Winter Tires
Did you know, when the temperature drops to 7°C, you should be switching to Winter Tires?
Why Should I Buy Winter Tires?
Winter tires are made up of a dense rubber compound that is designed to stay flexible throughout the colder temperatures, allowing them to provide the grip needed. When the temperature descends to a moderate 7°C (45°F), the threshold of a non-winter tire begins to harden. As the temperature continues to drop, almost every all-season tire behaves more like hardened plastic than flexible rubber on asphalt.
All-season tires have a tread pattern that is meant to provide you with a comfortable, quiet, low rolling-resistance ride and because of that, the tread pattern is too tight to effectively grip snow or mud. Winter tires have better tread patterns that are spaced out to allow them to penetrate within the snow, rather than mush over it.
A major benefit of winter tires is the fact that they reduce the braking distances on cold, wet, ice and snow covered roads. Compared to an all-season tire, the stopping distance is 25% shorter when using winter tires. The reason why winter tires provide excellent grip and braking on wet roads is because they contain a compound called silica. Silica keeps the tire flexible in cold temperatures and maintains its properties to allow a firm grip on snow and ice. Winter tires also contain a larger amount of sipes which are small narrow slots moulded into the ribs of the tread that are designed to increase traction and grip on wet pavements.
Still unsure on whether or not you should buy winter tires? All Ontario insurance companies are required to provide a discount on your insurance premium if you have winter tires. Depending on the insurance company, a discount of 3-5% will be given if you have winter tires. There's a chance your insurer already provides some sort of winter discount, so be sure to read the fine print since some companies are only providing the rebate if the tires are on from November through April, only in a set of four and may only apply to part of the policy. If you're paying Ontario's average insurance rate of $1,455, then a 5 per cent discount for winter tires would be roughly $72.
Winter is inevitable, so be sure to purchase a complete set of winter tires and get rewarded in doing so! Visit us today and expect the unexpected.