Winter Tires
We often hear people questioning the investments needed to buy a separate set of tires for the winter months. Statements such as, “I have all-season tires, I don’t need winter tires”. Or, “Winter tires are just another way fro tire manufacturers and dealers to make more money”. However, the answer is simple. Safety! Your safety, your family’s safety, and the safety of other road users. Of course, enabling you to get to your destination through snow, sleet, and ice is also an important consideration.
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Winter tires have been around for a long time. However, with so many tires available today, and with the confusion the “All Season” tires have brought, many drivers do not know what real winter tires are, and what benefits you get from using them. The winter tire has developed a lot through the years. Today, they use technology not seen in earlier designs. Going back to the matter of safety, winter tires deliver superior traction, as much as up to 50 percent increase over all-season tires (depending on design). This may give you the margin you need to stop in time, or to make a safe turn.
Winter tires have deeper tread depths and more open tread designs than tires used during the rest of the year. While the extra tread depth allows winter tires to provide more traction in deep snow, it also contributes to more tread squirm and drivers may notice a reduction in handling responsiveness on dry roads.
A main difference between a winter tire and summer, or all-season tires, is that that the winter tires use a combination of specialized tread designs and rubber compounds to provide effective traction in winter conditions. At temperatures below 40°F, the rubber compound used in standard tires begins to harden, resulting in reduced traction. Winter tire compounds stay pliable to allow the tire to grip at much lower temperatures.
When purchasing winter tires, remember that every tire manufacturer and most vehicle manufacturers recommend using winter tires on all four wheels of your vehicle, regardless of it being rear wheel, front wheel or four wheel drive. Since winter brings with it cold slippery roads, it is critical to “balance” the traction of the vehicle at all four contact points. If the front tires of your vehicle slide before the rear or vice versa, you lose control of your vehicle.