Winter Tyres in London

Winter rubber is softer, and its tread is cut with thousands of tiny sipes; the result is grip that holds below 7°C, from frost to slush to cold, wet roads around London and nearby. Once the roads warm up they wear down fast and feel woolly, so they go back in the garage in spring on London's roads.

As for the weather, London gets wet, mild winters, with cold days under 7°C in spells rather than months on end most years, and that is the backdrop. For the majority here a winter set is optional; where it makes sense is December to February, above all for early starts, exposed routes and anyone who cannot sit out a snowy morning in London and beyond.

In practice, the normal arrangement is a winter set and a summer set, swapped in autumn and spring, and each change is a booked slot from London to West Drayton. Worth knowing: with both sets on their own wheels the swap is quick at the fitting bay from Clerkenwell to Farringdon Within.

2 centres sit within 2.7 miles of the middle of London, the closer of them 2.2 miles out; winter tyres are on the list at both, and the full network of 136 runs from London to West Drayton, and the checkout lists them by distance from you.