Do You Need Winter Tires?

There was a time when you didn’t even ask that question in Northern Minnesota. Of course, you need winter tires (or snow tires as they were called). Usually, around November, one would either pull the set stacked in the corner of the garage since March or buy a new set if the car was new. This was simply a car ownership right of passage for anyone in areas with heavy winter. 

But then, things changed in the car industry. Cars went from being almost universally rear-wheel drive to largely front-wheel drive over a couple of decades, which had some traction advantages. Then, SUVs and crossovers started replacing sedans in the household, and in this area, almost all of them were equipped with all- or 4-wheel drive. Around the same time, traction control systems started becoming standard equipment. From the tire industry came “all-season tires,” implying a single set of tires for the whole year, which can be true in some parts of the country. All of these trends seemed aimed at negating the need for a second set of tires for the winter months, and people started asking us at Volkswagen of Duluth if snow tires are even necessary anymore. The answer is yes, and let’s look into why.

All-Wheel Drive Does Not Create Traction

With so many of us in relatively modern all-wheel drive vehicles, it is important to know that while features like all-wheel-drive, anti-lock braking, and traction control do help make the most of your vehicle’s available traction, they don’t actually increase traction. Tires are the only connection between your vehicle and the road. Thus, they are the only factor in determining how much traction you have. 

An AWD vehicle fitted with tires with poor traction may help you get moving compared to a similarly equipped two-wheel drive vehicle, but when it comes to turning or braking, the result will be four tires spinning instead of two. Because while rear-or all-wheel drive can help you get going, it is of minor value in turning and of no use at all in stopping. ABS can keep your wheels from spinning, but its engagement depends on tire traction. 

How are Winter Tires Different?

Winter tires used to look like today’s all-terrain tires. The tread designs are more sophisticated now, though they are still chunkier than conventional tires. But tread isn’t even the most essential factor in a winter tire. Here are three primary differences between winter and conventional tires in order of importance:

• Rubber Composition – When the temperature drops, conventional tires simply become too hard to provide the pliancy required for sufficient traction. Even all-season tires, which must also withstand summer heat, can’t help but be compromised. By contrast, winter tires are composed of rubber designed to stay soft and pliable in cold temperatures to maintain adequate grip and traction. 

• Depth and Pattern of Tread: Winter tires do have deeper tread depths than regular tires, both to improve traction in the snow and reduce snow buildup. This contrasts to performance tires, which have limited tread depth to minimize tread squiggle between the tire and the road surface. You also find unique tread patterns on winter tires with grooves to help prevent hydroplaning by efficiently pushing moisture from the tread to the gaps in between. Pressure creates heat, so a vehicle’s weight on tires creates heat, which forms moisture on snow, and you are often driving on this layer of moisture. Left standing, this moisture will often refreeze as ice, which is why packed snow becomes icy.
• Biting Edges – Unlike regular tires, winter tires have a series of zig-zag grooves covering their tread. These grooves act as biting edges to grip the road in snow or ice.

All-season tires can approach some of these components, but they simply cannot handle summer heat and still be optimized for the cold. Likewise, a tire tread depth and design suitable for hot, dry surfaces can be less effective in the cold and wet. Even all-season tires with a snowflake branded on the side only had to pass an acceleration test on medium-packed snow. And that is far from what a dedicated winter tire can achieve and needs to do in a northern Minnesota winter. Consumer Reports test tires constantly and has this to say: “Our test-track observations lead us to advise that using snow tires provides the best grip and assurance for going, stopping, and cornering no matter what you drive: all-wheel drive, front-drive, or rear-drive.”

Timing and Cost

When should you install winter tires? The best rule of thumb is if you can see your breath, it is time to be on winter tires. Buying a second set of tires may seem like a significant expense, but it isn’t in the long run. Your vehicle can only wear down one set of tires at a time. Thus, both sets will last longer. It is actually a bit like having warm and cold winter clothes. So, over time, you are not spending more. You are just making your vehicle safer.

If you want to know more, our service professionals are here to answer your tire questions and help you determine the best winter tires for your vehicle.