DRIVEN: 'TIS THE SEASON FOR WINTER TIRES

With the cooler weather just around the corner, it's time to think about switching over to winter tires. To better understand the importance of winter tires we have included some information below.

Safety First

Tires are an important factor in safe driving, for both yourself, your passengers, and other drivers on the road. Below you will find key differences between summer tires and winter tires.

The Amount of Rubber

Did you know that a higher percentage of rubber in winter tires keeps the tires soft and flexible to better grip the road in cold weather?

Driving on winter tires in the summer will cause faster wear, reduce fuel efficiency and create a need for greater braking distance. Because winter tires are more pliable in warmer temperatures, they wear more quickly on hard, dry asphalt.

An added benefit of winter tires is the extra, deeper, grooves, which provide better traction on snow and ice. There are also smaller channels, or 'sipes', that allow the tire to keep better contact with the road surface.

We all know that winter tires are for winter driving, but when is the ideal time to make the change-over? Most experts agree that below 10 degrees is when winter tires do best on the road, and above 10 degrees is when summer tires do best on the road.

It's important to note that all-season tires and winter tires have the same grip, that is until the temperature starts to drop. As the weather gets colder all-season tires start to lose their traction, while winter tires gain grip. With this in mind, "all season" doesn't mean you shouldn't switch over to winter tires to combat Canadian winters.