Tire tread, the only place on your car that makes contact with the road and determines how well your vehicle drives, steers and stops is arguably one of the most critical components of your car. Now that winter is approaching it’s time to take a closer look at your tires so that you can rest assured you are driving as safely as possible, while getting the performance you need. Generally, tires can be divided into three types: Summer or high performance, all-season and winter. Winter tires are easily identified by a pictograph of a peaked mountain with a snowflake inside and have tread patterns specifically designed to dig down and bite into snow and ice, plus they are made from softer rubber compounds that retain their flexibility in cold weather, allowing the tire to better conform to the surface of the road. (Regular tires tend to get hard and brittle in cold temperatures.) As a result, winter tires keep a better grip on snowy and icy surfaces than all-season or summer tires.
It’s important that winter tires be installed in matching sets of four (versus choosing just the front two, for example) otherwise there could be a loss of control of the vehicle. It’s helpful to think of tires as a pair of shoes. All-season’s would be sneakers and winter tires heavy-duty snow boots. Although it’s possible to walk on a snowy and icy sidewalks with sneakers, it’s much easier and safer to do so wearing snow boots. And if you do decide that winter tires are appropriate for your needs, be sure to swap them out for your summer or all-seasons when winter has passed, as they tend to be noisier and can wear out quickly in warmer weather.
Here’s to driving safely this winter!