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It’s late fall and you know that winter’s on its way. Winter tires can give you a real advantage in traction so that you can get where you need to go! At Van’s Tires & Service, we have a few tips for winter tires.

There’s no such thing as a universal tire that performs equally well in any weather condition. There’s always a compromise involved with tires. At temperatures below 30 degrees, the long-wearing all-season tires that are on most cars tend to stiffen up and give you all the traction properties of a piece of hard plastic. The softer tread compound of winter tires can give you as much as a 25 to 50 percent improvement in traction over all-season tires, which can make all the difference when you need to avoid trouble.

Here are some key features of modern winter tire designs:

• “Soft stud” fibers incorporated into the tread, to “bite” like metal studs without the noise and damage to roads
• Silica-based micro-pore compounds that increase traction in wintry conditions by biting through water and slush
• Wider grooves at the circumference, enhancing winter traction by directing water and snow away from the contact patch
• Smaller shoulder grooves for improved traction with no compromise in dry-pavement handling or ride qualities
• State-of-the-art high-density sipe designs to cut through water and slush and add thousands of extra biting edges
• Rounder casing designs to cut into snow

Winter tires have come a long way since the heavy, noisy, clunky “snow grips” of 40 years ago. Today’s winter tires have the same excellent ride properties, low noise and responsive handling of grand touring tires. A few things that are important to remember, though:

• Don’t go with only two winter tires on the drive wheels of your car. It might seem like that would work, but in reality, a mismatched set of tires means that the two ends of the car will have different traction qualities, resulting in squirrelly and dangerous handling.
• When the temperatures rise above 40 degrees, don’t continue to drive on winter tires. Their softer rubber compound is designed for cold temperatures and will wear quickly on dry pavement and in warmer conditions.
• Remember to check your inflation. Tires lose pressure as air contracts in colder weather.

It’s nice to be able to stay off the roads altogether when things get bad outside, but many of us just don’t have that option. Winter tires can mean the difference between getting where you’re going or ending up in a ditch. Make an appointment with Van’s Tires & Service and let us make you a great price on a set of tires for this winter!