skidmark
10-26-2005, 06:41 PM
Winter Tires
'Tis the season, to think about winter tires that is. Residents in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island might be able to get away with good all season tires if they stick close to home, but the rest of the province really should be equipped with true winter tires. After all, the signs requiring winter tires or the carrying of chains are already up in some parts of the province.
Yes, all season tires do qualify as winter tires for the purposes of the sign if you can read "mud & snow" or "M+S" on the sidewall. A true winter tire will have a graphic of a mountain and snowflake symbol along with the M+S designation.
If the tread depth is less than 3.5 mm, winter tires are considered to be worn out. Beware, as the tread wear bars on most tires begin to show at 1.6 mm, which is the minimum for summer season tires. Use a tread depth gauge to be sure.
All season tires, winter tires or studded winter tires, how do you decide? If you will be doing any driving where there is regular snow and ice, all season tires are not a good choice. If you want to use the tires between May 1 and September 30, studded tires are also out of the question. If your vehicle is a front wheel drive the law says that if you choose to use studded tires, you must use four studded tires.
It gets more complicated yet! Tires really should go on in sets of four. This takes the best advantage of ABS, traction control or electronic stability control. For the same reason, use only the tire size specified by the vehicle manufacturer found on the vehicle's tire placard or in your owner's manual. If you can only afford two, put the new tires on the rear.
Traction AA, Temperature B, Tread Wear 250. The Uniform Tire Quality Grade rating gives drivers consistent and reliable information regarding tire performance. This information is also found printed on the tire sidewall and may be used as a guide along with other information about the particular tire.
When you consider that the average passenger car has about as much tread in contact with the road as the area covered by a pair of adult feet, it makes sense to maximize the quality of that contact. Use the services of a tire professional to guide your choices if you are not sure of what to do.
Reference Links (http://members.shaw.ca/behind.the.wheel/current.htm) on the Behind the Wheel web site.
'Tis the season, to think about winter tires that is. Residents in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island might be able to get away with good all season tires if they stick close to home, but the rest of the province really should be equipped with true winter tires. After all, the signs requiring winter tires or the carrying of chains are already up in some parts of the province.
Yes, all season tires do qualify as winter tires for the purposes of the sign if you can read "mud & snow" or "M+S" on the sidewall. A true winter tire will have a graphic of a mountain and snowflake symbol along with the M+S designation.
If the tread depth is less than 3.5 mm, winter tires are considered to be worn out. Beware, as the tread wear bars on most tires begin to show at 1.6 mm, which is the minimum for summer season tires. Use a tread depth gauge to be sure.
All season tires, winter tires or studded winter tires, how do you decide? If you will be doing any driving where there is regular snow and ice, all season tires are not a good choice. If you want to use the tires between May 1 and September 30, studded tires are also out of the question. If your vehicle is a front wheel drive the law says that if you choose to use studded tires, you must use four studded tires.
It gets more complicated yet! Tires really should go on in sets of four. This takes the best advantage of ABS, traction control or electronic stability control. For the same reason, use only the tire size specified by the vehicle manufacturer found on the vehicle's tire placard or in your owner's manual. If you can only afford two, put the new tires on the rear.
Traction AA, Temperature B, Tread Wear 250. The Uniform Tire Quality Grade rating gives drivers consistent and reliable information regarding tire performance. This information is also found printed on the tire sidewall and may be used as a guide along with other information about the particular tire.
When you consider that the average passenger car has about as much tread in contact with the road as the area covered by a pair of adult feet, it makes sense to maximize the quality of that contact. Use the services of a tire professional to guide your choices if you are not sure of what to do.
Reference Links (http://members.shaw.ca/behind.the.wheel/current.htm) on the Behind the Wheel web site.