Germany bound!

A

Aebous

Elite
 Okinawa
That is i'm heading to it, not tied up... :?

When you ask? Probably April-May. I'm still waiting on confirmation I'll be there for that class. But the dates are pretty close. So I'll be doing my own mini roadster homecoming. A few questions regarding driving to Germany...
1) Winter Tyres - The best I can find is if it's snowy/icy then I have to have winter tires on the car. Are all season tires ok and is there specific dates to have winter's installed.
2) How likely is snowfall/cold conditions in April? From what I remember it isn't likely but that was 7 years ago.
3) Nurburgring - I'm going. I'd ask a question here but I know it's been covered elsewhere on the forum, so I guess I'll ask...Is anyone planning a ring run during mid April to mid May?
 
Philippines for the last month actually. Barely had internet there. I developed a nervous twitch that has only after 6 days back gone away.
 
Are you coming over here for a while?

If so winter tires are required from October until April. Failure to have any and be caught in an accident and you can be found to have 'part blame' or even full liability.

If your due in a week or two then you might still need them as there is still snow on the ground.
But if April is she. You arrive I thi k you'll be ok

Ill be off to the ring in April, not sure of the dates yet.
 
Just to add to Nathanhu's post. All seasons are fine as well. They don't have to be pure winter tyre's. I will be doing the winter/summer swap just before Easter as I will be in Tuscany from March 28-April 2.

So where will you be while in Der Fatherland? If you end up near Kaiserslautern which is an hour south of Frankfurt. I'm Always willing to buy a fellow yank a beer and a bratwurst. :cheers:

Silly me. I see from your profile that you are AD USAF. So if it's not Kaiserslautern (Ramstein AB) I guess you'll be at Spangdahlem. I'm a retired wingnut myself.
 
Winters have a max speed rating of 130 & given the grip I felt had on my Wintrac extremes before I swapped back to summers recently wouldn't like to get near those speeds on a track.

All season tyres - provided they have the SNOWFLAKE symbol then it's an approved tyre.

I also found this that u may find useful which implies you should have them on between October & Easter to avoid falling foul of the law...

Von O bis O
Most German motorists have long known the old rule of thumb for putting snow tires on the car: “von O bis O.” The term “from O to O” is short for “from October to Easter” (von Oktober bis Ostern). It is a recommendation that one should make the change from regular tires to snow tires in October, and leave them on until Easter.

The new German law does not set any time limits, but it does clearly state that under icy conditions (bei Glatteis, Schneeglätte, Schneematsch, Eis- und Reifglätte) you must not drive without snow tires on your vehicle. So, since it’s difficult to predict the weather, for all practical purposes, the old “von O bis O” rule still applies. (In Austria, winter tires are mandatory from November 1 to April 15.)

The new law also spells out what a “winter tire” is. Specifically, it is an M+S-Reifen, a mud-and-snow tire that has an official M+S (Matsch und Schnee) marking on it. (M+S tires do not have to be “winter” tires. All-year or all-weather M+S tires also qualify.) The German automobile club ADAC recommends going a step further and getting tires with the “three-peak-mountain” seal, an indication of snow tires that meet the highest standards.

ADAC also makes another recommendation that goes beyond the minimum requirements of the law. While the Straßenverkehrsordnung (StVO) requires a minimum snow tire tread depth (Profiltiefe) of 1.6 mm, ADAC ups that to 4.0 mm.

Fines
If the police catch you driving in winter conditions without M+S tires, you’ll have to pay a fine (Bußgeld) of 40 euros – plus a point against you in Flensburg.* If you are involved in an accident or you block traffic in icy conditions without M+S tires, the fine goes up to 80 euros and a point against you in Flensburg.
 
Nice one Jembo, good post :thumbsup:

I am still on my winters - reckon I will leave it a few weeks yet. You never know, and the weather's a bit weird at the moment...
 
So to answer a few questions, I will be there from Apr 15th til at least May 23rd (give or take a week).

I will be on Vogelweh (sp?) base for PME (Professional Military Education) right by K-Town/Ramstein.

I will have free time but the course is very fast paced/ton of information.

I haven't really thought about which weekend I will try to go to the ring...I'm waiting for more info on the class & the schedule.

I really want to avoid getting even all season tires as I want to experience Germany on my Michelan PS3's and not on a set of used cheap all seasons (won't throw the money into good ones).
 
Brilliant. You can see my wife's office from the NCO academy at Volgelweh. She works at 700th cons. You will be right next to the chow hall as well. No BX though. That's over at Ramstein.

You will be fine with switching to your PS3's. If we were to have any snow (not likely) it would be very light. You may see a little frost on your window in the AM. But even that is not likely that time of year.

You need to look at the rings web page. The touristfahrten day is what you want. It's not always free at the weekend. And when it is. It can be track gridlock. The best scenario would be If you could take a day of leave with your travel time and hit the track during the work week. And be sure to rent a go-pro camera at the track. The track is very close to Spangdahlem AB. Be sure and check your insurance as well. My German (mirscon company) policy covers the tourist days at the ring. Do not underestimate how expensive it will be should you have an off at the ring. You will have to pay for any lost revenue should the track be shut down to clear your car. Dent an ARMCO barrier and that gets spendy too.
I don't mean to sound alarmist. One just needs to not get too carried away with the fact that they are at the ring. There are a lot of track regulars who know the track very very well. So one shouldn't be surprised or try to push it and race when a Golf GTI is right on your ass. Discretion is the better part of valor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom