Massachusetts drivers are preparing for winter weather and winter driving conditions. Ice and snow require more cautious driving, but that’s not all you can do to stay safe on the road this winter. One of the most important factors in determining how your car handles on the road is what type of tires you have on your vehicle. Some people decide to stick with all-season tires, while others swap theirs out for winter tires. But is it worth heading to your local MA tire shop for winter tires?
Let’s take a look at how all-season tires compare to winter tires in three important areas.
Traction
Traction is a significant factor in how well your car handles on slippery roads. All-season tires need to handle well in a wide variety of conditions. They have smaller, more continuous tread blocks that allow them to grip the road in wet, dry, and lightly snowy conditions. But when there is a lot of snow or ice on the road, they don’t always grip as well as you need them to. Winter tires have deeper tread, more tread blocks, larger grooves, and many small slits called sipes. These features allow winter tires to have more contact with the road surface and, therefore, better traction.
Temperature Range
Cold weather affects not only the tire pressure but also the rubber. All-season tires have to perform in warm and cold weather, so the rubber has to stay flexible in a wide range of temperatures. However, no rubber can perform optimally at all temperatures, and all-season tires can become brittle at lower temperatures. Winter tires, on the other hand, are made of a special rubber compound that stays flexible at temperatures below 45º F.
Longevity
How long a set of tires will last is also an important consideration. All-season tires are designed for year-round use, so they have a longer overall lifespan than winter tires. However, winter tires are only on a vehicle for a few months out of the year, so they can last for multiple years. They will wear out in warmer weather, but if you only use them in the winter, they will last long enough to make purchasing a second set of tires from your MA tire shop worth it.
