Motoring|A specific abbreviation for friction tires must be found at the beginning of December or they are illegal.
A winter tire when planning the exchange, you should check one entry to avoid committing illegalities. Older friction tires may lack the mountain marking, which is required from the beginning of December.
It is exactly the 3PMSF notation. The awkward abbreviation comes from the words “three-peak mountain snowflake“. According to its English name, it can be recognized by the symbol of the three-peaked mountain.
From December 1, it is required for friction tires – or winter tires must be studded.
The new marking indicates that the tire has been tested and found to be suitable for demanding winter conditions. It is practically marked on all new winter tires sold in Finland.
In the year In the 2020 law reform, the permitted winter tires were defined even more precisely. Transition period is until December of this year, but many may have forgotten the whole thing.
In old frictions, you may find only the letters M or S expressed in one way or another. They refer to the words “mud” and “snow”, but the label now requires a mountain as its companion.
If you own such an old tire, it is probably so old anyway that it needs to be replaced.
The online shopper is at risk of ordering a tire without a new marking if, for some reason, he orders the tires from Central Europe. HS tested in his tire test a year ago, such southern tires, and their performance in northern conditions was poor.
Other winter tires must be used from the beginning of November to the end of March, if the weather requires it. Automobile union according to the barometer last year, about half of motorists changed their tires by the end of October.
According to the association, as many as 80 percent said they drive with studs in winter. Instead, the majority of electric car drivers drove with friction. The figures are based on research interviews with a thousand people.
“Studded tires are often clearly the best in terms of grip in certain weather conditions, such as on watery ice, but many choose studded tires just out of old habit. High-quality studless tires are a very good option and even better than studded tires in many general winter conditions”, reflects the association’s communications manager in Friday’s press release. Jukka Tolvanen.
Don’t forget to read HS’s recent tire test
HS tested six studded tires for the coming winter. You can read the results of the recent test here. The test was driven in harsh conditions with Tesla’s Model Y car.
The test tires were Continental, Goodyear, Michelin and Nokian Tires, which are considered quality brands. Toyo and Sailun tires were also selected from the more affordable selection.