The tyres are the most active safety equipment of your vehicle, especially in snow and icy conditions. Countless drivers believe AWD/4WD cancels the need for winter tyres. AWD/4WD helps the vehicle accelerate on snow and ice, but when it comes to stopping or turning it is the tyres that make the difference, not the drivetrain.

Your vehicle is kept on the road by the four tyre contact areas that are not much bigger than the size of your palm. All steering, braking and accelerating forces between a vehicle and the road are mediated by the tyres.

The owners manual of your vehicle will detail the winter tyre options and recommendations for driving in winter conditions. It will also list which wheel and tyre combinations are approved for fitting snow chains.

In this section

Why snow tyres work

It is the tyres that makes a vehicle grip the road in snow and icy conditions, not the vehicle drive system. There are several factors ...

Australian regulations

The requirements for snow tyres and chains vary depending on your location in Australia, and they have undergone some recent changes. You can use the ...

Wheel chain compatibility

Wheel chains are designed to allow a vehicle to climb a gradient that’s beyond the grip level of the tyres. In countries other than Australia, ...

Checking your winter grip

When you drive your vehicle in an alpine area in winter you need to determine how it performs in these low ambient temperatures and in ...

Severe conditions testing

Nokian Tyres dedicates at least half of the year to serious winter tyre testing. Braking, accelerating, handling tests, driving on a round circuit and up ...