All-season tires and winter tires offer significantly different performance, as well as different material compositions from each other. Each offers certain advantages depending on the weather and road conditions, and drivers greatly benefit from having one of each set. Additionally, most insurance companies offer a discount on your premium with properly fitted winter tires.
It’s no secret that having proper tires for different weather conditions and seasons here in Ontario can make a huge difference in your vehicle’s performance and safety. That is why here at Clarington Honda, we take great pride in ensuring that our customers have the right tires they need for their vehicle and weather conditions, so that they can drive as safely as possible every month of the year. For life in Ontario, the best practice is to have at least a winter set and a summer set of tires for your vehicle, for maximum coverage year-round. Read on to learn more about your vehicle tires and find your next set here at Clarington Honda.
We can’t emphasize the importance of winter tires enough because they are the only element of your car that actually makes contact with the road. This is especially true in the cold season when the unique tread and rubber compositions featured in winter tires help you hold onto the road even when the weather isn’t ideal. Winter tires also make the streets safer for everybody on it and help keep your car out of the body shop due to collisions.
Winter tires improve braking distance by up to 30%, and control by utilizing different rubber compositions to maintain cold-weather integrity, and tread patterns to cut through and push away slush, water, and snow. Winter tire treads also contain slits or sipes that cut through the snow improving grip and traction.
While some might think that the optimum time to put on your winter tires is when the first snowflakes fall, but technically you should do so much earlier. As all-season and performance tires are constructed of a different rubberized coating than winter tires, they begin to harden and start losing elasticity at 7 degrees Celsius. As a result, when Fall arrives and the temperature drops early in the morning, your tires aren’t operating at their peak performance.
While this may seem costly upfront, the immediate safety benefits, plus long-term durability of two sets vs just one set, make having a winter set and summer set of tires a better long-term value proposition.
It's a common misconception that putting snow tires on just the vehicle's drive tires (ex.: the front tires in a front wheel drive) is almost as good as having four winter tires. If you use dissimilar tires on your vehicle, you can find your overall handling declines in performance. Mixing tires with different tread patterns, internal construction and size degrades the stability of your vehicle and should be avoided. Utilizing a full set of winter tires accomplishes two goals: first, and most significantly, it ensures the most secure driving experience. The capability to grip the ground and turn will be greatly reduced if winter tires are only on two wheels. Secondly, your other tires may deteriorate over time disproportionately, potentially causing aligning difficulties as well as a reduction in fuel efficiency. That is why it is critical to ensure your vehicle is equipped with a full set of proper winter tires once the season begins to change.
This winter season, invest in your safety by purchasing a set of winter-specific tires and enjoy all the benefits of increased handling, improved fuel efficiency, and an overall improved drive. Visit Clarington Honda now, build your own set online today or contact us to talk with a member of our staff about the best winter tires options for your Honda vehicle.
