When should you change them?

In ice and snow, you should not drive with summer tires due to the weather, in summer winter tires endanger your safety with low grip and long braking distances. So twice a year you have to switch from one set to the other. However, many drivers do not know when the time will come. We’ll tell you when to pick up the cross wrench.

Changing tires: This rule of thumb applies

In Germany, winter tires are practically mandatory in winter. This so-called “situational tire obligation” has been anchored in the road traffic regulations since 2010 (§2, paragraph 3a). To ensure the safety of drivers and other road users, you may only drive if the car’s tires can handle slush, black ice and similar surfaces. Driving with summer tires is in temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius so no longer recommended.

So that you don’t get into trouble, you should follow the rule of thumb “from O to O” keep. This means that you can drive with summer tires from Easter to October, with winter tires it’s the other way around. Note that this regulation is only a framework and is more of a recommendation.

To be on the safe side, you should change your tires before it gets really cold. Depending on the situation, stick to these Recommendations from security experts, authorities and manufacturers. Of course, you should also change the tires on all four wheels.

Tire change: Do it yourself or go to the workshop?

If you don’t have the necessary skills or even the right tools, you can of course always go to your trusted workshop to have your tires changed make an appointment. With the professional, the change happens correctly, safely and quickly. This can cost a lot with two workshop visits a year, but as long as you trust the mechanics there, you protect yourself and other road users in the long run.

If you always do the process yourself anyway, the following is old hat for you. However, if you are curious and ambitious, but have never changed tires yourself, we have them here the most important toolsthat you need for this.

• First you need one jack, which is suitable for your vehicle (and its weight). You can find information on this, for example, in the operation manual of your car, which you should also have with you.
• Then you need one wheel cross (cross wrench) for loosening and screwing on the tires (view at Amazon). For tightening, we recommend one torque wrench with a sufficiently large tightening torque (see on Amazon).
• You may need one rim wrench or jackstands. In our opinion, however, this is not mandatory.
• To clean the tires you have driven, you should have a wire brush, cloth and rust remover at hand. One small box for screws makes the outfit easier for you.

Since you should make sure that the Ride tires evenly, you should change front and rear tires every season. This means that a tire that was run on the front left in winter 2019 on 2020 should be fitted on the rear left on winter 2020 on 2021.

Never change tires from left to right! There is a direction of rotation for tyres, which is indicated on the side. To mark where and when a tire was last fitted, you need (grease) chalk or a wax crayon.

Changing tires: A rough guide

Not all tires can be changed yourself, for example if your car has a tire pressure monitoring system. Otherwise nothing stands in the way of the process. We strongly recommend wearing gloves at all times, and one especially the first time experienced helping hand to have with you. There are plenty of video tutorials online that can help you, but these are not a substitute for real experience.

Note: You can seriously injure yourself when changing tires!

Park the vehicle on a level surface with enough space to work. First apply the handbrake and sets the first gear a. This prevents the vehicle from moving. Then lay out the tires that are to be mounted. Take each tire individually. Here is a rough sequence of steps:

1. Take off the hubcaps and loosen the wheel bolts a little. Still turning it not completely out.
2. Now set that jack at the appropriate points. You can find out exactly where in the operating instructions.
3. If the tire is at least a hand’s breadth above the ground, you can unscrew the screws completely. works here cross.
4. Carefully remove the wheel. Make sure here that you hands not on top of the wheel lays. If the jack fails, it can hurt a lot.
5. Now put the new wheel on and crossed the wheel nuts lightly with the cruciform wrench.
6. Don’t let the tire off completely just yet until he hits the ground and can’t turn anymore.
7. Now tighten the wheel with the torque wrench. The exact torque can be found in the operating instructions. Mostly you hear a faint cracklewhen the mother is sitting. Again, you should tighten the screws crosswise again.

If you are through with all the tires, you must finally check and correct the tire pressure. This is possible at most petrol stations.

You should pull out the torque wrench again after the first 50 kilometers and tighten the tires again. If something seems strange to you during this time, you should stop by the workshop for the sake of your safety.

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