If you live in an area of the country that experiences harsh winter weather, then you know how hard it can be to drive in. When you have to drive through freezing rain, slush or snow, the roads are hazardous and so the tires you have on your vehicle are extremely important.

The regular, all season kind are the type that many people buy and hope they will be able to use year round. Not only snow, but tires in general can be an expensive investment but it is one of those cases where you just cannot put a price tag on you or your family’s safety. All-seasons can lose performance on wet, icy surfaces, whereas winter ones are made of a different type of rubber and feature a more complex tread pattern to improve the traction and control of the vehicle.

When the time comes to buy a set of winter tires, the first thing you need to do is plan on buying all 4. It makes your car much safer if all 4 match; otherwise you may spin and slip and slide all over the roads, losing control of your car. Many people believe that they will be safe if they only replace the front 2 if their car is front wheel drive. This is however, not true.

One of the most common mistakes that people make is in buying a set that are too small for their vehicle. To determine the right size for your car you should check your owner’s manual. You can often times find the size on the inside of the driver’s door. When you open the door, there will be a tag that has pertinent information, including size and what air pressure they should be inflated to.

If you do not have the manual and the tag is missing, you can look up your vehicle on the Internet to find the proper size. Most dealerships that sell them will also be able to look up your vehicle in their database to ensure that they sell you the correct size.

If you will be driving in snow, slush and ice, you will want to make sure that you have adequate tread. The tread depth needs to measure 6/32 of an inch or more to be safe. To make sure that they are installed properly, you should have them installed by a professional. Most places that you will go to purchase them will also install them for you. Shop around a bit to find the best deal.

One way to ensure that you have purchased the right ones for the weather in your area, is to look on the sidewalls. You should see a symbol that resembles a snowflake on mountains. This symbol will tell you that they have passed the severe winter traction standard. When you look at all seasons, they will normally be marked with M+S, the symbol for mud and snow. M+S indicates that they are not suitable for use in snowy, winter weather.

An investment in good winter tires is important. Although they may be costly, if you remove them at the end of each winter you will get several seasons out of them, ensuring that you will get your money’s worth.

Author Bio: Offering a full line of services for medium truck and trailer Tires Toronto, light truck Winter Tires Toronto and passenger vehicle tires, and more.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: Car, Trucks, Automobile, Vehicle, Tires, Winter Tires