What is 3PMSF qualification?
The Three Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol (3PMSF) is the winter tyre qualification. The link is for commercial vehicles but the information is the same.
For the many fleets that operate across Europe, tyres designed for winter conditions are beneficial in terms of mobility, by ensuring traction and hence preventing road blockages. When winter conditions occur having incorrect tyres on a commercial vehicle can mean enforced delays, fines or even...
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In 2012, the EU regulation introduced the Alpine or Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) sidewall symbol to show a tyre had passed certain tests related to performance on snow covered roads. Tyres carrying the 3PMSF marking provide proven increased traction in comparison to a standard reference tyre.
Since the drive axle is the key one for traction of a commercial vehicle, the 3PMSF marking on the drive axle tyres is of high importance. This recommendation is valid especially for the single drive axle of commercial vehicles above 44 tons.
Today an increasing number of local authorities consider Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) tyres mandatory for trucks as these tyres provide significantly better winter performance on snow.
Previously, the only indication that a tyre was designed for tougher conditions was the M+S or M&S marking standing for ‘Mud and Snow’. However, this indicates that only the tread pattern is designed for such conditions and there are no requirements related to actual performance. The M+S label is not subject to a defined test procedure.