Spring snowfall has drivers questioning tire changes

Only one customer actually cancelled an appointment, but the overnight snowfall had more than a few motorists at a local tire shop Friday debating if it was a good idea to have their winter tires removed.

Myril Wells of CoastTire in Halifax said there was some debate over whether it was wise to switch over to summer tires after 13 centimetres of snow fell on the Halifax area overnight.

"I don't know if I should have themchanged today or not, because of this snow," was the most common comment, he said.

The tire changeover season usually starts the second week of April and runs through until the end of May, Wells said.

It's not as hectic as the fall when there is more pressure to have winter tires installed so people will book in advance, he said.

Hanging on to snow tires

"The busiest time is the fall, for snow tires. In the spring, people are not in rush to have them changed unless they have studded tires."

Some drivers will hang onto their winter tires until the end of May, but it is usually not because of thethreat of snow, he said.

It is more about the condition of theirwinter tires, if they need to be replaced, theywant to get as much wear out of them as they can, Wells said.

The tire shop was busy as usual Friday, with no flurry of cancellations due to the wet, heavy snow that fell overnight.

"We just had one today, that's all. We'll be busy from here on until the end of May," Wells said.