# Winter Tyres in Germany?



## FrankiaMH (Jul 2, 2005)

I understand that we are required by law in Germany to ensure we have Winter tyres when it is snowing/ frost on the roads. What I wanted to know is:-

A/ Do they have studs on them?

B/ Where do we obtain them in UK?

C/ Are they legal in the UK?


We are thinking about going over to Germany in January

Many thanks

FMH


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## 97993 (Mar 5, 2006)

I am no expert on harsh winter driving but racing on mud has given me some insight to slippery conditions,and special tyres 
You wont want to do many miles on studded tyres, extremely harsh on tarmac and wont last five mins if driven any distance without snow.
most tyre sizes and makes are available in what we in the uk call M&S mud and snow tyres.
Your best option would be these ,and snow chains for the most difficult snow bound roads 
We do have Member in Germany maybe he will have the definitive answers you require
Geo


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## 90430 (May 1, 2005)

> I understand that we are required by law in Germany
> 
> ```
> No, they are not required. Only recommended.
> ...


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## 97993 (Mar 5, 2006)

> PS: I drive Michelin Agilis 81 (all weather), even in the Alps. Another good tyre: Continental Vanco Four Season.


these are typical M&S or all season tyres


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi according to Boff they must have the "snowflake" icon to be classed as winter tyres.

Olley


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## FrankiaMH (Jul 2, 2005)

*Thanks GerhardF*

One of my colleagues mentioned that it was required. We have frankia QD which we haven't a clue what the tyres are, so don't know if they can cope with difficult conditions.

FMH


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## 90430 (May 1, 2005)

Hi,
Olley is right: True winter tyres must have a 'snowflake'. 
When you drive in Austria and there is a traffic sign that you must have winter tyres, you must have a snowflake on the tyre (not in Germany, M&S is enough).

A second PS for the German regulations:
You will by punished with 20€, if you cause a traffic jam with your tyres (but who will decide this, may be you have an unsuitable MH). 
You will be punished with 40€ an a 'dot' in your drivers license registry authority, if you cause an accident.

@FrankiaMH
After the statement of the ministry yesterday evening in the TV, they are not required.


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi!



FrankiaMH said:


> A/ Do they have studs on them?
> 
> B/ Where do we obtain them in UK?
> 
> C/ Are they legal in the UK?


ad A: No, tyres with studs are illegal in Germany. All year.

ad B: Don't know.

ad C: Yes.



GerhardF said:


> A second PS for the German regulations:
> You will by punished with 20€, if you cause a traffic jam with your tyres (but who will decide this, may be you have an unsuitable MH).
> You will be punished with 40€ an a 'dot' in your drivers license registry authority, if you cause an accident.


Hallo, noch ein Deutscher hier, der Gerhard heißt? Und mein Nachname fängt auch mit F an! 

But with the fines you are slightly wrong:
It is 20 EUR if you are just driving with "unsuitable" tyres. And get caught, of course.
It is 40 EUR if you obstruct the traffic because of unsuitable tyres, even if you do not cause an accident. One point on the driving license is true, but only affects German driving licenses.
If you do cause an accident because of unsuitable tyres the fines can be much higher!

Regarding "Snowflake" and "M+S" labels. This is a bit of an issue, because both labels have their downsides and the law is not fully clear here: 
German law does not specify any requirements for winter tyres, except that they must be "suitable", whatever that means. The M+S logo is legally protected in the EU, but its requirements date back to the last century, and modern tyres can be much better than that. The Snowflake is legally protected in the US, but not in the EU, so theoretically a tyre maker who does not export to the US could print it on any tyre. However, all well-known tyre brands do export to the US, so there tyres with snowflake would be best choice. 
In Austria the rule is quite simple: Winter tyres must have the snowflake icon and at least 4 millimetres profile depth.

Best Regards,
Gerhard

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi FMH,

A/ Do they have studs on them? - No.

B/ Where do we obtain them in UK? - Most major tyre suppliers have a winter version of their tyres, you need to order in plenty of time as they may be in short supply.

C/ Are they legal in the UK? - yes.

Have a look at this previous post >>here<< for more on this subject.

As for the 'snowflake' icon, I too thought that it was a requirement for driving on snow/ice affected roads in Germany. I ordered a set of Continental Vanco Winter tyres for my van recently, when I checked them, they had no snowflake icon but did have the M&S logo, I queried this with an email to Continental, they pnoned me at work to clarify the details and this is the further email reply I received this morning.....

quote -
Hello Pete,
Further to our telephone conversation I can confirm that after speaking to
my colleagues in Germany that there is not a legal requirement for Winter
tyres to carry a 'snowfake' symbol in Germany and it is purely a voluntary
mark. Our winter tyres do carry the M&S symbol and their performance will
be among / if not the best in the Winter tyre segment.

Regards

Gwyn Fennell
(Technical Service Manager)

This e-mail has been sent from Continental Tyre Group Ltd, a company
incorporated in the United Kingdom.
- unquote

So, it appears that winter tyres with the M&S mark are ok for Germany, but for driving in snow/ice affected roads in Austria you must have tyres with the 'snowflake' icon.

pete.


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