Taking the time out of your busy schedule might save your life during harsh conditions
With the winter season taking full swing in effect, numerous accidents are taking place. When analyzing the primary reason of these collisions, the failure of subjecting winter tires on your vehicle has been determined as the primary cause.
Many consumers fail to make the swap from all-season or summer tires to winter tires at the right time, and often get reminded to do so once they see the roads full of fluffy white snow. At this point, many automotive retail centers are fully-booked and getting the winter tire swap done is hard. Outlined below are some comparisons between the effects of equipping your vehicle with all-season versus winter tires during the gruesome winters.
When owning a vehicle whilst living in areas due for harsh winter conditions, many owners are aware of the use of winter tires. They’re aware that winter tires will come in handy, and be effective during these cold months. However, many fail to understand with the effective differences winter tires hold.
Some of the primary differences between winter and all seasons tires include the rubber compound used when making the tire itself. Winter tires are produced with a softer compound which allows a softer performance against the rough snow, and thus, creating a softer friction between the two allowing for a shorter distance when needing to stop. All-season tires in comparison to winter tires have an approximate stopping distance which is usually 30-40% longer. In addition, this soft compound used in winter tires performs better at lower temperatures, as the material within other tires become hard and have less flexibility whilst performing on the harsh terrains of the snow and slush. Furthermore, aside from the compound used to make the tire itself, the design of the tires made for winter hold a wider form, and have grooves within them. Most winter tires are generally wider in comparison to all season or summer tires, which allows for more coverage against the snow on the ground. Lastly, the build of winter tires usually contain grooves and some even have studs or chains for extreme conditions. The grooves help ground coverage when using vehicles in snow, the grooves allow for more snow to get caught in the tire, giving it more traction and control. In the end, having winter tires on your vehicle during winter conditions holds numerous advantages, in comparison to having all season or summer tires. Analyzing these comparisons will truly show any consumer that taking the time to change out tires during winter seasons will hold its effect in life or death situations.