Practical Advice on Snow Tires

Practical Advice on Snow Tires
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ron_Haugen]Ron Haugen

For those of you out there trying to decide whether or not to buy a snow tire for the winter season, there are some things to keep in mind. Before deciding to keep on your all weather tires, there are certain safety issues to keep in mind. There is a good reason why snow tires have become so popular over the years. When your safety is at risk, you can never be too careful.

It is recommended you use snow tires rather than all weather tires when it snows. This is because of the material snow tires are made out of. The rubber on the tires are softer and the pattern is designed to grab the snow better. This will keep you from slipping and keep you on the road. All weather tires do not do as good of a job of this. They are more designed to stand up to heavy rain by whisking it away from the center of the tire. Snow is not going anywhere and needs to be latched on to by something which is not as hard as your all weather tires.

Some people will try to save money by only replacing two of the four tires with show tires. This is a mistake as you will actually be putting yourself at even more risk. Putting snow tires on the wheels which power the car will help you to gain momentum, but without tires that grip on your steering wheels, you will just be plowing straight forward. If you hit a turn, or any kind of slope in the road, your chances of landing in a ditch escalate dramatically. This is why it is recommended you put snow tires on all four wheels. You will be able to stop, start, turn, and do all the wonderful things you have come to expect from a car these days.

For those of you who hate having to remount new tires at the end of the snow, consider an alternative. By having two sets of wheels, you can have two sets of tires mounted. This will allow you to be able to simply replace the wheels when the seasons change rather than having to go through the process of having a new tire mounted on the wheel. Those who buy special rims for their car might consider keeping the old wheels and using those for the winter tires. After all, the snow does not do any favors for fancy wheels. This will help make a distinction between your summer and winter gear.

Procrastinators need to pay attention. Because of the soft rubber the snow tires are made out of, if you do not switch back to regular tires, you will regret it. Two things will happen, you will get annoyed by the loud noise, and you will wear down the tires quickly. Good snow tires can last more than one season if properly cared for. The soft rubber will grind down against the asphalt as you will hear every day when you drive. The louder noise from the tires should act as your reminder that it is time to change back to your summer tires.

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