Having winter tires mounted on your vehicle is not always the norm in all states. It varies a lot on which state you live in. This can then cause challenges if you get surprised by a sudden snowstorm and you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your car. For safe driving you will need to have premium winter tires that are in good condition. If you try to drive with all-season tires you will have major challenges if you have snow or ice covered roads as you will not have much grip or traction. It is always a safer option to leave the car behind and try to find alternative transportation if you have to go somewhere.
If you live in an area that has some winter weather during the year and you tend to need the car during this time, you should use winter approved tires. You have the option of changing to winter tires before the winter season starts or then use winter approved all-weather tires. Both options offer you sufficient safety for driving in winter conditions. For the winter tires, depending on the state or province that you live in, you can have the option for studded or non-studded tires.
It is often the area where we live that will dictate the choice of tires. If we don’t need winter tires for most of the season, then the winter approved all-weather tires can make sense and be a convenient option. They can be used all-year round so that you can manage with one set. If you don’t mind changing tires then you have a bit better performance throughout the year and you will alternate between all-season tires and winter tires, depending on the season of the year. What is important to realize is that the all-season tires are not approved for winter use and shouldn’t be used on snow, ice or slush covered roads. They are only ideal for use when you have warm temperatures. When you reach freezing temperatures the rubber compound will become hard and can’t provide the necessary grip even on dry roads.
To handle snow, ice and slush the tires will need to have a tread pattern that is optimized for these conditions. They will need to provide grip, friction and control on ice, which is done either with metal studs protruding from the tread, which is the case with studded tires. You also have non-studded tires, which will use gripping particles or added design elements that can grip onto the ice. For snow and slush the grooves will have to be designed for this. They have to be able to prevent slushplaning caused by wet snow creating a layer between the road and the tire. This will cause your vehicle to plane on-top of this layer and you lose control over the vehicle.
For more information regarding winter approved tires for the winter season, visit: www.nokiantires.com