You probably noticed that tyres are full of little symbols, codes, numbers… but do you know what they mean?

Well, let’s try and make things a little bit clearer… today we will teach you how to read a tyre!

Let’s start from numbers and letters…

The number 295 shows the nominal section width expressed in millimetres. The number 30 indicates instead the ratio between nominal section height and nominal section width.
The following letter indicates the structure on the tyre, in this case R stays for a tyre with a radial construction.
The number 19 shows the rim diameter expressed in inches, the number 100 expresses the load index, it indicates the load carrying capacity per tyre, while the letter V shows the maximum speed that can be reached with that specific tyre.

The brand and the product name are obviously indicated… in this example, since we are talking about a winter tyre, we can also find the letters M+S which mean mud & snow together with the mountain symbol.
Finally there is the word “tubeless”: that means the tyre is conceived to be used without tube.

Well… as you can see a tyre can tell us a lot of things!
But it’s not over… the European Union is about to promulgate a new directive, for which from 2012 tyres will also have to indicate the fuel consumption.

Tyres that will be mounted from 2012 on, will have to be fitted with an identification label (that you can see below) which will have to report particular references on a scale from A to G to indicate the fuel efficiency class, the wet grip class and the noise level, expressed in decibel.

The lesson is over! Now you have more elements to chose your next set of tyres!

See you next time!

Winter is coming… and it’s time to take car trips seriously in order to travel in the safest way.
We elaborated a 10-points list of the most important things you have to remember before taking a trip in winter time!

Let’s see it so!

1 - Check the tyres pressure and level of wear (you can find the correct data on the car booklet), remembering that Winter tyres’ performance is good on snow until they reach 4 mm thread depth. Rotate the winter tyres regularly every 10/12.000 km.

2 - Always use 4 winter tyres of the same brand and the same characteristics. Consult the user and maintenance manual of the vehicle for the correct load index and speed code of the tyres to be used.

3 - Equip your car for winter: give your car a set of winter tyres, check the windscreen wipers, the screen wash liquid, the battery, the headlights and the de-icer.

4 - Keep headlights and windscreen cleaned, and clean the snow from the roof of the car because it could slide and compromise your visibility. Raise the windscreen wiper from the glass during the night to avoid they freeze.

5 - Always start the engine first, before turning on the headlights, radio or any other equipment that involves the battery… but don’t forget to switch on the headlights to be more visible to the other drivers.

6 - Always maintain an adequate safety distance and respect the speed limits imposed by the highway code. You should keep at least 3 times the usual distance from the car in front of you.

7 - On snowy and icy roads avoid braking, changing gear and steer roughly. Brake gently to avoid skids. If the wheels block off, release gently the brake.

8 - Use low gears to keep the traction and avoid parking on hills or on roads that might become icy.

9 - Be careful especially on bridges, overpasses and roads that are not main ones, especially when in the shade: these places will be the first to become icy, even when the temperature will go below zero.

10 - Check the weather forecasts. Avoid driving in extreme conditions, and if you really have to, consider carefully the timings: take your time to ensure the safety for you and others.

And now… have a safe trip!

For more info on Winter Tyres please visit our website!

Paolo Alberto Fina, from autoblog.it, the official blogger for Italy at the Tour of the Alps, accepted our invitation to write a post for our blog!

The content is linked to the use of winter tyres in Europe, and it shows that also in Italy, the attention for the use of the right car equipment depending on the season is rising.

But let’s read his contribution…

“From the 15th October to the 30th April in Val d’Aosta. From the 1st November to the 31st March in Liguria region, including a stretch of A7 highway.
And again on some roads – main, secondary and regional roads – around Turin. Como’s province decided that between the 15th November 2009 and the 31st March 2010. In all these areas drivers will be forced to circulate equipped with winter tyres or carrying snow chains on board.

In order to prevent traffic inconveniences caused by cold and snow, the administrations have decided to use strong-arm tactics, imposing the use of winter tyres (or snow chains) as a necessary condition to circulate.
“This year we acted in advance – explains the councillor for road and traffic laws for the province of Como, Mr. Pietro Cinquesanti -, so that the citizens can have the time to kit themselves out. Any kind of police (local police, traffic police and Carabinieri),will check if the motorists comply with the writ, in sunny days too. Lawbreakers will get a fine of 75 euros.” Why should you risk?”

These are important signals from the administrations, in order to make drivers understand that is fundamental to drive with consciousness.
In fact these obligations and the risk of sanctions are not restricted to snowy areas like Val d’Aosta, but they also touch other locations like the Liguria’ region or the Turin area.

And as Paolo writes… why should you risk??
Equip your car for winter!!

See you soon

We already got to November… the temperature is falling!

Today we will tell you some news and curiosities about winter tyres… so that you won’t get caught unprepared!

How many people do use winter tyres in Europe in your opinion?
In Germany more than 3/4 of the driving population use winter tyres. But also in Italy for example, the number is increasing: about 13% of the Italians are already changing over to winter tyres, mostly in the northern areas of the country.

But which are the differences between a winter tyre and a summer tyre?

Summer tyres have a harder compound and a tread pattern is made by compact blocks, so that they can have a very good adherence and maintain the right elasticity on high speed and with high temperature.

Winter tyres have instead a softer compound that offers good grip on low temperatures and a tread pattern characterised by small blocks with lengthwise and widthways grooves and additional sipes that ensure the right safety on rain, snow and ice.

And what are the differences between the main European countries when it comes to winter tyres??

In Italy the use of winter tyres is mandatory just when you find on your way the road sign indicating the compulsory use of snow chains. But as for the Italian law, no need to mount snow chains if your car already has winter tyres! The two solutions are considered equal.

In Germany it’s mandatory to adapt the car equipment to the weather conditions. Who doesn’t follow this advice might get a fine and for those who cause car accidents because of the wrong tyres, there are serious consequences for the kasko insurance.
In Austria the use of winter tyres is mandatory from from November 1st until April 15th.

In Switzerland the use of winter tyres is not mandatory, but there is the same rule about car accidents: in case of accidents caused by summer tyres, the driver might face serious consequences.
In France, there is also no legal requirement to use winter tires, but its use is appropriate in many parts of the country, especially in the north, east and south-east.

Here you are, ready for a nice trip around the snowy Europe!
See you next time!

This week we would like to verify your knowledge on winter tyres!

Are you ready to test yourselves?

You will find here below a few questions taken from the Questionboard challenge that Tour of the Alps participants had to face during their trip.

Let’s see if you can do any better…!! You can write your final mark in the comments box, so that we can all see who’s the King of the Winter Tyre!

But hey… You’re not allowed to cheat!!

Here we are again… we came back from the Stelvio Pass freezing, but it’s so nice to see such a feedback from the Tour’s participants!
Snow is about to fall… – it was actually snowing in Munich on Thursday – but we more than are ready for such cold weather: after all we just came back from the coldest event of the year… we reached 18°C below zero!
And you guys, are you ready? Or are you going to end up like the people in the video below??

… what a pile-up!
The first thing to do to avoid such accidents is to equip you car with winter tyres to begin the season at best!
And, if they fit your car, it’s time to use the Snowcontrol Serie II!

We are clearly a bit partial… but it’s very important to be aware that winter can be dangerous if you aren’t equipped in the right way.

It’s very hard to have a good control if you don’t have the right tyres while driving when it’s very cold or anyway below 7°C, on wet, dry or snowy road surfaces: it’s just like skiing with flip-flops instead of using ski boots.
The siped longitudinal grooves created on the Snowcontrol Serie II let your car having a great “snow on snow” friction effect, increasing traction on snowy surfaces, and thus increasing your car’s performances!

After all the Snowcontrol Serie II have been tested on the Stelvio Pass fresh snow at 3.200 m of altitude… do you need any more proof!?

BRRR… if we think back about it we still shake and shiver for the cold!