As the seasons change, so should your tires. For people in the north, winter months usually entail extremely cold weather, snow, and ice. Driving in these conditions can be a challenge, and that is why you want to do everything possible to make sure your car is equipped for the elements. One way to do this is by investing in winter tires. Here’s what you need to know about the differences between your all-season tires and winter tires:
Benefits For Each Tire
All season tires are great for providing a quiet ride, long-lasting tread life, and quality year-round performance. They have moderate tread depths, making it easier to navigate through normal wet and dry conditions, and they also have a relatively long tread life.
Winter tires best benefit people who live in places that experience extremely cold temperatures, snow, and ice. Even though they have a shorter tread life than all-season tires, they provide enhanced road grip during the winter months.
The Main Differences
There are three things that distinguish all-season tires from winter tires and they are the tread rubber, tread depth/patterns, and edges.
Tread rubber- This refers to the type of rubber that is used for the tire. Winter tires are made up of rubber that can withstand colder temperatures than all-season tires. Winter tires remain flexible in harsh weather conditions, and as a result, allows for better road grip than all-season tires.
Tread Depth/Patterns- All season tires have shallower tread depths than winter tires. Deeper depths provide the car with better traction in the snow and reduces snow buildup. In addition to deeper depths, the patterns of all-season and winter tires also vary. Winter tires have tread patterns that are better suited to handle snow conditions.
Edges- A key thing that distinguishes winter tires from all-season tires are biting edges. These thousands of small slits on the tire allow for better traction on ice.
Is it Worth the Hassle?
Switching out your car’s tires might seem like a hassle, but it can be worth it to improve the safety of your vehicle during the winter.
If you do choose to invest in winter tires, be sure to get four of them, instead of two. It may be tempting to try to save money by only buying two winter tires, but doing this is actually quite dangerous. A car that only has two winter tires has less grip and less stretchering control, therefore increasing your likelihood of a collision.
Ready To Install Winter Tires?
Ken’s Automotive & Transmissions is here to help make sure your car is equipped for the winter. We offer affordable tire maintenance in Frederick MD and we’ll recommend the tires that are best for your vehicle. Schedule an appointment today!
