Germany
M+S tyres
Understand the meaning and make proper use of it
Due to adverse road and weather conditions, winter poses an elevated safety risk for all road users. During the winter months you must therefore ensure that your vehicle is equipped to cope with the cold weather. Using the right tyres plays a particularly important role. In this case, so-called M+S tyres are the first choice. But what does this abbreviation stand for, and what properties do the tyres offer? Here the experts at reifen.com answer the most important questions regarding M+S tyres and their importance to road transport.
What are the properties of M+S tyres?
The abbreviation M+S stands for Mud and Snow. These tyres are intended for use in winter, i.e. primarily on roads with mud and snow, and are marked accordingly. They therefore have different properties to summer tyres, or even all-weather tyres. The main points of focus here are the material blend and the tread design.
- Material: winter tyres are softer than summer tyres. In low temperatures, a special rubber compound ensures that the material does not harden or become porous.
- Tread design: M+S tyres have fine tread blocks, which are intended to provide more consistent grip with the road surface. Winter tyres have around 2,000 sipes, which intermesh with the surface and ensure enhanced grip.
When and why is it essential to use M+S tyres?
In many countries, the use of winter tyres is now prescribed as a mandatory requirement under law. This also applies for Germany. If you instead drive with summer tyres and are caught by the police, a punishment won't be long coming.
It is therefore important that you change your tyres early. For summer tyres, the rule of thumb is that they can be used from Easter through to Halloween. As such, you should make the switch to winter tyres in October.
All-weather tyres: a compromise between M+S tyres and summer tyres?
In addition to winter and summer tyres, there are also all-weather tyres, also known as all-season tyres. These tyres can be used in any weather conditions, meaning there is no need to switch between summer and winter tyres. However, tests have shown that all-weather tyres wear out more quickly, especially in summer, which is of particular concern with M+S tyres and can pose a safety risk. What's more, these all-season tyres are to be viewed as a compromise. Manufacturers are now starting to apply an M+S label to certain all-weather tyres (often with a snowflake symbol). These are winter tyres, but that can also be driven on in the summer.
Suitable products
M+S tyres are a must in the winter. They are generally in particularly high demand in October, and so it is worth ordering your winter tyres early. At reifen.com you will always find a large selection of M+S tyres from numerous brand manufacturers. Thanks to our search function, you can quickly and easily find the suitable tyres for the winter months. What's more, you can also have these delivered directly to one of our fitting partners, who will fit the M+S tyres for you at a fair price, and store them for you during the summer months.
Order without any complication at reifen.com
reifen.com offers a huge selection of tyres of all kinds at a fair price. You can also select where they should be delivered when placing your order: to your home address, to a branch, or to a fitting partner.
