It sounds pretty self explanatory really and most people would probably say the answer is because it’s winter. However this isn’t the case as some locations have perfectly warm winters, whereas others have incredibly cold weather all year round. So why do you need to change tires to winter grade and when do you do it?
Whilst winter tires can be used in all weather conditions and will cope pretty well throughout the seasons they tend to be noisy and don’t perform as well as other types of tire in normal weather. Therefore, the first reason to change to winter tires is if you live in an area where you experience snowy and icy road conditions all year round. It might sound pretty obvious but all weather tires will advertise all season traction. This is true and they can cope with most road conditions but the simple fact is that winter tires are better in extremely cold weather.
If you are taking a vacation to an area that has winter road conditions and are going to drive there, then you would be best to consider fitting winter tires. You might be going skiing and ski resorts generally have roads that are covered at some point with snow and ice. You might be going skiing but you don’t want to be doing it in your vehicle. Winter tires use a rubber compound that reacts well to low temperatures unlike summer tires which are designed for warm temperatures and give little grip in the cold. You really don’t want to book and take time off work to go on holiday only to find that you can’t get up the mountain in your car.
You might find out that unseasonable cold weather is on the way. In these times of global warming and unusual weather patterns you never know when your winter weather may be going to take a turn for the worse. Keep an eye on winter weather reports and if bad weather is forecast then it might be time to consider getting some winter tires fitted. When areas aren’t used to lots of snow and ice they rarely have the road clearing equipment to make roads serviceable, and if this is the case without winter tires you may find yourself stranded.
Another pretty obvious reason is that you live in an area that gets very different seasons. Winters are cold and icy and summers are warm and sunny. If this is the case then you should have two sets of tires; one for the summer and one for the winter. Winter tires tend to have deeper treads than other types of tires and therefore will dig into snow and ice and give better traction.
If your job requires you to get to cold wintery spots you are best to have winter tires fitted. You can use them, as long as you are careful, in normal road conditions but if your destination is somewhere with cold winter weather then winter tires are essential to ensure your safe arrival.
James Brown is currently working as assistant in the development of new types of winter tires (Do you know that the Norwegian term is vinterdekk).
