicle to consume more fuel and be more expensive to own. They will also be bad for the environment due to higher carbon dioxide emissions. The higher rolling resistance will also cause the tyres to wear out faster than tyres with low rolling resistance, which further adds costs.
Finally, you have the wet grip, which is measured by braking distance on wet tarmac. None of these tests are developed or tested at winter temperatures, so they are not really that useful for when you select studded tires. You are much better off here to read winter tyre tests, where they are testing leading manufacturers studded tyres and see which tyres are test winners or place high up in the relevant tests that mimic your driving conditions. Once you have gathered enough information you can combine it with some of the data form the EU tyre label and then head to the tyre store to look for new tyres.
For more information regarding studded tyres for the winter, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/