Snow Tires – Do I really need them?

Winter is quickly approaching and that means you should be prepared to switch to snow tires before the first snowfall of the year. All season tires start to loose their grip when the temperature outside falls below 7 degrees.  While all-season tires may be safe in a more southern area, it is completely nonsensical to use anything but winter tires when you live in Canada.

Are snow tires really necessary?

All-weather tires are made for an abundance of conditions, but are obviously not great for a certain type of weather. Seeing that they are made from harder materials, they don’t do great in colder conditions and have a tough time gripping the road. While all-weather tires are good for the majority of the year, you should definitely make the switch to snow-tires when winter arrives.
Snow tires are made specifically for winter weather. They have certain tread patterns that allow you to grip the icy road as well as softer rubber which makes them flexible in cold weather. Even if your vehicle has great safety technology such as all-wheel drive or anti-lock brakes, if you’re not able to grip the road properly the safety features cannot do their job.
You make think that snow tires aren’t worth the money or a waste of time, but there is nothing more important than your safety. Even driving once in icy conditions is dangerous without the proper tires so make sure you transition to snow tires as soon as possible.