Winter Tires Make Driving In The Snow Safer
Consumer Reports tests consistently show that winter tires deliver better grip to start in snow and stop on icy surfaces. They offer an extra margin of safety and performance over all-season and all-terrain tires.
If you have to drive in snowy conditions, winter tires out-perform most all-season and all-terrain tires with better stopping and starting ability. They have a more aggressive tread pattern and are made from a softer rubber compound. The softer compound allows the tread to squash around the snow, compact it, and then toss it out as the tire rotates. They are good choices for all cars, whether front, rear, or all-wheel drive.
TOP 5 WINTER TIRES FOR TRUCKEE
So what tires should I get? That’s a great question and to answer this we chatted with Kenny McMurray, owner of Truckee’s premiere tire shop Stone’s Country Tire & Automotive, who provided us the following tires to grip the winter roads of the Sierras:
Winter tires can easily be identified by a mountain and snowflake symbol on the sidewall. Studless winter/snow tires typically have many slits in the tread acting as biting edges and a tread compound that stays pliable in cold temperatures. By contrast, all-terrain tires can harden in freezing temperatures, which affects performance on icy and snowy roads.
Some winter tire models can be studded for extra grip in icy conditions, though they can be noisy and sometimes leave scratch marks in driveways. For the added performance in extreme weather, winter grip comes with concessions of shorter treadwear and compromise of handling and grip on cleared roads.
