Why the Swiss change their tires

It's snowing, not a lot, just a dusting. And it's not really sticking at my elevation of 1,300 meters.

In light of the weather, my karate teacher Roland, who happens to be an automobile aficionado, told me that it is dangerous to drive with summer tires, even if the roads are clear of snow or ice. He said that summer tires are made to only be effective at or above 7.5 degrees Celcius (45.5 ºF) and summer tires will not grip the road properly at temperatures under this limit, especially in curves. This could be a problem when attempting to stop.

Changing tires in the US was never a thing, so I double checked, and Roland was right. So from now on, I will have my tires changed before the risk of a first snowfall.