How to Rate your Tires

by darrensgarage Admin

How do tires rate ?

It’s that time of year when the tires need to be checked and the winter tires put on if you have OR purchasing of new . Now this does not need to be rocket science, knowing what the differences are in tire terms is more than half the battle here and we have all seen the commercials for them, hope the following  clears the waters a little eh.  

There are tires rated as all-season, all-weather, or winter; then there are tire markings such as M&S, and the peak and snowflake symbol.

Which tire is the best choice for Alberta’s  unpredictable winter roads?

  • ALL-SEASON REALLY MEANS THREE-SEASON

The reality is that all-season tires are designed for three seasons – none of them winter. They are made from a rubber compound that won’t wear too fast during the summer months. However, when temperatures fall below +7° C, the rubber starts to stiffen and lose traction on snow and ice.

  •  ALL-WEATHER TIRES DON’T MEASURE UP

A newer tire category called all-weather has a tread design more like a winter tire, but the rubber compound is similar to all-season for summer durability, so they also lose effectiveness as the temperature drops.

  • WINTER TIRES ARE THE WAY TO GO

True winter tires are made of a softer rubber compound that stays flexible even at frigid temperatures, allowing the rubber blocks to literally splay out and around even the tiniest areas of roughness of a seemingly smooth surface – like ice on a highway.

Winter tires also have more aggressive tread blocks with numerous sipes, (narrow slices in the larger tire tread blocks) which create hundreds of smaller blocks for added traction.I had the name right in another article on tire rotation BTW.

Winter tires are identified by the “peak and snowflake” symbol – meaning they have passed a Transport Canada severe service winter test. The “M&S” symbol (short for mud and snow) featured on many all-season tires doesn’t require passing any tests at all.

Organizations from AMA to Transport Canada and even insurance companies recommend using real winter tires for our cold, snowy climate.

In 2012, Canada’s Traffic Injury Research Association reviewed studies done around the world on the effectiveness of winter tires and found that in tests “with different vehicles on various surfaces, winter tires outperformed all-season tires in terms of traction, cornering and braking.” Now if you drive for a living then you know that you do not need a study on this BUT…

So if you are planning to drive at all on these fine Alberta ( or anywhere there is winter ) roads this winter please check your tires and make sure they are rated for the conditions.It could save your life and those of someone you love. I know it sounds corny but I have seen what happens with out the proper tires and its not a great outcome.

Thanks all hope you enjoyed this and got something out of it. Let me know if there is something you want me to cover. 

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