Winter Tires - Do You Really Need Them?

Are winter tires really necessary? If you drive a long distance to work, transport children or drive at night you absolutely should have snow tires. Normal tires become hardened when the temperature drops below 40 degrees and can lose traction. Snow tires are made of a softer material so they retain their grip and traction at any temperature.

While all season tires are excellent and provide acceptable control in a wide variety of conditions that adaptability is also their weakness. The compounds and tread design give extended mileage and durability but are not particularly effective through snow or on ice. The treads on a tire are those grooves which channel away water that may accumulate on roadways after it rains and storms.

The summer tire generally has narrow grooves to quickly remove the water from under the tire as you drive. A winter tire has deeper and wider grooves and these grooves do not necessarily remove the water. The depth of the groove allows a greater surface area to come in contact with things such as mud and snow. The more surface area of the tread the greater the ability for the tire to push forward through the material.

It's best to keep the same type of tire on all four wheels regardless of the type you choose. Tread design dictates how the wheels handle and matched tires give you better acceleration, braking and overall control as you deal with the challenge of snowy roads.

Traction control isn’t a substitute for good winter tires as it doesn't actually give you better traction. The only way to get more traction is to buy tires with the grip to match your driving conditions. Like traction control, ABS brakes only limit your braking to the traction level of your tires. They do nothing to improve traction. Your ABS system will work best when you give it tires with the optimal grip for the road conditions faced. In the winter, the best grip comes from snow tires.

Special note of caution to SUV drivers: just because you have four-wheel-drive doesn't mean you can stop or turn any better than a two-wheel-drive car. When you're off the gas pedal (for instance, when you need to quickly turn or stop) the laws of physics say you might as well be driving a sports car.

In addition, not all of front wheel drive vehicles can handle the winter tire. The deep grooves can create instability in steering when traveling at high speeds. Owners of front wheel drive vehicles should check with their dealer manuals on their particular model.

Surprisingly, winter tires are an economical purchase. For starters, when you exchange tires for the winter, your summer tires sit in the garage and don't see the tread loss that they normally would so often last twice as long. More importantly, ask yourself how much safety is worth to you and your family. One accident or one episode stuck in a snow bank will change your definition of expensive.

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