Are You Looking To Buy Winter Tires

Those, who live in the snowy parts of Canada, know what a great pain it is to drive when roads are all blocked because of heavy snowfall. Even if the roads are not snow covered, they are often icy. Freezing rain, slush, ice and snow make roads and highways all the more dangerous for driving. Cars often skid because of the slippery roads. Risks of skidding increase especially if you use regular all season tires for driving on snowy or icy roads. The all season tires usually lose performance on snow. That is why it is always a better choice to use winter tires for the colder months. Winter tires are made of a special rubber compound, and these tires also have different tread designs. These tires provide improved traction as well as more control and smooth braking.

 

What are winter tires?

Winter tires are simply automobile tires that have been designed keeping the winter driving conditions in mind. When you are driving on ice and snow covered roads, the specific design of these tires will provide you more traction and better control. Both automobile safety associations and the government recommend the use of winter tires during the snowy months. Using these tires can significantly reduce the number of accidents that take place during the winters. These tires are mainly popular in areas where heavy snowfall occurs during winters. When looking for winter tires for sale, you can check with the major retailers. 

 

What is different about winter tires?

Unlike the regular all season tires, winter tires are tested for winter driving conditions. A tire cannot be called winter tire unless it meets certain performance based standards. Winter tires can keep a traction index of over 110 on a road that is lightly packed with snow. Rubber Manufacture Association had created this system in 1999. It was also responsible for assisting customers in selecting these tires.

 

How do you buy winter tires?

If you are planning to buy winter tires for the first time, you may face confusion regarding how you should go about it. However, there are a few simple guidelines that you can follow in order to make sure you pick the right tires for your car. First and foremost, you need to determine the size and type of the rims. What kind of rims does your car use? You can install winter tires on standard rims. You can also get rims that are specifically designed for winter tires. You would need to review all your options and choose a tire that would be suited to the weather conditions, your budget and driving habits. When getting these tires installed, you need to make sure you get this done by a professional. Specific instructions regarding inflation and installation need to be followed.

 

It is not wise to wait for snowfall to get winter tires installed. If the temperature has been freezing for five consecutive days, it is sign enough that you should change the tires. You can find winter tires from the reputed tire stores.