Leaving for a winter vacation will require that you investigate what winter tyres you might need. If you stay in your country, there you won’t have any problems, but if you leave your country, some countries won’t allow the use of studded tyres. Studded tyresare forbidden in certain countries, like Germany and Poland, and also in some countries, certain roads won’t allow the use of them. This can cause a big problem if you are not aware of it and haven’t considered it.
The best decision is to use non-studded tyres or use the all-season tyres that are approved for winter use whenever you drive in the different nations. Then you are always in accordance with local laws. If you end up with studded tyres in Germany or Poland, where it is forbidden, you may be fined and unable to proceed with your journey before you change to legal tyres. For this you have to go at service station where you can buy new tyres and replace the old tyres with new tyres. So after you have purchased a new set of tyres, paid the other expenses and the police fine for using illegal tyres, you can continue your drive. As you can imagine, this can be quite an expensive mistake, and you can end up spending a large part of the vacation budget on this. You will probably end up with some major delays for your trip, so it won’t be a good start to the vacation.
Depending on your journey, you might also be required by law to have snow chains in your car. You can also buy this at the petrol stations along the way in the area that requires it. They are not that expensive, so they won’t set you back too much. They also provide extra traction if there is heavy snowfall. Snow chains are easy to put on and take off, so you will only use them when they are needed.
It is important that before you leave on your vacation, that check that the winter tyres you have are in good condition and can be used in all the countries you will visit and drive through. The tyres need to be free from any visible damages and have sufficient remaining tread depth and correct tyre pressure. If you detect any problems with your tyres, it is worth visiting a tyre service station for them to check the tyres. If the tyres need more tyre pressure, you just have to fill them up and continue your trip.
Check the tyre pressure also along the trip, as it can change, and you don’t want to drive long stretches with too low tyre pressure as it impacts the fuel consumption and also increases the tyre wear.
Taking the car on a vacation as you can visit other places along the way, and you have more flexibility also when you reach the end destination; for it to be a successful trip, you just need to plan ahead and know what rules apply. Then just drive safely!
For more details about the winter tyres, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/