30 Apr All-Weather Tires: It’s Time to Swap Out Your Winter Tires
Almost overnight, it seems like spring has arrived. This time of year brings to mind a few car maintenance tasks for many motorists in cold climates. Knowing when to swap your tires depends on a few factors. Seasonal temperatures can be unpredictable, so the time of year may change slightly. Let’s review how winter tires differ from all-weather tires, not just in tire tread but also in safety, durability, and cost.
Springtime Means Storing Your Winter Tires
It’s important to watch the temperature and change out your winter tires as soon as the weather turns warm. It’s time to switch when the daytime and nighttime temperatures consistently exceed 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Proper storage of winter tires can significantly affect their lifespan. You should store your winter tires in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. Before stacking them, you may put shop towels, furniture pads, or drop cloths between the tires. If used and stored correctly, you can expect at least 2-3 years of use from your winter tires.
What Happens If I Don’t Swap Out My Winter Tires?
Leaving your winter tires on during warm weather can cause the rubber to become overly soft and wear out very quickly. Worn tire tread can result in decreased fuel economy, reduced handling, and an increased risk of accidents. Alternatively, removing your winter tires too early can compromise your safety if the weather turns the roads icy.
What Are Winter Tires?
Winter tires feature large tire treads that move water, snow, and icy slush more efficiently. They also have softer rubber containing silica that maintains flexibility in cold temperatures. That softness becomes a liability in hot temperatures, so you must swap out winter tires for all-season or all-weather tires once spring is in full swing. Winter tires provide the best traction and control in cold, snowy, and icy conditions. They perform better in these conditions because they have deeper treads and more sipes (small slits or voids in the tread blocks), which provide a better grip on slippery surfaces and help the tires to grab into snow and ice.
What Are All-Weather Tires?
All-weather tires are a hybrid type used in mild weather and some non-extreme winter conditions. In many ways, they’re the best of both worlds. All-season tires perform in a variety of road and weather conditions. These are a budget-friendly option, often used by compact and subcompact motorists. Many tire manufacturers also offer performance and touring versions for vehicles with more horsepower. All-weather tires perform strongly in the summer, spring, and fall months. However, they may perform okay during a mild winter, but not in extremely cold temperatures.
What Are All-Season Tires?
All-season tires offer optimal performance during spring, summer, and fall. Some manufacturers call all-season tires “three-season tires” or “summer tires.” All-season tires are known for their excellent dry grip but may wear down faster than all-weather tires. The tread on all-season tires is often smooth and straight for better road traction during warm to hot conditions. Unfortunately, summer tires are known to lose flexibility in colder weather, making them unfit for winter driving. These tires tend to lose traction at temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, all-season tires do not carry a mud and snow (M&S) designation on the sidewall.
Winter Tire Benefits
Investing in a set of snow or winter tires can prolong the life of your all-weather tires since you store them during the harsh winter months.
All-Weather Tires Cost Savings
Replacing worn or damaged tires can get expensive. After the initial investment, owning two sets of tires can actually save you money in the long run. With proper tire care, careful driving habits, and correct storage, you may extend the lifespan of both sets of tires to their safe limit.
Increased Safety
Ice can be a critical road hazard, especially when a layer of water floats on top of it. This combination of liquid and frozen water can make the road surface extremely slippery, reducing your vehicle’s braking performance. Winter tires reduce your braking distance significantly on ice and provide more traction on snow. Additionally, some snow tires feature treads with metal studs that punch through frozen snow and ice for better grip.
Tire Tread
Tires are essential to your car, so periodically checking them is a good idea. The hazards of winter driving may linger on your tires. Road debris, snow, salt, and cold temperatures can all cause tire tread wear. By law, a car’s tire tread should be 2/32″ in depth at minimum. When swapping out your winter tires, be sure to closely examine them for any signs of damage, excessive wear, and tire tread depth.
Tire Center in Plymouth Meeting, PA
Most motorists know that purchasing a set of quality winter tires and all-weather tires means more yearly mileage and is an excellent long-term investment. Let the tire experts at Plymouth Auto Center help you choose the best tires for your needs.
Request An All-weather Tire Quote
Plymouth Auto & Tire Center offers full-service auto and tire services. Purchase your tires from us at cost and pay for the initial mount, balance, and alignment service. Then, we will do those same services for free for the rest of the life of those tires!
Call us at (610) 825-6558 for details or request a tire quote online.
We are proud to carry the following brands of tires:
Goodyear, Kelly Tires, Michelin, BF Goodrich, Continental, Cooper Tires, Toyo Tires, Yokohama, Kumho Tires, Mastercraft, General Tires, Pirelli, and Dunlop Tires.