Winter, and the associated snow, ice, cold and climatic nastiness that goes with it, will be with us Canadians shortly.
You know that winter tires will make your ride safer if you’re driving in winter. You know that you should probably install a set, because they’re a good idea.
If you ask someone you know who owns winter tires, they’ll tell you they make a big difference for grip, handling, traction and all-around confidence.
They’ll tell you, as well, that winter tires pay for themselves the first time you stop clear of an accident situation, rather than winding up in it.
Here’s a look at a few key benefits you can expect by installing a set, especially on your newer car, truck or SUV model.
Compromise-free: Winter tires have both a flexible rubber compound and unique tread design that’s made exclusively for use on snow, slush and ice and in cold temperatures.
With no compromises made for other seasons, drivers will benefit from significantly increased traction during acceleration, notably shorter stopping distances, and a drastic increase in directional stability at speed.
Where all-season tires are a little bit good in the heat and a little bit good in the cold, winter tires specialize in cold-climate driving, and it shows.
With the compromise-free, cold-climate engineering behind winter tires, drivers can enjoy the cold-weather travel season with peace of mind to spare for themselves, or anyone using their ride.
Maximized AWD performance: All Wheel Drive (AWD) is a favourite bit of powertrain hardware with Canadian shoppers in numerous vehicle types.
Today’s latest models have more fast-acting, precise and sophisticated all wheel drive systems than ever, and whether you drive a Subaru, Ford, Acura Hyundai or Mitsubishi, your ride’s AWD system reacts with millisecond precision to low-traction situations to keep you and your family safe by supporting you in maintaining vehicle control.
So, if you’ve invested in AWD, why not consider maximizing the system’s performance with a set of winter rubber? Remember: the only way to increase the amount of physical traction between a vehicle and the road's surface is through the tires.
Proper tires for the season gives your AWD system plenty more grip to work with, allowing it to do its job with maximum effectiveness.
Not just for snow and ice: Did you know that all-season or summer performance tires get really, really hard when it’s cold outside? Since effective traction relies on tires being soft and malleable against the roads surface, hard tires can be a recipe for disaster.
In cold weather, even on dry roads, the softer, more flexible rubber used in the construction of winter tires provides that all-important give that all-season tires lose when it’s cold out.
Translation? Even on dry roads, winter tires work better in the winter.
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