A large share of Russian car owners switch from summer to winter tires as soon as the daily average temperature dips below 5°C, while 27% wait for the first snowfall to start the change. This finding comes from a joint study conducted by SberAuto and the Auto Mail.ru portal and summarized for socialbites.ca.
In detail, nearly half of respondents (49%) said they replace summer tires with winter tires when the thermometer shows under 5 degrees on average. About 27% follow the criterion of the first snowfall. A smaller group, 11%, tries to complete the swap in early October, and 9% expect the period of tire changing to pass with the onset of autumn crowds diminishing.
During September, 2% of vehicle owners already change their tires for winter. Another 1% either stick to all season tires or rarely use their cars and therefore do not alter tires during the season.
The survey also reveals that 53% of Russian motorists opt for new winter tires based on wear rather than a fixed service life, with 24% making the purchase after five or more seasons of use.
More than 3,500 drivers from various regions across Russia participated in the study.
Earlier, Ford Focus was named one of the most liquid and affordable cars in Russia. [citation: SberAuto and Auto Mail.ru study data, shared for socialbites.ca]