This morning we woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground and cold temperatures. It was all of 7 degrees (F) outside. And a lot more snow is expected, with the National Weather Service predicting a 100 percent (!) chance of snow tomorrow as a low-pressure system moves in from the southwest.

The impending storm makes me thankful that we purchased winter tires for our only car last winter. You can see the tread of our Michelin X-Ice tires in the photo above. I had the tires installed again in early November as this winter got underway.

I had never used winter tires before, despite having lived in Minnesota for most of my life. I drive carefully and, aside from some slipping and sliding at the beginning of each winter driving season as I become reacquainted with slick roads, have had few problems.

My opinion on winter tires changed last year when, after one of the first snowfalls of the season, I put too heavy a foot on the brakes, foolishly locked them up (failing to pump them), and slid into a curb on a quiet residential street. That messed up our car’s tie rods and required an expensive repair. That experience, reinforced by my wife’s fears of driving in winter (she is a Southerner), led me to do some research on winter tires.

What I found convinced me that winter tires make sense where we live here in southern Minnesota. Even though we don’t get nearly as much snow as places such as mountain ski resorts and Buffalo, New York, we have a five-month-long winter with very cold conditions. Winter tires are just as important for icy conditions as they are for snow.

Some of the web resources that provide good information on the benefits of winter tires are the Canadian Driver web site’s Winter Driving page, a Canada Safety Council article, and Tire Rack, which has one of the best retail web sites I’ve ever encountered. The following quote is from their Winter Tire FAQ’s:

Only winter tires are designed to excel in the colder temperatures, slush, snow and ice that many parts of the country experience for three or more months a year.

It’s also important to note that the recent advancements in electronic driver aids, such as ABS and traction control, don’t provide more traction. They only help prevent drivers from over braking or overpowering the available traction of their tires. The only thing the driver can do to increase traction…to actually get more grip and control… is install better tires.

A Consumer Reports article explains the advantages and disadvantages of winter tires:

Winter tires have treads with more biting edges for better grip on snow and ice, while their softer compound remains flexible even in extremely low temperatures. On cleared roads, however, they might not grip as well as all-season tires, and they often wear more quickly. They do not have tread-wear warranties or grades and should be removed in the spring.

You’ll notice that I’m referring to these as winter tires rather than snow tires. That’s because they provide better grip on ice as well.

My experience after using the winter tires is that they do provide better traction on snow and ice. You have to hit the brakes hard or accelerate fast to get winter tires to lose their traction on ice or snow. Our tires also provide good traction in wet conditions.
Using winter tires doesn’t mean that drivers should drive in all winter conditions or drive recklessly. Often it’s still best to simply stay home rather than brave the elements.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Minnesota, Weather, Winter.