5 things you need to know about tires in winter

Automotive journalist Richard Russell was a guest on Maritime Noon on Friday and fielded questions about tires. Here are five things you need to know about choosing tires for the winter:

1. Winter tires offer superior performance to all-season and summer tires in colder temperatures. The reason comes down to simple chemistry. They stay soft when it gets cold, said Russell. When temperatures dip below 7 C, all-season and summer tires start to harden, which causes them not to grip as well.
2. There is a new type of tire being offered called all-weather tires. How do these perform in winter? In testing, its proved to be again a compromise, said Russell. He says while all-weather tires perform better than all-season tires in the winter, they offer poorer performance during warm months. Most importantly for this time of year, they do not work as well as a winter tire in the cold months.
3. With a lot of selection out there, it can be difficult to decide what winter tire to choose. Russell says that in general, you get what you pay for. He points to a ratings system Canadian Tire developed for the winter tires it sells. Generally, the ones with the highest grip levels in a variety of conditions cost more, said Russell.
4. Should one consider getting studs on their tires? Russell says for the conditions Maritmers encounter, it is unlikely they need studs. He says todays winter tires offer similar performance to studded tires in most conditions.
5. Sometimes people will put two winter tires on the back of a vehicle as a compromise to installing four. This is problematicbecause vehicles will have problems turning or cornering because the back end of the vehicle doesnt have the same grip as the front tires.Four or none, said Russell.