Poland: When usually is the best time to change from summer to winter tyres?

When usually is the best time to change from summer to winter tyres?
We've already had some hard frosts where I live, is it time to change, I think last year it was the middle of November before most people were changing theres.

Not yet, this weekend is supposed to be the warmest in autumn :P


That's when mine got changed too. I'll probably change them when it starts being cold all day, or it goes below 0c at night.

mighty news :)


Yea, I've got to order some new ones and tbh I'd rather buy something cool (like a galaxy tablet....I know, nerd!) and wait till I'm paid again, but that's the middle of November so I think I'd be taking a bit of a risk and should probably buy the tyres first.

I am also changing them half November. It is always an educated guess when it is the best moment...but half November is a safe bet.

Now something I am wondering about since I live in Poland. I know winter tyres are not compulsory here...but suppose you have an accident during wintertime, can the insurance company make you problems if you were driving around on summer tyres?

Yep. They take it into account - if your tyres aren't appropriate for the weather, then they can get you on that if you cause an accident/are involved in one.

The police can too - while winter tyres aren't an obligation, if you're caught slipping and sliding around the place on summer tyres, then they can get you under various driving laws. I don't remember the name, but there's a specific catch-all offence to do with unsafe driving.

Does anyone find ABS a hindrance rather than a help when slipping on snow and ice?
I change my tyres when the temperature is around +5 or below for a week. How much do you pay? Last year it was 50PLN for me (winter tyres on their own wheels).

I think i prefer it, at least it indicates the driver that the wheels were in fact sliding.

I think it goes without saying that rear whell drive is absolutely hurrendous.

next time i live in a cold country im getting all weather tyres, screw this changing over business.


I always found that after the first snow fall the tyre (opony) garages were pretty much crammed full of cars all changing at the same time. Now would be a good time to change IMO.

yea, what's the legality of pulling out the fuse for a few months?

...and the garage guys letting their friends jump the queue (almost drove me to murder once or twice).


Why not? You can drive an old car without it. I won't bother. I'll just creep along like a guy-in-a-hat!

Doesn't the insurance policy specify when they have to be changed?

Nope, and there is no obligation to have winter tyres fitted either. However, insurance companies can be somewhat difficult if you make a claim and were driving in summer tyres during the winter.

Exactly! end of discussion:)

Worst of both worlds.

There's no shoe that's perfect for both dancing and mountain-climbing, so why would you think there's a tyre that's perfect for both +30 and -30 degrees?

The tyre is undeniably the most important part of a vehicle. You can have the most powerful engine and the best brakes in the world, but if you're not making good contact with the road then it doesn't mean sh!t.

Precisely.

Of course in this case everything is at the discretion of PZU & Co...who we know are always on the customers' side :)

By the way I got already stopped during winter by the police for routine inspections, and never checked my tyres.

Anyway, I always change them, so for me it is not an issue.

i dont - youre putting words into my mouth, im thinking of costs, insurance purposes and hassle.

Ive driven in Poland through a harsh winter on summer tyres without too many problems, drive sensibly and you'll be just fine. If you have four wheel drive, youre already well on the way to better traction regardless of winter tyres.


I also understand that its better to have 8 gig ram than 2 - problem is cost. If its not a legal requirement i dont give a flying fcuk.

To be honest that is a pretty egoistic reaction. It is not about legal requirements. It is about road safety. It is madness to drive with summer tyres in winter.

The difference between 8 and 2 gig of ram doesn't equate to surviving or dying in a loss-of-traction situation though. And again, four wheel drive means fcuk-all if none of the wheels are driving because your summer tyres have frozen into blocks of Lego.

eating fatty foods also has extreme consequneces, its unlikey but hey it does happen. Smoking, drinking etc..

Get fcuked, you complete product of society, i'll take my risks on my own, thank you. Many things carry risks its just that they dont have laws for them YET, and seeing as having winter tyres in Poland is not law - I'll go with that.

Yes and taking innocent lives with you because of this mentality

I'm taking innocent live because i wish to mitigate my financial exposure by buying all weather tyres? are you serious? hey man if its good enough for the majority of Canadians its good enough for me. The main cause of road deaths in Poland is reckless driving, winter tyres or not....

I'm fairly sure that if I opt for a second cheeseburger, I'm not increasing the chance of killing a family of four on the other side of the road.

While it's not a law to use winter tyres, it is required to be an adult to drive a car. You ought to start acting like one.

Do you seriously not know how fast you can take a corner in winter conditions then? be you on winter, summer or all weather tyres?


I reckon you should learn how to drive properly as well.

If you think it all comes down to the skill of the driver, you're more of a fool than you've made yourself look already.

Did i say that? did i say it all comes down to the skill of the driver? i accused YOU of not knowing how fast to take a corner based on various variable driving circumstances - nothing more.

Yes millions of all weather tyre users are all fools, the entire road traffic act of various different countries are in fact all fools.

So knowing how fast to take a corner is a measure of what, exactly, if not skill?

Poland has the highest road death rate in Europe. Legislation is not the hallmark of logic. Germany, in comparison, not only mandates winter tyres but fails their technical check if the tyres are over six years old. I'm sure you'll argue it's purely coincidence (and knowledge of cornering speeds) that explains their dramatically lower fatality rate.

Judging by your responses it all depends on the rubber, im saying skill and mitigation depending on what rubber you may have.

Do you drive the same in torrential rain as you would in dry sunny conditions? simple question.

In torrential rain I either slow to a crawl or stop driving; those are the limits of the vehicle and my visibility, neither of which I can control, in just the same way your skill can't control the traction of a car on black ice.

Yet you insist this is less hassle than undoing 16 wheel nuts every six months...

Really, its funny i never see those guys on the motorway, you must be a real ***** driver....which basically fits your agenda and stance on this thread. Scared of everything kind of guy, or your lying of course.


edit , as i said before im buying all weather tyres, thank you very much.

Sure I am a product of civic society.
I have been a voluntary fire-fighter many years back home - saw so many accidents caused by guys who thought they knew better.
Thing is, if they crashed into a tree by themselves, one problem less. I just felt annoyed I had to get up at midnight and bike to the fire station to scrape them from the asphalt. If they took an innocent family with them, that is in my book plain murder.

My sister was in 1989 killed on her bike by somebody like that, by the way. Age 19 years.