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Winter Tires – What Automotive Experts Say
According to Motortrend.com:
"It's best to replace all four tires with winter tires because
differences in tire size and wear can negatively affect a car's handling
and stability." "A modern snow tire can provide up to 20 percent better
snow traction than an all-season design. We've verified this from behind
the steering wheel. A well designed winter tire provides a tangible
seat-of-the-pants performance advantage over all-season tires in both
snow and ice conditions. This includes better initial hookup, shorter
braking distances, and cornering that's both more predictable and
controllable. This is important, since again according to Goodyear, "The
largest group of [winter] accidents results from loss of lateral control
of the car on ice and snow."
According to msn.com:
"What is most important is the level of improvement winter tires offer
over standard all-season tires. Even at 15 mph, in tests we conducted on
an icy surface, the vehicles equipped with winter tires stopped from a
half to a full car-length shorter than identical vehicles on
all-seasons. That could be the difference between a safe stop and a
bumper-basher at a traffic light. At higher speeds, those differences
get more dramatic."
"…similar improvements were apparent negotiating a loose slalom
course—not unlike typical parking lot maneuvers. Not only were the
vehicles on winter tires measurably faster (by 10 to 20 percent)—an
indication of the added margin of traction they provide—but also they
were noticeably easier to control."
"One of the keys to that performance improvement was the fact that those
vehicles were equipped with four winter tires, not just two. Because of
the significant differences in traction between winter and all-season
tires, it is imperative that they be installed on all four wheels.
Otherwise, the two ends of your vehicle can experience different
traction characteristics, resulting in potentially dangerous
instability."
According to Forbesauto.com:
"Even in all but the harshest of snowy conditions, a two-wheel-drive
vehicle (whether front- or rear-driven) will perform safely and securely
in snow with the proper snow tires mounted on all four wheels.
Comparison tests performed by automotive-enthusiast magazines in the
snow have shown that a 2WD drive vehicle with snow tires on all four
wheels will outperform a 4WD vehicle with regular tires."
According to the Tire
Industry Association:
"If winter tires are installed on the front axle of any vehicle, they
must also be installed on the rear. The difference in traction qualities
may result in adverse handling characteristics, which can lead to loss
of vehicle control. Therefore, in order to maintain performance and
stability, winter/snow tires must be installed on all four wheel
positions on front-wheel drive vehicles."
According to Consumer
Research Advocate
Though you might be tempted to buy just two winter tires for your drive
axle, every expert we found says this isn't a great idea. That's because
mixing winter and all-season tires can lead to poor handling balance.
The Toronto Star's John Mahler says that this strategy can be dangerous
in skid situations, as the front wheels get different traction than the
rear wheels. All experts say four winter tires are your best bet, and
even inexpensive winter tires will do better in ice and snow than
all-season tires."
Why do I need Snow Tires?
Snow tires,
also known as "winter tires" and "ice tires," are tires that have been
designed and manufactured specifically to perform well under winter
conditions. Winter tires are different from other tires in both their
tread and the kind of rubber that they are made of. The rubber that is
used to create winter tires is softer than tires that are used in summer
conditions. The softer rubber grips ice and snow better than other tires
and does not harden in cold conditions. This means when it's cold Winter
tires will grip the road better even in clear, dry conditions.
The tread on snow tires is also much different than the tread on other
types of tires. First of all, Winter tires have more grooves than most
others. Like the soft rubber, these grooves also help the tires to grip
snowy and icy roads.
On front-wheel-drive vehicles, winter tires must be fitted in complete
sets of four tires. If high traction snow tires are mounted on the front
and lower traction tires are mounted on the rear, the rear of the
vehicle can lose traction during cornering or braking on snow or ice and
spin out. This is a difficult condition for most drivers to control.
Snow tires on all wheel positions will provide the most effective and
safest winter driving.
How Cold Temperature Affects Tires/Winter Tips
Every time the outside temperature drops 10 degrees Fahrenheit, the air
pressure inside your tires goes down about one or two pounds per square
inch.
You should check your tire pressures frequently during cold weather and
add the necessary air to keep them at recommended levels of inflation at
all times.
Never reduce tire pressures in an attempt to increase traction on snow
or ice. It does not work and your tires will be so seriously
underinflated that driving will damage them.
If one of the drive wheels becomes stuck, the centrifugal forces created
by a rapidly spinning tire can cause an explosion by literally tearing
the tire apart. Never exceed the 35 mph indicated speedometer speed. Do
not stand near the spinning tire.
If your vehicle is stuck and a tow truck is not readily available,
gently rock your vehicle back and forth, repeatedly shifting the gear
lever from drive to reverse on automatic transmissions, or reverse to
second on manual transmissions, while applying gentle pressure to the
accelerator. Caution: If you have an anti-lock braking system (ABS) in
your car, follow the operational instructions in your owner's manual.
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