Don’t confuse M+S with winter tyres
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By David Wilcox GOODYEAR Dunlop has warned operators that are looking for tyres that work well in the winter not to be confused by the M+S (mud and snow) marking on tyre sidewalls.
The irm said there is a common misconception that tyres marked M+S could be used as winter tyres, and warned that not every M+Smarked tyre offered the same level of performance – nor may it be suitable for all winter conditions.
To address this issue, a new European type approval regulation (EC/661/2009) has adopted UNECE Regulation 117.02, dein ing what performance tests a snow tyre must pass. Tyres that meet this standard carry a symbol on their sidewall, comprising a snowlake within the outline of a mountain.
This regulation takes effect for new type-approved tyres on 1 November. It should not be confused with the new tyre labelling rules that come into force on the same day and cover tyre energy eficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise.
A Goodyear spokesman said: “Winter tyres are developed not only for extreme weather, but they also perform better than other tyres at lower temperatures.”