More than a month has passed by and, besides entertaining, we hope we’ve also given you some good advice for winter driving!

We stop here for the moment… but, see you soon for next adventures! Stay tuned!

To say goodbye, we thought it was nice to give you a video taste of the Tour, hoping you’ll like it!

The Pirelli Team

Time really flies… it seems like it was just yesterday that we were on the Stelvio Pass, organizing the Tour of the Alps… and instead more than a month has already gone through… and it’s almost Christmas!

Take a look at the pictures below to see how the Stelvio Pass was in October… and check out what it looks like now!

That’s a real winter landscape… just the way we like it!

Enjoy the snow!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!!

The official bloggers for France and Italy shared with us their opinions about the Tour.
Christian Kaiser, the official blogger for Germany who wrote a detailed travel diary on dasautoblog.com, has done just the same sending us a message about his experience…

“With the invitation for the “Tour of the Alps” Pirelli shows that bloggers are taken more and more seriously. For me it was not only an honour to take part as the German representative, but also informative and related to lots of fun. Pirelli succeeded in making the presentation of a tyre a great experience – or better: a great adventure – that could not be better organized!”

We thank Christian for his contribution, and for the nice picture he took at the Tour, which you can see here below!

Have a great weekend!

We strongly suggest you to raise the volume of your pc and make yourselves at home…directly from the Stelvio Pass a load of adrenalin to let you live the great emotions of the Tour of the Alps!

…and make sure you “pass the ball” to your friends by sharing the video!!

Enjoy!!

Christophe Labédan from France, who joined the Tour for leblogauto.com thinks the Tour has been an innovative way to test a tyre, as they had much time and different situations to understand its characteristics.
Moreover the chance to share the experience with so many journalists, has been very appreciated.
Christophe says he learned more in three days about winter tyres than what he had done in a lifetime… because practice is always better than theory!

Paolo Alberto Fina from autoblog.it, the official blogger for Italy, told us that the three days dedicated to cars, tyres and kilometers have been characterised by a freezing temperature, but when you are having so much fun, you don’t really feel it!
Here you can find his narration of the Tour.
Paolo has been impressed by the landscapes, the organization… and by the interest we put in the web and the blogosphere.

Are you curious to read their messages in full version? Here they are!
Well, what can we say?
It’s honeslty a pleasure for us to feel this enthusiasm!
And the other bloggers?? They might be sharing with us their opinions very soon… !

See you next time!