Did You Mount Your Cold Weather Tires Yet?

by: News Canada

(NC)Every year there is this dilemma: should you mount winter tires or should you stay with your all season tires? We always question is it going to snow a lot or is it just going to be cold and will our all- season tires be good enough. Well here is some news for you, winter tires are not only designed to work better in snow, slush and ice but also when it simply gets cold.

Bruce Bridgman, National Marketing Manager Toyo Tire Canada Inc. says that among other things the tire’s tread rubber needs to remain flexible to do the job it was designed to do. “Good winter tires are designed to handle every aspect of winter driving.”

In a study done by the Quebec Ministry of Transport comparing all season vs winter tires, results showed that you can get up to 25 percent better breaking and 38 percent better collision avoidance by using a proper winter tire. The ministry summary concluded: “Winter tires perform better than the All Season tires, particularly in very cold temperatures. Furthermore, during braking, a crucial component of road safety, winter tires do provide superior results when compared to All Season tires.

Consequently, any driver concerned with vehicle safety will have good winter tires installed on their vehicle” during the cold weather season.

Toyo Tire Canada designs Cold Weather Tires for Canadian winters. This is probably why they are considered one of the top winter tire manufacturers. “We design our tires for varied and severe Canadian winters,”says Bridgman, “and as a result we are able to provide a superior performing and unique product for Canadian drivers. Using award- winning state of the art super computer design technology we have an edge on competitor’s products”.

Many summer and all season tires start to lose their tread compound flexibility as the ambient temperature drops. Bridgman states that with the current increasing trend for vehicles to come equipped with performance tires right from the factory, it is even more important to consider “Cold Weather Tires” for winter driving.

One of the primary design criteria for a performance tire is to provide improved handling through better braking, cornering and acceleration capabilities in dry or rainy conditions. Although it’s virtually impossible to achieve the same results in winter conditions, to enhance the cold weather driving experience of your performance vehicle you need a dedicated winter tire.

“We have been led to believe that all season tires are suitable for all conditions,” says Bridgman. “However your best option for those cold, icy, slushy, wet winter days is a full set of four Cold Weather Tires and a dose of common sense driving. For more information on Toyo “Cold Weather Tires” got to www.toyocanada.com.

- News Canada

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Smaller than OEM tires
Can I use winter tires that are smaller than the OEM tires on my car now? I’m looking for winter tires for my car (245/65R17) but apparently there aren’t any left in Ontario due to the recent spike in demand from Quebec, where new regulation is requiring winter tires on all vehicles this winter.

The mechanic is suggesting that I get 235/65R17 tires instead. From cursory searching on the internet, it seems these tires would be narrower than OEM and have a smaller diameter as well (since the aspect ratio is the same). Will that have an adverse effect on the handling of the car? Also, here’s a silly question: will the narrower tires even fit on the current rims?

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