Winter M&S Tyres (New German Regulations)

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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Just seen that the UK is getting hit with the White Stuff more so than us in Berlin. These comments came up here recently regarding New German Laws on the M&S Tyre Useage. I just thought it might be of interest to you in case there are EU Changes planned in the future. For us here it is a Law from Nov to April (6 months) but in the UK there is no Obligation.
This might well be of no interest for the UK, but just thought I would inform - Dave :D

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The German law requires that all motor vehicles have clearly marked Winter or All-Season Tyres for the icy, snowy, slushy road conditions that occur between Nov & April. The ECE regulation No. 30 of the EU directive 92/23 and § 36 of the German “Strassenverkehrs-Zulassungs Ordnung” do state that snow tyres should always carry the indication M+S, M&S or M.S. (mud + snow or matsch und schnee). Tyres bearing the “Three-Mountain” logo (three mountain peaks with a snowflake), are made to handle severe winter conditions, and winter tyres are better for poor road conditions than all-season tyres.

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There are generally speaking Three Tyre Types : Summer, All-Season and Winter Tyres. All of these tyres can also carry the M+S rating but not all are suitable for winter driving. Winter tyres use a type of rubber (with a high silica content) and a tread pattern designed to stay flexible in low temperatures of – below +7C to give better braking and handling performance on snow and ice as well as on wet roads in cold conditions.
Tyres that have M+S are different to winter tyres . All season tyres use a similar rubber compound to winter tyres but have a tread pattern somewhere between a normal summer tyre and an out-and-out winter tyre (see Illustration). They're a bit of a compromise but should work better on wintry roads than a summer tyre and avoid the cost and hassle of swapping tyres twice a year. The M+S symbol on tyres sidewall means that the tyres have performance capabilities for both mud and snow conditions. However if you get the wrong M+S type of tyres not all M+S rated tyres are the same. ie M+S rated summer tyres you could find that you have loss of grip when tempratures fall using M+S rated tyres for winter conditions.
To sum it all up just remember that M+S means mud and snow and its not the same as a Winter Tyre. M+S tyres with the tread design that meets M + S definition are branded according to the discretion of the tyre manufacturer.

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Thrall
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Post by Thrall »

Thanks for that Dave. Very informative, and could well be the trend in other countries.
What is the minimum winter tread depth in Germany at present? For us in (sometimes) snowy Iceland, the minimum is 3mm in winter, 1.6mm in summer. No obligation to be on winter tyres, but few do without, studs for 50%, the rest on all-season or M+S which are considered better for the environment ie. pedestrians' lungs, but dodgy in worst icy conditions.
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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Thrall, try this for information -Dave :)

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Big Blue
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Post by Big Blue »

I have j11 Tekna , can we buy M & S tyres in the uk?
duncho
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Post by duncho »

There should be a THANK button implemented on this forum. Thanks Dave!
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benchmark
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Post by benchmark »

Big Blue wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 6:22 pm I have j11 Tekna , can we buy M & S tyres in the uk?
Yes such as the Nokian WR A4 https://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop ... n=Wi&m_s=3
Mad Maru
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Post by Mad Maru »

I fitted these: Goodride in 215/65R16 98 H profile: SW608 on a 16” Borbet alloy as part of winter tyre purchase and loved the assurance on the road in these colder temperatures. Purchased from German seller.


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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Big Blue, try here for example - Dave ;)

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