
Safe driving is always important, but being on the road during winter needs extra precautions. Follow our weekly tips on safe winter driving.
TIP #1 – Avoid “Slip Sliding Away”
To ensure your vehicle is ready for winter weather, switch your all-season tires to winter ones before the temperature drops below 7°C. All-season tires are great, but definitely NOT good enough for our winter roads! At, or about 7°C, an all–season and a winter tire have about the same traction, however, as the mercury drops the winter tire gains grip, while all–season tires and high performance tires, lose traction. … In contrast, the rubber in the tread of a winter tire will soften, and wear out much faster Winter tires optimize the performance and safety of winter driving. The braking distance of a winter tire could be up to two vehicle lengths shorter than the braking distance of an all-season tire rolling at 24 km/h, on a dry or wet roadway, and this distance could increase significantly in the case of an emergency brake.