To keep you safe while driving under winter weather conditions, your car will require better quality tires with the appropriate tested traction needed in order for you to maintain control while driving in snow, sleet, and ice. Drivers in need of snow tires are encouraged to shop around for tires marked with a mountain and snowflake symbol. This symbol ensures that the tires in question meet specific traction requirements and have been tested for safe use in slippery and unpredictable conditions.

All-season tires and high performance tires are easily mistaken to be capable of handling winter conditions, but many models may not be suitable in heavy snow. These tires may get by in regions that see only a few curtains of flurries from time to time, but in regions where heavy snow and slippery roads are the norm during winter, winter tires are a must. Changing your vehicle’s tires to meet the winter driving conditions is a necessary safety precaution that all drivers are encouraged to take.

Winter tires are designed with adaptable treads that are suitable for driving through heavy snow. Their clever treads improve traction by allowing the tires to clear itself of any snow that may have gotten stuck within its grooves, allowing for continuous, undisturbed performance on the road. With state-of-the-art technology emerging in today’s society, the winter tires of today are made of new rubber compounds that can handle not only ice and snow but also cold, dry, wet or even slushy driving conditions.

It is recommended that, in order to maintain the maximum control and stability of your vehicle in icy conditions, winter tires should be installed in sets of four. Mixing and matching different models of tires with inconsistent treads could decrease the predictability and control the driver has over the vehicle. It is also important to note that the softer, more pliant tread of snow tires tend to wear quicker than that of all-season tires. Therefore it is important for the driver to carefully decide when to put his or her snow tires into and out of use, in order to get the most longevity out of the tires.