Are snow tires needed in Albania/Tirana mid-march?

[lesscleverandrew]

I am looking at car hire in Albania (Tirana and surrounding areas, including mountains and the lakes and possibly further afield) – mid-March.

I notice some rentals are made available with snow-tires, others not. Are snow tires necessary in the region around Tirana, mid-March?

[Argoat]

I was there a few years ago in February/March. Mostly down near Fier and also went up to Mount Çika and had no snow tyres and didn’t have any issues.

[lesscleverandrew]

If anyone is thinking about car hire in Albania, this is worth a read and mirrors my experience of driving these roads:

Google: “Tips for driving in Albania for first-time visitors”

To call it a fraught experience is an understatement. You should beware that drivers are very aggressive, normal “rules” like who has right of way are non-existent, and head on get out of the way I am overtaking culture is prevalent. Also, wheel rim crunching potholes and speeding, and … (the list goes on).