Ready for the "cool" time of year?
BACK TO OVERVIEWIn terms of sunshine, our summer has been rather chilled. And as for the cold 2021 season, it seems to be warming up especially early. This, however, has no influence on rims whatsoever. Because with the designs from DOTZ you can be chic and trendy in winter, too. Thanks to our highly durable SRC paint (Salt & Sun Resistant Coating), you will be riding the exact same style that you love, also during snow and ice. After all, damages and oxidation-induced discolouration - and UV-light as well - are blocked out reliably.
Triple protection
The primer of an SCR coating is a robust powder paint that is applied electrostatically and then “baked on” at 210 °C. Following this, the actual “colour carrier” is applied in form of a modern wet coating. Up to two ultra-hard clear lacquers then form the transparent sealing and first line of defence against environmental influences.
Even front-polished wheels are no longer off-limits. And why not take the change of season as an opportunity to get a fresh look? In our DOTZ 3D configurator you can easily try out our most recent product range on your car model.
Don’t miss the start
Don’t wait too long to fit your winter tyres. Else, in the first snowfall surprise attack you may have to leave your precious ride with the summer tyres behind. Safety demands it, as well as the situative mandatory winter tyre rule which, in Germany, applies throughout the year while in Austria, it is upheld between 1st of November and 15th of April. Apart from that, regardless of the weather, there is also the O to E rule of thumb – from October to Easter.
During that time, based on experience, cold temperatures are most likely to occur. And even without snow and ice that’s reason enough for dangerously low grip, handling and braking performance of summer tyres. The rubber mix in winter tyres is softer and therefore more elastic at lower temperatures than is the case with harder summer tyres.
Also good to know: Winter tyres that were manufactured after 1st of January 2018 must now bear an Alpine symbol (snowflake) in Germany. In Austria, the symbols “M+S”, “M.S.” or “M&S” are still sufficient. The same holds true for all-season tyres.
First check and clean – then store
During winter, your beloved summer wheels are best kept in a wheel hotel. If you prefer to store them in your garage or basement, we have a couple of tips for you. Before you “tuck them away“ you should clean them thoroughly. Read our blog to find out how to do that gently and effectively.
Furthermore, it’s best to stack them horizontally on top of each other or keep them on a rim stand or a suitable wall hook. During storage it is recommended to increase the air pressure by 0.5 bar.
Not only donuts harm your wheels
But are the tyres still any good? Even if you’re not doing donuts 24/7 and letting your tyres go up in smoke, at some point the tread will have vanished. To avoid unpleasant surprises when unpacking your tyres in spring, it’s best to check the condition of the tyres before storing them.
In Germany, a tread depth of 1.6mm is mandatory both for summer and winter models. In Austria, this applies only to summer tyres while in winter the tread for commonly used radial tyres must measure at least 4mm. By the way, that’s also our recommendation – no matter where you live. Last but not least, other tyre damages should also be mentioned: Have you found sticks, screws, nails or other pointy objects in the rubber?
Are there any material fractures, or is there any unusual and uneven wear and tear? In such cases it’s best to let go of the old rubber or ask for professional help at a specialist tyre shop.
Kissed by the kerb
You should also inspect the rims before storing them because the finish could have been damaged by high-pressure water blasters used up close, stone impact or a kerb bump. This bears the danger that the aluminium starts to corrode, which makes for an ugly sight, and in the area of the rim flange even leakages may occur.
That’s why, damages should be repaired as fast as possible and not left for the next spring when they may have gotten worse. If you have touched the kerb at a higher speed or at an adverse angle, you may even risk material fractures or severe deformations. Since this can lead to loss of air and impaired driving behaviour, the affected rim needs to be replaced.
In any case, when it comes to safety, the following slogan should always apply: Don’t just dazzle, bring together appearance and reality.