Do I Need Winter Tires?Every year the same questions are asked;
Do I really need winter tires? The answer is a resounding yes. Here’s why; Rubber tends to harden in cold weather thus reducing friction and stopping capability of the vehicle. The new generation winter tires maintain their elasticity and gripping power at lower temperatures (-35 C and bellow), whereas all season tires tend to stiffen and lose gripping power around 0 C. The improved gripping power at lower temperatures has benefits. A study showed that winter tires reduce stopping distances by up to 25% or between 2 to 3 car lengths. That could be the difference between a safe stop and a fender bender or worse.
Are all season tires good enough? No, all season radials are not by law approved winter tires. Winter tires will either have a symbol of a mountain peak with a snowflake on its sidewall or the letters M&S on the side wall or both. The law also says you must have no less than 3.5 mm of rubber tread.
This is a very important topic, every year there are countless collisions that could have been avoided if the vehicles had been equipped with proper tires. No one should have to experience a preventable collision. Furthermore, the cost of physical injuries and pain cannot be truly measured in dollars and cents.
If you plan on driving on snow covered roads, in the interior, the north or the Sea to Sky region make sure you have the proper tires on your vehicle. If the road conditions are such that snow tires are required to travel safely, it is possible that you could be stopped and turned back. In order to prevent this and for safety sake, please make sure your vehicle is equipped with proper snow tires.
For more information and specific tire maintenance tips please visit www.betiresmart.ca . Don’t wait until the snow starts falling, winter tire inventory will deplete quickly, act now.
Consider how long you will be keeping your vehicle. If you plan to keep your vehicle for at three to five years, invest in snow tires. In that time you would have purchased two sets of tires anyway.
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