-
I moved to France for the cake – and then learned to love British baking
Columnist Sarah Henshaw rediscovers the British baking tradition of comfort, jam and just having a go
-
Is it time to shorten France's school holidays?
Pascal Bressoux, professor of educational sciences at the University of Grenoble Alpes, explains why the school timetables need a rethink
-
Savoyards poke fun at Parisians over snow disruption
A few centimetres shut down capital but for those in Savoie ‘it’s time to clear the chalet steps so no one slips after an apero’
Winter tyre safety issue: Using them over summer in France
A Connexion reader highlights that driving on winter tyres in summer not only wears them out, it is more dangerous too
Your article in the November issue states winter tyres used in summer will wear out more quickly.
Read more: Snow tyre law could be used by French car insurers to refuse claims
While this is true, driving on winter tyres in summer is also dangerous.
This is because the rubber compound in winter tyres disintegrates at high temperatures.
It means that under hard braking, the tyres will end up rolling on bits of rubber instead of the road.
One article I read described these bits as being like small rubber ball bearings!
Advertisement
Consequently, the stopping distance using winter tyres in summer is almost double that of regular summer tyres.
It seems to me that when deciding whether to switch tyres in summer, this safety aspect supersedes the fact they will wear out faster.
Connexion reader Scott Nelson, by email
Related articles
Should French car hire firms provide winter tyres or chains?
