Sales: 888-359-1496 Parts: 888-360-1148 Service: 888-892-8947
5555 Highway 7 West, Woodbridge, ON, L4L 1T5
Call Us Get Directions
My Garage

Benefits of Winter Tires

The right time to change to winter tires is when the ambient temperature reaches 7 degrees Celsius or below. All-season tires turn hard and lose their elasticity when temperatures are below 7 degrees Celsius. This causes reduced traction, resulting in longer stopping distances as well as reduced handling and cornering capability.

Winter tires will help reduce braking distances on cold, wet, ice and snow covered roads. The braking distance of a winter tire compared to an all-season tire, depending on speed and road conditions can be up to 25% shorter, or two vehicle lengths.

Winter tires contain silica, which is a compound that keeps the tire flexible in cold temperatures and ensures excellent grip and braking on wet roads. Silica maintains its properties in low temperatures, which help to maintain a firm grip on snow and ice packed roads.

Winter tires contain significantly more sipes than all-season tires. Sipes are small narrow slots molded into the ribs of the tread. They are designed to increase the traction edges of the tire to improve the grip of the tire on wet pavement. Sipes are especially helpful on wet, icy or snow covered surfaces.

Winter tires provide higher void ratio, which increase the tire's ability to channel water and snow away from the footprint. Void ratio is defined as the amount of open space in the tread, calculated as a percentage of the entire tread area.

Winter tires should only be installed in sets of 4 tires. With only 2 winter tires, your vehicle's handling, stability, and braking are not fully optimized.