printer friendly version
are you using the right tires year round?
Winter tires/snow tires are specially designed to dig down into snow and ice. Made of softer rubber compounds that remain flexible in cold weather and conform to the changing surface of the road, they also don’t get hard and brittle in cold temperatures like all-weather or regular tires do. Antilock brakes, stability controls and all-wheel drive capabilities don’t help you control your vehicle if your tires don’t have the road surface grip you need.
In winter months, always install snow tires as a full set of four. Front-wheel drive cars without snow tires in back won’t provide an even grip, making for more treacherous braking and cornering, and more chance of spin-outs. With rear-wheel drive cars, a similar problem can occur if you only place snow tires in the back: You’re likely to have poor steering response and may just go straight ahead because your front tires aren’t gripping when you need them to.
Don’t be lazy and leave your snow tires on year-round. They’ll wear out faster than regular tires and won’t be as effective when you need them the following winter. Plus, snow tires tend to be noisy. And everyone wants you to have a quiet ride. So, if you do have a bit of a lazy streak, just buy an extra set of wheels from a salvage yard (make sure they’re all the same diameter and bolt pattern as your original wheels), and mount your snow tires on the extra set. Then you’ll just have to change the wheels out at the first sign of frost.
back to auto hobby
|