Should I Get Winter Tires For My Car?

Should you run winter tires on your car or truck?

Certain areas like the province of Quebec, in Canada, require it by law. Aside from satisfying legal requirements, there are other variables to consider. If you live in a region that dips below freezing in the winter months or regularly receives snow and ice, a good set of winter tires can quite literally be a lifesaver.

See Also: The Best Winter Tires For Your Car

All-Season Tires Are Three-Season Tires

If you’ve never driven through a snow or ice storm in a vehicle fitted with winter tires, it's easy to question if winter tires are necessary—you have no idea how transformative they can be.

Sure, every tire manufacturer is proud to trumpet the advantages of its so-called “all-season” offerings, which are designed to work well throughout the year, but all-season rubber is fundamentally a compromise. The attributes that provide solid traction in the summer with good tread life and fuel efficiency aren’t helpful at all when temperatures drop and the flakes start flying.

Whether you own a small hatchback or a rear-drive sports car, a three-row SUV, or a heavy-duty pickup truck, winter tires can make a huge difference in safety and driver confidence—even when fitted to vehicles that have all- or four-wheel drive. The difference is enormous and it provides a huge advantage. It’s even possible—frankly, easy—to enjoy a rear-drive sports car in the middle of an icy winter if you have the right rubber.

All seasons are usually good for about three of the four seasons—spring, summer, and autumn. 

See Also: How Do Winter Tires Work?

How Winter Tires Work

Winter tires provide dramatically more traction in snow and ice and even make a sizable difference on dry pavement when the temps drop to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius) or less. This is often the point when it’s recommended drivers switch from summer or all-season tires to winter rubber. The compound and tread blocks on some ultra-high-performance tires will even crack or split if they experience near-freezing temperatures.

There are several important reasons why winter tires provide more traction. For starters, they’re generally made of a softer rubber compound that remains more pliable in frigid conditions, which provides additional grip. Some winter tires even include micro polymers—tiny inclusions designed to wear away over time leaving a tiny pocket for water to go, which allows the tread to better grip the roadway surface. 

Beyond the basic tread compound, these tires also typically feature a noticeably more aggressive tread pattern. This means they have deeper channels, chunkier tread blocks, and many additional sipes, those little grooves in the rubber. Additional sipes provide more biting edges to help get your vehicle moving—or more importantly, haul it to a stop—in wet, snowy, or icy conditions.

See Also: Winter Tires For Your High-Performance Car

Other Factors to Consider

Winter tires are a fantastic upgrade, but there are a few things to consider when shopping for a set.

Obviously, if you live in Florida or South Texas, you probably have no need for them. Similarly, if you reside in a region where winters are mild or there are only one or two snowfalls per year, all-season rubber is probably good enough.

If you’ve determined, however, that a set of winter tires is the right upgrade for your vehicle, you now have to decide if you want to buy an extra set of wheels. Doing so can cost a good bit more, but if you mount your new rubber to a separate set of rims, you can swap them over yourself whenever you want.

The cost of a cheap set of steel wheels is far less than the amount you'll pay a tire shop to swap your summer and winter rubber bi-annually.

Of course, if you don’t feel like purchasing another set of wheels (who can blame you?), a professional with the right equipment will have to remove the tires from your vehicle’s rims and then install the winters. This usually isn’t outrageously pricey, but it is another expense and can be a time-consuming hassle especially around the busy times.

Aside from swapping them over when the temps start falling, there’s one more downside to winter tires: storage.

Whether they’re mounted to separate wheels or left bare, you have to stash these tires somewhere, which means you’re giving up garage or attic space, or paying someone else to hold on to them for you. All of this can be annoying, but the tradeoff is well worth it for the added safety of increased traction in winter conditions.

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