Common Winter Tire Myths

With the advancement in tire technology, winter tires are key to ensuring that you are safe when driving on the road during the winter months. Here are some myths that will inform you how winter tires impact the way you drive during the winter months.

Winter tires don’t help when braking.

Actually, it is almost just the opposite. Tires drastically improve the braking distance of your vehicle. When the road is slick from winter weather conditions, winter tires will improve your stopping distance. Winter tires are designed with special tread patterns and depth that will grip the road in slippery conditions. Winter tires are designed in order to cut through the snow and ice to keep the maximum amount of tire against the road at all times.

All-season tires work fine in the winter.

All-season tires are designed in order to handle slight weather changes. These slight weather changes are not guaranteed to include Winter conditions. Winter tires are designed to increase the safety during intense winter conditions that include snow, sleet and ice. All-season tires are made out of compounds that will become stiff at lower temperature, making the vehicle very unsafe to drive.

Winter tires will only work in snow.

Winter tires can be useful in lots of driving situations, not just snow. When the temperature lowers, all-season tires stiffen up, increasing the chances of them loosing grip. Winter tires are made of a compound that works great in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. With increase tire flexibility, the vehicle will be have improved stopping and handling.

Four-wheel drive vehicles don’t need winter tires.

Four-wheel drive will help when trying to accelerate in the winter, but it will not improve the stopping. This is why you see four-wheel drive vehicles on the side of the road in a bad storm. Four-wheel drive is good to help control the tires of your vehicle, but if your tires do not have the correct tread pattern to push the snow out of the way, it will not improve the stopping of your vehicle. Winter tires are a great way to ensure that your car will have the best traction during the winter season.

Winter tires are more expensive.

The price of a set of winter tires is about the same as a set of all-season tires. If you have a set of all-seasopn tires currently, purchasing a set of winter tires to use during the winter will actually improve the length of both set of tires since you wont be using one set all the time. If winter tires are used only for winter driving, the life of these tires will greatly increase.