Winter tires pack your car up real warm

Those heading into the winter season with summer tires reduce mileage performance by up to 20 percent," says Dr. Holger Lange, winter tire developer at automotive supplier Continental. The reason: The rubber compound used in summer tires can stiffen already when ground temperatures drop below seven degrees Celsius. The consequence is much higher wear. Even in terms of safety it's a good idea to switch to winter tires before the first frost hits. Dr. Lange: "At low temperatures, only winter tires with their special compounds can ensure optimum grip under all driving conditions."

ADAC test results dramatically illustrate the shortcomings of summer tire grip on wintry roads. "At a speed as low as 30 km/h, the braking distance on a snow-packed road is three times as long for a vehicle fitted with summer tires as for one fitted with winter tires," says Ruprecht Müller from the ADAC Technical Center in Landsberg am Lech. So driving summer tires in winter is not only unnecessarily hard on your pocketbook. It is also much less safe and puts others on the road at risk as well. This notwithstanding, many drivers are all too willing to take their chances on slick roads, ice and snow, as the results of the current Continental traffic study show. While 83 percent of those interviewed rate a tire switch the most important way to increase safety in the cold months of the year, only one out of every two actually makes the change.

Here's how to ensure your safety in winter:

• Change to winter tires early on. That makes for a wider margin of safety and reduces waiting time at the tire shop.
• Make sure your car is equipped with ice-scrapers, gloves and a jumper cable.
• Add antifreeze to your car's coolant and windschield wiper system.
• Check your battery's performance.
• Don't wait around to switch your windshield wipers once they start to smear.
• Check your lights and make sure they're aimed correctly.
• Be careful when temperatures get around the freezing point. In just a few minutes, a wet road can be covered with a treacherous sheet of ice.