Icy roads and snowstorms can be really dangerous. It will be harder for us to control that car. Ice and snow limit the traction of our car. Potholes are buried under the snow and they could cause damages to the exterior of our car. It is important for us to protect both ourselves and our cars. Car owners who don’t invest on snow tires will have to rely on the local authority to clear the roads from ice and snow. However, many areas are consistently subjected to intense winter, making it important for us to use winter tires. We should know that winter tires are different compared to all-weather, all-season tires. Winter tires have different thread profiles and the type of rubber. Rubber compound for winter tires work differently than the one used for summer or all-season tires. During sub-zero conditions, winter tires could remain flexible. This will ensure better traction and handling. All-season tires could become harder or even brittle during freezing conditions. This is something that needs to be avoided.
Winter tires are well optimized for cold environments and they are not exactly magic tires. Winter tires should be used on the car for the duration of the winter. For better control in slushy, icy and snowy environments, it is important to choose tires with deeper tread. Unfortunately, winter tires are typically more expensive than all-season tires. However, they are essential if we plan to drive continuously during cold winter months. If budget is a huge concern, it is a good idea to purchase a set of four cheaper winter tires and we could replace them two months later with another set of cheap tires. Even cheap winter tires could provide significant improvement in traction, compared to standard all-season tires, in some cases, by up to 50 percent. All-season tires will start to perform poorly when the road nearly reaches the freezing temperature, typically under 5 degrees Celsius. In this case, it is not a safe option to insist using all-season tires, even if they are released by top manufacturers.
All-season tires are typically about compromise. This is necessary if we want these tires to work in most situations. These tires could work well in cold environment, but when the temperature goes down far enough, the overall performance could be degraded. Modern safety features, such as anti lock brakes and traction control won’t work well if we don’t use good tires. When the road temperature has consistently gone above 5 degrees Celsius, it is important to use all-season tires again. During dry and hot environment, winter tires don’t work well. They may wear more quickly in high temperature.
Proper maintenance of winter tires is necessary if we want to make sure that these tires can work for a long period of time. It is important for us to perform the bi-weekly inspection. When the threads have been eroded, it is important for us to replace these tires. Proper repair or complete replacement is essential to ensure safe driving.