How Do You Know if Your Tires Are Good for Icy Conditions?

Winter is here, and with it comes the snow and ice and slippery road conditions. Your tires are what stand between your vehicle and the road, so it’s important to make sure they’re capable of holding up in these conditions and giving you some friction so you can maintain control of your vehicle even when the weather outside is frightful.

But how do you know if your tires are in good enough shape for icy conditions? Here’s some information to consider from a mechanic in New Palestine, IN.

Tread depth

One of the easiest ways to determine if your tires are in good enough shape to be used during the winter (or at any time, really) is to use the penny test. Stick a penny into the tire grooves at several spots on the tires with Abe Lincoln’s head facing upside down. If you’re able to see the top of Lincoln’s head, that means your tread has worn down to the point where you need to replace your tires. This becomes more urgent when you’re dealing with winter weather versus summer weather, but in either case you should seek to have your tires replaced as soon as possible.

Winter tires vs. all-season tires

Some people like to use seasonal tires on their vehicles. Whether you opt for winter or all-season tires really depends on the type of driving you do in the snow, how frequently you drive in the snow and where you live. If you only experience moderate snowfall and don’t expect you’ll have to regularly drive in the snow, you should be able to get by with all-season tires, especially if you can trust the plows to come through and clear the roads for you.

However, if you are in an area that sees heavy snowfall and you know you’re going to be out driving in it, winter tires are a better option, as they’ll give you some more grip, especially if you’re in a two-wheel drive vehicle.

If you do end up putting on seasonal tires, make sure you replace all four tires rather than just the front two if you’re in a two-wheel drive vehicle.

Choosing tires

So, if you’ve decided you need new tires or are going to use seasonal tires for the winter, what do you need to do to make sure you choose the right ones?

First, make sure you do plenty of research into your options, looking on line at professional reviews while also gathering consumer reviews. You can get a good sense of the reliability and safety of the various options you have before you actually make your purchase.

You can also look at prices, although price should not be the sole determining factor you use when shopping for tires.

For more information about what you should know about your tires heading into the slippery winter season, we encourage you to contact your mechanic in New Palestine, IN or visit Auto Air & Heating, Inc. today. We look forward to assisting you!

Categorised in: Mechanic

This post was written by Writer