There is no doubt that dedicated winter tires provide the best performance in severe winter conditions, but it does require that the tires are mounted on your vehicle before the snow arrives. If you have all-season tires on your car, it is not safe to drive in winter conditions as the tires turn hard at low temperatures and the tread is not designed to handle snow, ice and slush.
Winter tires are the ultimate choice for severe winter conditions and give the ultimate performance on both snow, slush and ice. Studded tires are the original winter tires and they use metal studs to create excellent grip on icy roads. They have also rubber compound that ensures that the tires remain soft even at very low temperatures and they have a tread pattern that can handle snow, ice and slush. This is not the case with all-season tires, which is why all-season tires shouldn’t be used during the winter. In addition to the studded tires, you have non-studded tires that instead of studs uses added gripping particles and other innovations in the tread to create grip on ice and will in the same way as studded use its tread pattern to maneuver safely on snow and slush.
You might wonder at what point you should be placing winter tires on your car. The general indications for winter tires are when the temperature drops to almost freezing. With studded tires this becomes more complicated as each state in the United States has different laws for their use. There are some states that allow their use as early as September while others not at all. There are also some states only allowing rubber studs while others allow both metal and rubber studs. Winter tires will improve traction, braking and handling, with today’s winter tires not being designed to perform just in snowy conditions, but perform better on cold, dry pavement as well.
For more information regarding winter tires, visit: nokiantires.com