Winter Driving Tips

A winter landscape can be beautiful, but the freezing weather comes with the most challenging driving conditions of the year, including rain, slush, snow and ice. Here are some tips to make your winter excursions a little more predictable.

One of the biggest safety tips for navigating the winter roads? A set of winter/snow tires! Our Treadwell tire guide provides data on real-world winter performance to help you choose the best snow tires for what, where and how you drive!

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TIPS FOR DRIVING IN WINTER

When the roads are blanketed in snow, slow, thoughtful driving is key. So, let's dive into some of the key tips for safe winter driving:

First, brake and accelerate steadily and slowly, not rapidly or suddenly. Steady driving allows for more response time, helping you maintain control.
Second, increase the distance between you and the vehicles in front of you, allowing for more space and time for you to stop or maneuver safely.
Third, avoid stopping on hills. Starting from a full stop in winter weather is difficult enough on a flat surface; on a hill, it's even more challenging.
Fourth, when you have to drive up a hill, don't try to power up it. Slow, steady acceleration is the best way to go on winter roads.
If the weather is bad and you don't have to go out, it's best to just stay home. Even with the best preparation, winter driving can still be incredibly difficult. When conditions are extreme, try to avoid driving until conditions improve.

INSTALL WINTER TIRES

If you live in an area that sees harsh winter conditions, such as consistently freezing temps, high snowfall and black ice, one of your first steps should be installing winter tires on your vehicle.

Winter tires provide levels of traction that all-season tires and summer tires can't provide in winter conditions. To stay safe on freezing winter roads, we recommend installing your winter tires as soon as the temperature is consistently below 45 degrees, before the first snowfall.

This will help you get the most out of your winter tires, and help you avoid the rush brought on by the first snowfall.

Pro tip: Consider outfitting your ride with a custom winter tire and wheel package. This has a few killer benefits, including:

Protecting your regular rims from damage from harsh winter driving conditions.
Helping you save on winter tire changeover costs
Reducing wear and tear on your summer and winter tires from seasonal changeovers

TIRE TREAD DEPTH IN WINTER

Another critical element of winter safety is tread depth!

Be sure to check the tread depth of your winter tires to ensure that they have enough tread to evacuate water and slush. Deeper tread also helps pack snow into the grooves for snow-on-snow grip, which is a huge part of wintertime driving.

Winter tires begin to noticeably lose traction earlier than summer and all-season tires, typically at or around 6/32nds of tread depth. That makes it critical to check your winter tire tread depth regularly.

AIR PRESSURE IN WINTER

As you probably already know, air pressure plays a vital role in tire safety. And in winter driving, it's even more critical.

That's why we recommend checking your air pressure at least once a month and before long trips. Before you hit those snow-covered streets, be sure to set your tires to the vehicle's recommended air pressure. This will help your tires perform at their best when the roads are at their absolute worst.

AGE OF WINTER/SNOW TIRES

Before you venture out on your next holiday trip, we recommend checking the age of your winter tires.

As tires age, their structural integrity can become compromised. This makes it difficult for tires to perform well in harsh winter conditions.

For your safety, we recommend replacing your tires at six years of age. At ten years, your tires are considered non-serviceable.

CHECK YOUR SPARE TIRE

When you check the air pressure in your tires, it's also important to check your spare tire. Having a fully functioning spare is important at all times, but never more than during hazardous winter months.

When you inspect your tires, we recommend that you check the tread depth, air pressure and age of your spare.

Need to replace your spare tire? No worries!

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PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE FOR WINTER

Before winter strikes, we highly recommend making sure your vehicle is prepped and ready.

This includes taking care of any routine maintenance and making sure your vehicle passes inspection. That’ll help you know that your vehicle is in optimal condition.

If you want to be extra prepared on those challenging winter streets, consider stocking your car with any emergency equipment you may want on hand, just in case. If things take a turn for the worst, you’ll be as prepared as possible.

Even with the best preparation, you can’t account for all eventualities. If conditions are very harsh, the best move may be to just stay home until the weather clears up and conditions improve.

Have any other winter-related questions? Maybe we’ve already covered them in our winter tire FAQs!

If you have any questions or need any assistance, call or stop by your local America's Tire store and we'll get you taken care of. Not only will we check your air pressure for free, but we can also give you tips on the best course of action for winter driving in your neighborhood.

And if you need winter tires (or a wheel and tire package), be sure to buy and book online to get a shorter wait time in-store!

If you have any other questions about maintaining (or replacing) your wheels, stop by your nearest store or schedule an appointment, and we'll get you taken care of!