Tire guides
Tire guides from Ceres, Skopje: legal deadlines, changing and maintaining tires, and how to choose the right tire.
- Two new tires: front or rear? - If you are replacing only two tires, fit the new ones on the rear axle, even on front-wheel-drive cars. Manufacturers such as Michelin recommend this because rear tires with shallower tread slide more easily in the wet, and a sliding rear is much harder for the driver to control than a sliding front.
- Tire pressure in cold weather: how much and when to check - Tire pressure drops when it gets cold, by roughly 0.1 bar for every 10 °C. So in winter check it at least once a month, with cold tires, and inflate to the vehicle manufacturer's values, which are on the sticker in the door frame, inside the fuel filler flap or in the handbook.
- When to switch from winter to summer tires (and back) - The most widely used rule is 7 °C: when the temperature stays above 7 °C, summer tires grip better, and below 7 °C winter tires do. In North Macedonia winter equipment is mandatory from 15 November to 15 March, so fit summer tires after 15 March and winter tires before 15 November.
- How many years tires last and how to read the DOT code - The production date is in the last four digits of the DOT code on the tire: 2124 means week 21 of 2024. Michelin recommends inspecting tires older than 5 years every year and replacing them no later than 10 years after production, even if they still have enough tread.
- How to read a tire size (e.g. 205/55 R16 91V) - The marking 205/55 R16 91V means: a tire 205 mm wide, with a sidewall 55% as high as the width, radial, for a 16-inch rim, with load index 91 (up to 615 kg per tire) and a top speed of 240 km/h (V). It is printed on the sidewall of the tire.
- M+S or 3PMSF: winter tire markings explained - M+S (mud and snow) means the tread is designed for mud and snow, but no test is required for the marking. A tire only gets the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) if it passes a standard snow test. In North Macedonia both markings count as winter tires.
- How much does a tire change cost in Skopje? - At Ceres, fitting and removing one 15 or 16-inch tire costs 150 MKD and balancing 200 MKD, 1,400 MKD in total for four tires. For 13 and 14-inch tires the four cost 1,000 MKD, for 17 and 18-inch 1,800 MKD. Prices are per tire, from the October 2026 price list.
- All-season or winter tires: which should you choose? - All-season tires marked M+S or with the mountain snowflake count as winter equipment in North Macedonia, as long as the tread is at least 4 mm. They are a good choice for city driving and mild winters without changing tires twice a year. For mountain roads and frequent snow, true winter tires grip better.
- Winter equipment in North Macedonia: when it is mandatory and what the law requires - In North Macedonia winter equipment is mandatory from 15 November to 15 March. Passenger cars up to 3.5 tonnes need winter tires on all four wheels with at least 4 mm of tread, or summer tires with at least 4 mm of tread plus chains for the drive wheels. The fine is the denar equivalent of 45 euros. This season it starts on 15 November 2026.