Driving advice

During the winter season, some countries have to contend with snow-bound roads for prolonged periods, where as elsewhere, the duration of the snow covering may be shorter but with frequent heavy falls.
These problems severely affect individual and collective mobility, as well as vehicles and road conditions.
Listed below are some of Pirelli’s recommendations to insure you achieve optimum performance and safety when operating your vehicle in Winter conditions while using Pirelli’s Winter tires.

Avoid sudden acceleration or braking that might result in loss of adhesion on snow covered or icy surfaces.

Always use four Winter tires
A uniformed outfitting is essential in order to guarantee optimum performance and safety when driving. Always use 4 Winter tires of the same brand and that same constructive characteristics. Mount on the same axle tires of the same dimensions, with characteristics of use, tread pattern design and similar wear and tear conditions. The use of snow tires, where permitted, must be extended to all four wheels. Consult the user's and maintenance manual of the vehicle for the correct load index and speed code of the tires to utilize.

Regularly check tire pressure
Tire pressure should be checked regularly and, if necessary, corrected prior to a trip when the tires are cold. Observe the pressure recommendations of the car manufacturer. Pay attention to the variations of the pressure in relation to the external temperature: a 2.0 bar pressure measured at +4°F reduces to 1.74 bar at -23°F and it falls to 1.59 bar when the temperature is at -4°F (variation equal to 20%).

Check the speed code
Pay attention to the speed limits prescribed by the code indicated on the side of the tire (external side). When the conditions previously described occur the vehicle can be equipped with with tires of a lower code than that which is prescribed adapting the speed in correspondence. In such case, the EEC regulation imposes that the reduction of the speed is individually rendered through an adhesive sticker affixed inside the vehicle (windshield or dashboard = in a way that it is always visible to the driver).

Frequently check the treadpattern
The performance of the Winter tires remain appreciable up to a tread depth of 3 mm, below which the tires are no longer adequate for winter use but can be utilised as summer tires up to the legal limit of minimum depth of the primary grooves of the treads fixed at 1.6 mm. When not in use, inter tires must be stored , preferably mounted on rims and inflated checking their pressure regularly. If stored without rims they should be statcked on their side (max 4).

Regularly rotate Winter tires correctly every 6000/7500 miles.