TIRES! TIRES! TIRES!

When it’s time for new tires, the choices can be overwhelming for drivers. Let’s look at some common tire categories.

One category is known as “All Season Tires”. For many drivers around the Nelson, BC area, an all-season tire is the answer for three seasons (Spring, Summer and Fall). You will give up some of the performance at the extreme ends of the summer tire/ winter tire spectrum, but you will find a long wearing tire that gives both good expressway performance and winter traction.

Winter tires are designed to work very well in snow and ice. Their tread is designed with many channels and grooves that throw the snow out of the tread as the wheel turns. This means the tire will always be able to bite into the snow. The rubber compound used in winter tires is specially formulated to be flexible at temperatures below 7 degrees. This maximizes cold weather traction for drivers. When it gets warmer, the softer rubber will wear faster on warm dry pavement than all season tires, so change them out once the weather has turned . 

Actual dedicated summer tires are designed for high performance sports car applications and are to be driven on roads when temperatures are generally above 7 degrees. Their tread design is optimized for traction on dry roads and they’re also able to effectively displace water on rainy roads. The rubber compound gets a little hard and stiff as temperatures drop below 7 degrees. And the tread which handles dry roads so well, can get packed with snow and mud,  which provides very little traction for drivers in those conditions.

If you live where it’s summer all year round, these tires will work well for you. If you like maximum performance in warm weather, but still live where it gets cold and snowy, you’ll want to change your summer tires for winter tires as the weather starts to change.

Outside of these three main categories, some drivers with trucks and SUVs like a tire that is designed for both on-highway and off-highway use. They can handle the rocks and bumps off-road, but still work well on streets. Again, many options depending on the relative emphasis on on-road versus off-road.

Talk with your DOWNTOWN AUTOMOTIVE service advisor and let him help you find the tire that’s right for the way you drive.

Stop by or give us a call!