Snow Tires - All Season Tires Won't Do

Do I really need snow tires?

All Season tires are specified for most new cars sold today. In fact All-Season tires are a more common choice than winter tires or summer tires in aftermarket purchases as well. For the most part this is a good solution for drivers for the reason that many parts of the country do not see difficult winter weather conditions and even those areas of the country that do experience substantial snow and ice still have the majority of the year without those conditions. Late spring, summer and early fall do not call for snow tires even in colder regions. The connotation of an "All Season" tire is that it is engineered for all seasons. This is undoubtedly true for most people who live in the lower half of the U.S. This may be misleading to those living in mountainous or northern areas that get substantial snow and ice.

Why is a winter tire important?

Winter tires grab in snow and ice by design. Unlike an all season or summer tire, a snow tire is formed with a softer, more flexible rubber formula more suitable to cold weather. A couple of the more common winter tires are the Blizztak by Bridgestone and the Ultra Grip series by Goodyear Tires. Given rubber properties, the winter tire can keep its traction abilities gripping the road and biting into snow and ice. Summer and all season tires tend to become hard and inflexible in cold temperatures making them much more susceptable to sliding and spinning. It is paramount for your tires to be able to bite into ice and snow. This is the only way you can stop, steer and corner effectively. Winter stopping and cornering ability is seriously decreased with tires not specifically designed for winter weather. New cars often have safety features like anti-lock brakes, all wheel drive and electronic stability control. These may help maneuver the vehicle but they are only as good as the tires allow them to be. Everything depends on the tires. Think of an emergency room equipped with all the state-of-the-art and best equipment ready to take care of any emergency thrust upon it. However, this ER is staffed by only first year med students. All the best tools in the world will not save lives without the essential expertise of the doctor. Similarly, great safety and control systems are useless on a car with bad tires.

All-season tires are built to function in varied but general weather conditions: dry roads and rain and in moderate temperatures. They are not constructed for specific and harsh weather conditions. If tires were vehicles, an all season would be a family sedan while a winter tire would be a Hummer. You may possibly drive through a snow storm in a family sedan but a Hummer would be much safer. It's the same way with tires. You may get through the winter on an all season tire but you will your chances of not getting stuck and of being able to control your vehicle are much greater with a good winter tire.

Can I mix tires using two snow tires and two all season tires?

In an effort to cut expenses, some people try using snow tires only on the drive wheels of their vehicle. This is an ineffective and possibly risky solution. This may give you the confidence in selected situations of having control however this is an illusion and the false confidence may lead to reckless results. Putting snow tires in the front on a front wheel drive may allow better starts and stopping but it places you in danger of fishtailing around turns. The rear wheels will not have sufficient traction to negotiate the turns your front wheels initiate. Similarly and perhaps more dangerous, putting snow tires on the rear wheels of a rear wheel drive car will allow better starts but will do nothing for steering or braking. Always put winter tires on all four wheels.

Do I Need to Take Winter Tires Off?

This is not really a good idea. Remember, the rubber in snow tires is a softer compound than that used in all season and summer tires. That means they will wear down much earlier than a tire designed for warmer driving conditions. They are designed for cold, wet and slippery conditions. Hot roads and dry conditions are not good for this kind of tire. This is vital for a couple reasons. First you will end up replacing your tires more frequently simply from wear. The primary reason for leaving your snow tires on all year is to avoid buying another set of tires. However, faster wear will mean that you will actually be buying tires more often. Secondly, a deep tread is imperative for a snow tire to be most useful. The winter tire "bites" into ice and snow because of carefully engineered treads. Meanwhile water and slush is pushed from under the tire via deep channels in the tread design. As summer roads wear on the snow tire, it's grip on snow and ice during the critical winter months is less effective.

Another reason to change tires as soon as the snow clears for good is for a more comfortable ride. All season tires and summer tires among other things are designed for a comfortable ride. Snow tires are not. Road noise is minimized by design in summer and all season tires. Winter tires are usually very noisy. Because your are using a good snow tire, you can put a summer tire on your car for better performance. By changing tires according to seasons, you will be driving on appropriate tires for the conditions. This way you can accomplish better traction and a smoother and quieter ride in all seasons.

Remounting tires twice a year is costly and inconvenient. What options do I have?

This can be a problem. I have never met anybody who enjoys sitting in the waiting room of a tire reseller drinking bad coffee and reading old magazines. It becomes quite expensive over the years to mount and balance tires multiple times. There is a better option. Simply get another set of wheels to mount your snow tires on. You can then simply unbolt your tires when the weather breaks and put your summer tires on. You can do this in under 30 minutes in your garage. No need for remounting, waiting for hours or drinking bad coffee. You can determine how much you want to spend using this method. Some propose that you buy some old wheels from a salvage yard for your snow tires. This may be a good idea but by the time you pay for mounting it may not save you much money.

At least one online tire reseller will sell you a package of wheels and snow tires with mounting and balancing done free. More about them here Winter Tire Info and Snow Tires and Wheels PacakgesGiven this you could easily get new wheels that specifically fit your vehicle and all the mounting hardware at a cost as good or better than getting a set of salvage wheels. The salvage wheels may or may not specifically fit your vehicle whereas the new wheels were made for your vehicle. Whatever you do, be sure the wheel fits your vehicle well and be sure that all the mounting hardware is made for your vehicle. If you wish, you can also get more expensive wheels especially if you are likely to keep cars for a long time or you tend to buy the same cars. Regardless, you should be able to sell these wheels with the car at a premium or sell them on Ebay or through a classified ad when you are finished with them. In any case you will not need to remount tires a couple times a year and the wheels will pay for themselves in a few seasons by saving the remounting charges.

So What is the Bottom Line?

Unless you live in an area that does not get snowfall, you would be wise to invest in a good set of winter tires. A single fender bender, a missed sales call or a missed day at work could cost you as much as a set of tires and the tires can be used for several years. Your safety is also critical. Being stuck in the snow, failing to stop in an emergency and sliding through a turn can be more than a financial consideration. Your safety is worth the investment. Very good winter tire and wheel packages are avaialble and in just a few seasons they will pay for themselves. Make the investment and drive safely and with confidence in the snow.

Tim Lehmann began telling others about buying tires online after personally experiencing the benefits of shopping for tires online. His website with tips and resources about on winter tires can be found at Winter Tires & Snow Tires. General information about buying tires online - Tires Online - Buy Tires Quickly and Easily.