WE all look forward to enjoying the alpine holidays and weekend getaways that were so greatly missed last year, and to ensure we’re off to a good start we all need to travel through the region safely, especially when the roads become busier.

As Richard Townley from Snow Drive Solutions explains, snow or winter tyres are a staple in Europe and parts of North America, and we’re becoming better educated about them in Australia too.

“Our vehicles are kept on the road by the four tyre contact areas that are not much bigger than the size of your hand,” said Richard, who began importing Nokian winter tyres in 2004 and now consults with Snow Drive Solutions.

“Acceleration with original equipment summer tyres, all-season tyres or all-terrain tyres in Australian winter conditions is relatively easy to achieve with AWDs and 4WDs.

“Driving is usually okay until there’s a need to steer or stop in a hurry, and the tyres do not grip.

“This is why you see so many SUVs and 4X4s off the road in alpine areas.

“From November 17, 2020, the new Victorian Alpine Resorts (Management) Regulations now recognise winter or snow tyres as ‘a tyre whose tread pattern, tread compound and structure are specifically designed to achieve better performance, on a road affected by snow or ice, than that of a normal tyre with regard to its ability to initiate, maintain or stop vehicle motion’.

“By definition normal tyres, all-season tyres, highway-terrain tyres, summer tyres, all-terrain tyres, off-road tyres, mud-terrain tyres and M+S tyres do not comply with the regulations.”

In Australia, the terms ‘snow tyres’ and ‘winter tyres’ are usually interchangeable.

So what are the features that set them apart from other tyres?

Tread compound – Special silica compounds remain soft below 7°C to maintain grip with the road.

Sipes – Fine cuts in the tread that improve the grip of the tyre, especially when cornering and braking.

Tread pattern – Symmetrical and directional tread pattern that helps prevent slush planing and aquaplaning.

Polished grooves – Removes water, slush and snow from the surface of the tyre for better contact with the road.

“No transmission system or electronic controls are an alternative for snow tyres,” Richard explained.

“In the winter, four-wheel drive can help get your vehicle going, but it won’t help when trying to stop.

“There’s only one way to increase that level of wintertime grip, and it’s by adding snow tyres.”

The tread pattern of an all-season or M+S tyre for example, will not disperse wet snow slush from underneath the tyre.

The contact between the tyre and the road will be lost, and so will the grip.

The M+S symbol on tyres is very misleading.

It’s a declaration from the tyre manufacturer that the product can operate in mud and snow better than their regular models.

However, there is no performance standard or traction/stopping tests to pass as the M+S designation refers only to the tread pattern.

With all these tyre names it’s easy to be confused.

A particular one that is often misunderstood is the difference between all-weather and all-season tyres.

“Nokian All-Weather tyres are new type of winter tyre specifically designed for year-round use,” said Richard.

‘‘They feature special tread compounds and extensive tread siping to supply high levels of traction and braking grip at high and low temperatures.

“All-season tyres, on the other hand, are often referred to as three-season tyres – summer, spring and autumn – as they are not really designed to provide safe winter performance.”

All vehicles in Victoria (and 2WDs in NSW) are required to carry wheel chains that can be correctly fitted to your tyres when required. Snow chains are designed to help you climb a gradient that’s beyond the grip level of the tyres.

“The Owner’s Manual of your vehicle will detail what wheel and tyre combinations are approved for the fitting of wheel chains,” said Richard.

“In order for wheel chains to work effectively they must penetrate into the compacted snow surface to provide the maximum amount of traction.

“Traction may be lost and wheel spin experienced when the snow and/or ice begins to break up and melts to slush – this is what causes chain wear. In these situations the vehicle can slide on the wheel chains.

“The new Victorian Alpine Resorts (Management) Regulations 2020 define wheel chains as ‘devices made up of chains in a diamond pattern that are designed to be fitted to wheels of a motor vehicle to increase the directional stability and traction of the wheels of that vehicle on a road affected by snow or ice'. ”

This will impact the types of chains that will be permitted in Victorian Alpine Regions.