Too early for winter tyres?
Discussion
Hi all,
We bought ourselves some ‘poverty pork’ last year, a 2003 Boxster S. It’s an absolute blast, great fun car.
We are taking it on a road trip in the first two weeks of October to Morges and Grimsel in Switzerland by way of France, then returning through the Black Forest and the Ardennes.
Would anyone care to advise if I should put my winter tyres on for the trip given we’re heading up the Grimselpass, or is it a bit early? No legal requirement as far as I’m aware, but want to be prepared! More grip/fun to be had with the summer Michelin PS4, but don’t want to get caught out by the weather in either Switzerland or Germany.
Many thanks in advance.
We bought ourselves some ‘poverty pork’ last year, a 2003 Boxster S. It’s an absolute blast, great fun car.
We are taking it on a road trip in the first two weeks of October to Morges and Grimsel in Switzerland by way of France, then returning through the Black Forest and the Ardennes.
Would anyone care to advise if I should put my winter tyres on for the trip given we’re heading up the Grimselpass, or is it a bit early? No legal requirement as far as I’m aware, but want to be prepared! More grip/fun to be had with the summer Michelin PS4, but don’t want to get caught out by the weather in either Switzerland or Germany.
Many thanks in advance.
Sorry for the late response. It might have been better putting it on the Swiss section.
Winter tyres on the Grimsel (my favourite pass) at that time of the year will depend on the snow. Last year, at least in the Engadin, we had a brilliant autumn. It was sunny, warm and the larch trees went bright yellow. Best weeks of the year in my opinion.
If there is snow they won't clear the pass - they'll just close it (by putting big barriers across the road).
We're starting to get morning frost already at altitude (I'm at 1750m). So your decision is really based on the frost and cold not snow. I put my winter tyres on week of the 10th October. However I'm going over a pass (the Julier) which they will keep open all year round - I've had snow there in August.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the tyres and instead if the weather doesn't look great I'd just avoid the pass or drive carefully. If there is snow think of a different route.
Winter tyres on the Grimsel (my favourite pass) at that time of the year will depend on the snow. Last year, at least in the Engadin, we had a brilliant autumn. It was sunny, warm and the larch trees went bright yellow. Best weeks of the year in my opinion.
If there is snow they won't clear the pass - they'll just close it (by putting big barriers across the road).
We're starting to get morning frost already at altitude (I'm at 1750m). So your decision is really based on the frost and cold not snow. I put my winter tyres on week of the 10th October. However I'm going over a pass (the Julier) which they will keep open all year round - I've had snow there in August.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the tyres and instead if the weather doesn't look great I'd just avoid the pass or drive carefully. If there is snow think of a different route.
Hi,
I was at the top of the Grimsel Pass last June and there was still snow beside the roads. So, I would assume that in October, the average temperature over most of the passes would be below 12'C and probably below 7'C. This is the time when winter tyres become an advantage. There is a move in the UK to say that summer tyres should be the rarity as they go off quicker in the cold than winter tyres do in the heat.
Therefore, I would not hesitate to put winter tyres on my car for that journey and then enjoy the car as much as you can.
I was at the top of the Grimsel Pass last June and there was still snow beside the roads. So, I would assume that in October, the average temperature over most of the passes would be below 12'C and probably below 7'C. This is the time when winter tyres become an advantage. There is a move in the UK to say that summer tyres should be the rarity as they go off quicker in the cold than winter tyres do in the heat.
Therefore, I would not hesitate to put winter tyres on my car for that journey and then enjoy the car as much as you can.
We drove a similar route to you (Grimsel, Susten etc, Grosglockner + return via Black Forest and Ardennes) last year over the last week of September and first week of October in a 1982 911SC on summer tyres. We had no problems at all, but didn’t see any falling snow, just a few patches of lying snow beside the road on Grosglockner.
The weather can change very quickly in mountainous areas at any time of year. In May this year I was at the top of Mont Ventoux in a 1988 3.2 Carrera in a wet blizzard and when we drove over the Col du Rousset there was 9 in of lying snow beside the road that had fallen overnight. However the Col du Rousset road surface had been cleared, so it was fine on summer tyres as long as you were sensible.
I use both Michelin PS4 and winter tyres on my 986S everyday car. The PS4 tyres have been a revelation and work much better than older design summer tyres at low temperatures, at least down to 4 Celsius in my experience. So I now leave it later in the year before changing to winters in England, as I am not a fan of how winter tyres feel, especially in the first few thousand miles.
The weather can change very quickly in mountainous areas at any time of year. In May this year I was at the top of Mont Ventoux in a 1988 3.2 Carrera in a wet blizzard and when we drove over the Col du Rousset there was 9 in of lying snow beside the road that had fallen overnight. However the Col du Rousset road surface had been cleared, so it was fine on summer tyres as long as you were sensible.
I use both Michelin PS4 and winter tyres on my 986S everyday car. The PS4 tyres have been a revelation and work much better than older design summer tyres at low temperatures, at least down to 4 Celsius in my experience. So I now leave it later in the year before changing to winters in England, as I am not a fan of how winter tyres feel, especially in the first few thousand miles.
just one addition - I believe if you end up having an accident in winter conditions, then very likely you will not have insurance in countries such as Austria/Germany (and I believe Switzerland). You have to have the right tyres for the conditions no matter what time of the year it is.
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