Winter TIRE
It's not enough that you have all the safety features installed in your
vehicles when you don't have the proper tires. And when it comes to the
harsh winter season, getting the right winter tire is a necessity to
enable you to handle your vehicle right even amidst all the ice and
snow.
Here's a tip. When purchasing winter tires, look for the symbol of a
peaked mountain with the snowflake. This symbol indicates that the tire
has been tested and has passed requirements for high-quality
performance in specific snow traction and that they are uniquely
designed to do well even in severe snow conditions. "all season" tires,
"mud and snow" tires, or those that are normally marked with the M+S
symbol may provide all-weather performance but many not prove safe for
heavy snow driving. Although most of them may claim high performance in
rough roads, snow-covered roads may make it difficult for them to
function accordingly.
All-season tires will normally stiffen around freezing temperature causing them to lose their gripping power, according to the Rubber Association of Canada. Losing one's traction on roads that are heavily covered with snow is evidently dangerous and critical for safety. Nevertheless, all-season tires may be enough to use in regions where the temperature does not drop that low and snow do not pour hard.
Winter tires of the yesteryears were designed for driving in deep snow but showed poor performance during the wet and dry seasons. Now snow tire manufacturers have redesigned them in such a way that they function excellently as well in dry, cold, and wet conditions. Of course, with our high-technology road-clearing equipment, we now have roads cleared immediately after a heavy snow storm.
Traditionally, when all vehicles were RWDs (rear wheel drive) they generally mounted snow tires on the drive wheels to provide a better forward traction. But this has been reported to be unsafe. Driving experts suggest that control and stability of one's vehicle is greatly achieved when one uses identical types of tires on all wheels. One should also avoid using a mix of various tire tread patterns and even size or internal construction. Such factors greatly affect the vehicle's performance.
Don't forget that to get the desired control and stability of your vehicle especially during heavy snow conditions, having winter tires installed on all four wheels is a must. After all we always have to take into consideration the road condition aside from the quality of the tires that we use.
All-season tires will normally stiffen around freezing temperature causing them to lose their gripping power, according to the Rubber Association of Canada. Losing one's traction on roads that are heavily covered with snow is evidently dangerous and critical for safety. Nevertheless, all-season tires may be enough to use in regions where the temperature does not drop that low and snow do not pour hard.
Winter tires of the yesteryears were designed for driving in deep snow but showed poor performance during the wet and dry seasons. Now snow tire manufacturers have redesigned them in such a way that they function excellently as well in dry, cold, and wet conditions. Of course, with our high-technology road-clearing equipment, we now have roads cleared immediately after a heavy snow storm.
Traditionally, when all vehicles were RWDs (rear wheel drive) they generally mounted snow tires on the drive wheels to provide a better forward traction. But this has been reported to be unsafe. Driving experts suggest that control and stability of one's vehicle is greatly achieved when one uses identical types of tires on all wheels. One should also avoid using a mix of various tire tread patterns and even size or internal construction. Such factors greatly affect the vehicle's performance.
Don't forget that to get the desired control and stability of your vehicle especially during heavy snow conditions, having winter tires installed on all four wheels is a must. After all we always have to take into consideration the road condition aside from the quality of the tires that we use.
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