Call to warn car buyers about snow tyre dangers
Thursday, 6 December 2018
After three near-misses when his imported jeep 'spun out' on corners, Costa Feneridis discovered the vehicle was fitted with snow tyres, and he wants them banned.
'They're just deadly.'
Feneridis has support from the Motor Trade Association (MTA) which said the tyres coming in on some second hand imports from northern Japan where snow is common in winter had no place in New Zealand.
MTA spokesman Graeme Swan said it should be compulsory for car dealers to tell buyers snow tyres were fitted because New Zealand temperatures, particularly in summer, were way beyond the maximum 7 degrees Celsius recommended for their use.
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'When you're running around the Coromandel, Hawkes Bay or the Bay of Islands and it's 20-plus degrees these tyres are well outside their operating temperature.'
NZ Transport Agency figures show tyre-related crashes were responsible for 23 deaths and more than 200 injuries last year, but the data does not specify whether snow tyres were involved.
Swan said the MTA was pushing for more safety information on the consumer information notice (CIN) registered traders had to display on sale vehicles, and it could flag snow tyres.
The MTA also wants CINs made compulsory for the 70 per cent of vehicles sold privately so buyers were well informed before purchasing.
Getting a fair deal
Feneridis said he had never heard of snow tyres and was not told they were on the second hand Jeep Wrangler import he bought at an Auckland car yard two years ago for use at the family bach in Northland.
Puzzled by its poor cornering, he discovered the reason when the jeep failed a warrant of fitness late last year, and with regular tyres fitted, it was much better to drive.
When he complained to the car dealer, he was told the jeep had passed all the necessary checks and selling it with snow tyres was legal.
Automobile Association regulations advisor Mark Stockdale agreed that adding snow tyres to the CIN was a good idea because it gave buyers an opportunity to negotiate to have them replaced as part of the deal.
Including a check box for snow tyres on warrant of fitness forms would be another way of alerting car owners who needed to be better educated about their limitations.
'The reality is that if you're not living near a mountain, or in Queenstown or Wanaka, you don't need a car with snow tyres.
'In other countries where they have snow on the ground for months at a time, vehicle owners have two sets of tyres – a winter set and a summer set – and they rotate their tyres according to the seasons. In some countries it's a legal requirement. '
Identifying snow tyres
About 160,000 second hand vehicles a year are imported from Japan.
Vehicle Importers Association chief executive David Vinsen said it had no idea how many came with snow tyres, but they were not restricted to four-wheel-drives.
Although that information should be made available to buyers, it was also up to them to 'do due diligence' before purchasing, he said.
According to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) snow or winter tyres are usually marked with a snowflake and mountain symbol, or the word 'studless' on the sidewall.
They also have a distinctive deep square-patterned tread with small zig-zag grooves and the tread must be at least 4 millimetres deep, compared with a minimum 1.5mm tread on other tyres.
Winter tyres should not be confused with the broader category of all-season 'mud and snow' tyres which are commonly fitted to 4WD vehicles and marked with the letters 'M&S'.
In 2010 new rules prohibited mixing winter and other tyres on the same vehicle to prevent it becoming unbalanced and difficult to control in an emergency or during hard braking.
Safety issues
In 2011 a coroner recommended banning snow tyres after they were implicated in a fatal crash, but the Ministry of Transport said there was no evidence they were a safety concern, and banning them completely was not something it would look at.
'Previous work to look at snow tyres on New Zealand roads identified that the primary issue was more related to age – they're only used for a small portion of the year and are then taken off, meaning they can get brittle and old before the tread wears down.
'Because snow tyres are not a clear safety risk there is no requirement to inform the purchaser if a vehicle is fitted with them,' an MOT spokeswoman said.
NZTA recorded 426 tyre-related crashes in 2017, and two-thirds of the crashes were attributed to punctures or blowouts and worn treads.
Incorrect tyre type accounted for 21 crashes, and mixed treads or use of space saver tyres were factors in 27 crashes.
Stockdale said he believed it was worth authorities investigating what part snow tyres were playing in crashes, but motorists could do their bit too by acting swiftly on any safety concerns.
'The first time something doesn't feel right, then go and get your car checked, don't wait, get expert advice.'