One thing we can all agree on is they don't call our home "Winter-Peg" for no reason! If it's not our freezing cold temperatures you can count on a dumping of snow, and there’s no denying those who call Manitoba home experience some of the worst winter conditions in Canada and quite possibly the world. From heavy snowfalls, blistering windchills, slush and ice so perfectly polished and smooth you don't even know it's there until it's too late. One question we often hear this time of year is "Should I buy winter tires?”. Well to answer that question I will use my own personal experiences so others can benefit before the depths of winter really settle in. For me, even with one of Jeep’s popular models on the driveway equipped with their Award-Winning 4 Wheel-Drive Systems there’s no substitute for the confidence and peace of mind provided by my winter tires; exceptional traction while accelerating, braking, changing lanes and taking a corner are profound and make my winter travels safe & enjoyable again.
Winter vs All-Season Tires
Your vehicle more than likely came equipped with a set of all-season tires and although the name sounds good it is quite misleading. All-season tires are usually good for road noise, tread life, rolling resistance and are generally a decent tire but they are not designed to perform in conditions under 7 degrees Celsius. The rubber compound they are made of is designed to be driven on warm roads and will harden at the first sign of cold weather which reduces their ability to maintain traction in winter. Winter tires are designed to perform in cold weather only, with the rubber compound engineered to stay soft and flexible well in to the freezing cold temperatures. Winter tires should be removed when the temperatures remain consistently above 7 degrees in your area.
It's all about the science
Winter tires are made of a much softer compound with more advanced rubber and proprietary ingredients (some manufactures are even using silica, a sand like substance for even better traction) designed to flex around road imperfections and push down to provide maximum traction in snow, slush and even on sheer ice. Winter tires are engineered with channels and use "Sipes" (Thousands of tiny little slits in the tire) to assist with flexing and to move water, slush and snow away from the tire surface to maintain constant contact with the road surface. Winter tires can be identified by the 3 peaked mountain and snowflake symbol seen above, and although all winter tires will give you improved performance over all-season tires be aware that not all winter tires are created equal. A premium winter tire can outperform a standard winter tire by up to 15%. Tire manufactures have poured millions of dollars and countless amounts of time into research and development to test different compounds, tread patterns and anything else that will help them create the ideal tire. This research has made a difference and recent tests have concluded improved stopping distances of up to 30 feet with winter tires compared to all-season tires while traveling at 65km/h.
Get A Grip
Manitoba Public Insurance knows just how well winter tires work and to reduce the amount of accidents on the road they have implemented a winter tire program which offers low interest financing to make it even easier and more affordable to purchase a set of winter tires and stay safe this winter. With all the options on the market it can be confusing as to which tire is best for you, the members of Winnipeg Auto Approved are always available to discuss winter tire options and can give you more information or get you set up with the MPI Winter Tire Program if you would like. We also offer Free tire storage with purchase of winter tires, contact us for more details and stay safe out there this winter! Contact us for more details