Tyres are a significant safety factor that influence driving characteristics in accidents involving private cars and vans. In research into accidents, over 90 per cent of the tyre related risks observed involved tyres in poor condition, inappropriate tyres or incorrect tyre pressures.
Choose your tyres correctly
You can find the correct tyre size for your car from its registration information. There may be one or several recommended and approved tyre sizes.
When you are choosing tyres, it is as well to check and minimise the noise they generate and their impact on fuel consumption.
Avoid using different makes and types of tyres on your car at the same time. For example, if you use studded tyres in winter, all the tyres should be studded.
Studded tyres can be used in Finland from 1 November to 31 March and also during other periods if so required by weather or road surface conditions.
Check your tyres regularly
According to the law, the depth of the main tread on the wear surface of tyres must be at least 1.6 mm for summer tyres and 3 mm for winter tyres.
However, when driving in wet conditions, the recommendation for tread depth on summer tyres is at least 4 mm. The recommendation for tread depth on winter tyres in snowy and icy conditions is at least 5 mm.
Remember to check your tyre pressures regularly too; the recommendation is at least once a month. You can find the correct tyre pressures for different loads in your car’s manual. Don’t forget the spare tyre. Incorrect tyre pressures affect the driving characteristics of your car and fuel consumption as well as shortening the working life of your tyres.