Studded or friction winter tires in Aktobe, and when to fit them

Studded and friction tires are two constructions of winter tire. Studs bite into ice. A friction tire grips with soft rubber and many thin slits in the tread. Both meet the winter-tire requirement. Choose by your roads.

winter tires are required on a passenger car

Dec–Feb

studded tires are banned

Jun–Aug

at this tread depth a winter tire is no longer fit for snow and ice

4 mm

Winter tire rules in Kazakhstan

These rules come from technical regulation TR CU 018/2011, which Kazakhstan applies:

• In December, January and February a passenger car, and a goods vehicle up to 3.5 t, must run on winter tires. A winter tire carries the three-peak mountain and snowflake symbol or the M+S marking.
• In June, July and August studded tires are banned.
• A winter tire is unfit for snow and ice when its tread depth is 4 mm or less.

Under the traffic rules, a studded tire and a non-studded tire must not share an axle. The police put the fine for tires that do not match the season at 5 Monthly Calculation Indices (MCI). A repeat offence within a year costs 20 MCI.

Studded and friction: the difference

Nokian Tyres names studded tires the better choice for wet ice and hard-packed snow. It recommends friction tires for snowy roads with only occasional ice, and for drivers who want a quiet tire on clear asphalt.

In 2020 the Russian magazine Za Rulem compared both types with all-season tires in size 255/55 R19. On ice, studded tires braked more than 90% better than the all-season tires, and soft friction tires about one and a half times better. On snow both types braked up to 18% better than the all-season tires. On asphalt studded tires were up to a quarter worse than the all-season tires, and friction tires about 20% worse.

Choosing for your journeys

Think about the road you drive on for most of the winter.

• Studded, if you often drive on ice and packed snow, on highways and out of town or on streets that are not cleared. Za Rulem also recommends studs for new drivers.
• Friction, if for most of the winter your wheels are on cleared asphalt or snow and ice is occasional. They are quieter and lose less grip on asphalt.

When to fit winter tires in Aktobe

Long-term records put the average October temperature in Aktobe at 6.1 °C. The average night minimum is 0.9 °C, so night frosts already happen. The November average is −3.0 °C. In October snow lies for about one day on average, and from November it stays longer.

Do not wait for 1 December. Fit winter tires when night frosts begin. On average that is late October or early November. Nokian advises that friction tires can go on earlier than studded ones, and they lose less grip on dry asphalt.

Check before fitting

1. Measure the tread depth in three places around each tire. A winter tire with 4 mm or less is no longer fit for snow and ice.
2. Check that each axle has tires of the same size, model, and type.
3. Look for cuts, bulges and cracks on the sidewalls after storage. Show such a tire at a fitting shop before fitting it.