The winter months and choosing when to purchase snow tires

With how the road conditions looked Monday morning and some people were seen slipping and sliding, the thought of using snow tires has surfaced in the minds of drivers. Could it be time for some snow tires or sticking with good all-season rubber for winter roads work?
“The best way to get through that is with snow tire. All-season tires are not going to get you what you need traction-wise on the roads right now,” said Pro Tire Sales Manager Mike Lawery.

Lawery mentions that there is some new technology that makes some all-season tires more capable in the snow. “The newest style, which is a kind of a hybrid, is the general 365; they have developed this tire to be a soft compound with a tread life warranty of up to 60,000 miles. Still, some days pliable at temperatures under 40 degrees, but can also be used in the summer.”

When adding some grip to your wheels, the question comes to mind…can you manage with just two new tires? Lawey shares his answer to that.

“In all-wheel drive vehicles, it’s very, very important that you change all four tires and you should do that in most cases on all vehicles. The rear end of the vehicle is just susceptible to sliding out from underneath you as it is to having the front end slide on you. So, it is very important to do all four tires.

The prices of snow tires can be a budget breaker, starting around $100 a tire, including the cost to install. This is why you might consider trying out a new tire that is designed for snow but can work the rest of the year too.

“You want to try to find a tire that now, with the new technology, you can have a winter and summer tire combined into one and not throw away that money,” Lawery mentioned.