Do I need to break in winter tires?

The service life of winter tires largely depends on its quality, but how it was run in also matters. Even very good tires can fail very quickly if handled incorrectly in the first couple of years.

Running in studded tires

No one hides the basic rules for running in studded tires. The main thing is not to drive faster than 70 km/h for the first 1 thousand km, not to do sharp braking and not to aggressively take turns. But there are also some subtleties.
In order for all the studs to reach the same correct height above the tread, the wheels must be run in on a flat road, that is, asphalt. Since rubber hardens in cold weather, it is best to start while it is still warm and the stud can press into it.

The stud in tires that have been run in on ice and snow protrudes more. This gives better grip, but as soon as you then drive out onto a regular cleared road with established tires, the studs begin to slip and fly out very quickly. That is, if you don’t run them on asphalt, the tires will be destroyed when the weather thaws.
Running in on asphalt will take no more than 500 km. It is advisable to drive the first 100 km at a speed of up to 40 km/h. The limit for the second hundred is 60 km/h.Ideally, break-in should be done with pauses of at least a couple of hours, so that the rubber has time to cool and fix the studs in the position in which they are placed.

The ideal temperature for break-in is 0-10°C. In such conditions, the lubricant used to seat it at the factory can leak out from under the heel of the stud through micropores. Without it, the thorn will sit completely.
When breaking in, it is important to check the tire pressure every 2-3 days. It must be normal for the spike to take the correct position. It is important to avoid slipping on ice when the tires chew through it to the asphalt. It is also dangerous to turn the steering wheel while standing still. If you do this on asphalt, you can simply tear out a couple of spikes.

Running in friction rubber

When running in friction tires, you must maintain a maximum speed limit of 70-80 km/h for the first 100 km. This is enough to erase the top layer of rubber to the base compound, which provides maximum stability on the road. It is advisable to drive more actively for the next 100 km in order to wipe off the lubricant used at the factory to coat 3D molds between the lamellas.

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