Winter/Snow Tires FAQs

A lot of people wonder if they even need winter tires. The truth is that winter tires are distinct from all-season and summer tires in a variety of ways. The key difference is the cold weather tread compound that remains flexible below 45 degrees. This improves traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions. If you deal with consistently cold weather, or anything more than light snow, winter tires are a wise investment. 

It's strongly recommended that you install four winter tires, no matter the type of vehicle you drive. 

Previous generations of winter tires were little more than an all-season tire with an aggressive tread design. With modern advances in rubber compounding, winter tires provide massive traction benefits in all winter driving conditions. Installing less than four winter tires may lead to handling and traction imbalances, especially in winter driving conditions. 

The only way to get the safety and superior traction of winter tires is to install a full set of four on your vehicle. 

While traction control can help in driving maneuvers, it does not provide you with more traction. Traction control limits your wheel spin to the amount of traction your tires currently provide. 

In short, traction control only works effectively if your tires can deliver traction when needed. The only way to truly maximize your winter traction is with a full set of winter tires.

ABS brakes are indeed a vital safety feature because they pulsate your brakes to keep your tires from locking up while braking. While very helpful, ABS brakes do not eliminate the need for winter tires. 

Your brakes, even with the anti-lock function, don't provide traction. Your braking ability is directly related to the traction provided by your tires. The best winter traction is when you have four winter tires installed on your vehicle. 

Vehicles with front-wheel drive do have an advantage when it comes to accelerating, because of the added weight on the front end. 

However, this doesn't help when braking, and it makes steering and cornering more dangerous in winter driving conditions. The best way to maximize your front-wheel drive's winter performance is to install four winter tires. Rather than losing the performance advantages of front-wheel drive, you can increase your safety and performance with winter tires. 

All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles are great assets, and they are very valuable in foul weather. This is because they can assist in acceleration, even in winter driving. 

However, without winter tires, braking and turning can be just as dangerous for all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles as it is for two-wheel drive vehicles. All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles can be very useful but are even more effective when combined with winter tires. 

This is a big question. While it isn't necessary to have a separate set of wheels for your winter tires, it's a good idea for a couple of reasons. 

The salt and sand used to increase traction in winter can damage your wheels. Many drivers use a different set of wheels for winter to protect the appearance of their OE or aftermarket wheels. Another benefit of having winter wheels is that it allows you to have both sets of tires mounted, balanced and ready for the seasonal changeover. 

With only one set of wheels, mounting and balancing the tires seasonally can be time-consuming and costly. You'll save time and money by having a dedicated set of winter wheels. 

Wondering when to install your tires? It's all about timing. We highly recommend installing your winter tires when temperatures consistently dip below 45 degrees, before the first snowfall. This will keep you prepared and safe on those cold fall mornings and help you beat the rush that happens during the first storm of the year. 

When winter is over in your area and the temperature is consistently warmer than 45 degrees, you're ready to reinstall your all-season tires. This will help you get the most out of both your winter and your summer/all-season tires.

We hear this question a lot because, in the past, winter tires were notoriously loud. However, this is no longer the case. When changing from an all-season tire to a winter tire, you may hear a slight difference, but the noise levels are nowhere near as drastic as in the past. 

Changing from all-season tires to studded winter tires will show a noticeable increase in noise. In the end, the increase in safety is well worth any minor noise increase you might notice. 

We always recommend driving with care and consideration because careful, diligent driving can make a big difference. That said, all the caution in the world won't add traction to your tires. Winter tires are the best safety advantage for severe weather driving. 

It would be ideal to avoid driving when the weather takes a turn for the worst. But since we can't always avoid bad weather, we think it's better to just prepare for it. 

Even with advanced weather tech, it's still difficult to know exactly when winter storms may strike, not to mention how bad they'll be. Rather than gambling with your safety, if you have winter tires, you'll be ready to handle the weather, no matter when or where it strikes.

While it may feel like an extra purchase, buying winter tires can save you money in the long run. With proper use and maintenance, snow tires can last multiple winters and allow you to preserve the life of your summer or all-season tires. 

Your warm-weather tires will not wear out while they are stored in the garage; this means your summer tires have more tread life for the rest of the year and that saves you money.