Jason's Journal: Avoid Slipping and Sliding this Winter
With winter weather right around the corner, I would like to discuss a topic extremely important to your safety—winter tires. With many automobiles equipped with All-Wheel Drive, all season tires and other safety systems, you may ask yourself “why should I be concerned with the use of a dedicated winter tire?” All-Wheel Drive will certainly help assist you on snow covered roads when accelerating, but when it comes to braking, steering and maintaining stability, the type of tire makes all the difference. Even the best all season tire is no competition for a dedicated snow tire. The rubber used to make all season tires can harden in cold weather, causing reduced grip. Snow tires are made of a special compound of rubber formulated to provide excellent traction on cold snow covered roads. This type of rubber remains much more pliable in cold weather allowing it to make firm contact with the roadway. Dedicated snow tires have special tread designs made specifically for snow and ice. ...