Getting winter tires ready before the season: a 5-step fleet plan

Winter tire season is one of the few events in a fleet calendar whose date is known well in advance. Even so, it creates the same crunch every year: appointments fill up in the first weeks of November, choices shrink in certain sizes and last-minute buying pushes prices up.

Most of that crunch is avoidable. A few steps taken before the season, in September and October, get winter tires onto vehicles and into the budget without drama. The plan below shows how fleet managers can make the most of that window.

1. Pin down the dates

There are two reference points for switching to winter tires. The first is temperature: once average temperatures drop below 7°C, summer tire rubber hardens and grip falls off, which is the point to switch. The second is the legal calendar. In Turkey, winter tires are mandatory for commercial vehicles between November 15 and April 15.

For fleets operating across several regions, the temperature threshold arrives on different dates in different places. Vehicles in colder regions may need to switch before the legal date, so build regional timing into the plan.

2. Inspect your existing winter sets

Winter tires left over from last season determine how many new ones you need. Each set needs three checks:

• Tread depth: The legal minimum is 1.6 mm, but we recommend replacing winter tires before they drop below 4 mm. Measure at three points across the tread (inner, center, outer) and use the lowest reading.

• Age: The last four digits of the DOT code show the week and year of manufacture. An annual expert check is recommended after five years, with replacement at ten years at the latest regardless of tread depth.

• General condition: Sidewall cracking, impact marks and uneven wear decide whether a set can run another season.

If your winter sets are in tire storage, much of this information is already on hand. Every tire entering our storage facility has its DOT date, tread depth and condition recorded at check-in, and it is returned with that history at the seasonal swap.

3. Turn needs into an early order

The inspection shows which vehicles need new winter tires. Summarizing that list by size, load index and vehicle group lets you plan the purchase in one go. For light commercial vehicles, the rule that a replacement tire's load index must not be lower than the registration value applies to winter tires too.

An early order pays off twice: fleet-volume pricing can apply, and you buy before choices narrow in the sizes your fleet uses most. Panic buying, on the other hand, drives prices up. We base recommendations on consumption history in ZyTire, where per-vehicle records show which vehicles will need tires and when.

4. Build the fitting schedule

Even with tires in hand, fitting capacity tightens in the same weeks, so the schedule should be set alongside the purchase. If vehicles will come to a service location, book early through the call center, WhatsApp, ZyTire or our website. A standard change takes about 30 minutes, with balancing included every time.

For larger fleets, bringing the service to the vehicles is often more efficient. Our mobile service team builds a schedule from your vehicle list, notifies drivers and does the work on site; fleets of 150+ vehicles can have an on-site mobile workshop set up in their covered parking area.

5. Plan for the summer tires coming off

The often-forgotten half of the winter changeover is the summer tires that come off. Left scattered in vehicles, office storerooms or parking garages, they risk going missing and aging badly. If each removed tire is matched to its plate and sent to tire storage, it returns to the right vehicle in spring, history included.

Winter tire season is no surprise. The surprise is preparing for it in the final week.

If this season's plan is not yet in place, there is still time. To bring your fleet's winter tire needs, fitting schedule and storage into one plan, contact us.