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Are Brand New Budget Tires Better Than Worn Premium Ones in the Winter?

Every year, the tires that are fitted to your vehicle get older, even if you do not use them at all. This scenario is the worst both for tires and vehicles, but this article is not about that. Instead, you might have asked yourself if a budget tire will do a better job than your rather-worn premium tires.
Worn premium tires versus new budget tires 11 photos
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by Tyre Reviews
Worn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tiresWorn premium tires versus new budget tires
With fuel becoming more expensive since the year started, along with other rising costs of living, many people are wondering if their existing tires can be used for longer. If so, for how long could an old premium tire continue to be used safely?

First, let us cover the minimum tread depth for winter tires, so that everyone is on the same page. In Europe, the minimum legal tread depth for all passenger car tires is 1.6 millimeters (about 0.06 in). Any less than that, and you are driving on illegally unsafe tires. In some countries in Europe, especially in winter conditions, you need more than 1.6 millimeters (ca. 0.06 in) to be legal to drive on snow-covered roads.

For example, in Austria, someone driving a passenger car that has winter or all-season tires but with less than four millimeters of thread remaining will be fined if caught driving on a snow-covered road. The fine is the same as for using summer tires instead.

ADAC experts found that summer tires require at least three millimeters for safe use, while winter and all-season tires should have at least four millimeters (just over 5/32 in) of thread depth to be considered safe. As you can see, it is quite different from the legal minimum. Note that the legal minimum restrictions for the place where you live may be different, so please check for yourself.

As you may have noticed, the legal minimum does not equal maximum performance, thus maximum safety. Instead, it refers to the minimum possible level that could be considered safe without a fine, but going just 0.1 millimeters (0.004 inches) under it, and you are driving a passenger car with illegal tires. In other words, it would not be wise to attempt to use a set of tires with such wear anymore.

Jonathan Benson of Tyre Reviews has done a different kind of test, involving a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires that were shaved with a special machine to reduce their tread depth, then driven in real life for 4,000 kilometers (about 2,485 miles or close to the width of the U.S.) before the test.

Those tires are facing a budget brand that fared well in its class at the time of testing, but it now faces a premium competitor. Watch the video for yourself to see how things unfold, as well as to learn what the numbers will not tell you.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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