Managing Your Car's Problems

2 Things To Look For When Purchasing Winter Tires For Your Vehicle

After dealing with driving in wintry weather, you may be thinking that it is time for you to change your vehicle's tires. Even if you have an all-weather model, tires specifically designed for the snowy, slushy conditions can make it easier and safer for traveling on the road.

However, if you have never purchased winter tires, you may be at a loss as to what features they should have. If so, look for the following things when examining winter tires for use on your car this season. 

1.  Look for Tires with Large, Wide Grooves in the Tread

One of the first things that you should look at when choosing which winter tires to purchase for your vehicle is the tread depth and width. With all-season or summer tires, the treads are usually shallow and narrow. While these types of tires are usually okay for driving in wet conditions, they are not adept at displacing the thicker precipitation like snow and slush.

Winter tires should have large, wide grooves in the tread. These types of grooves are able to drive efficiently over the precipitation without causing it to stick to and make the tread too slippery for safe driving. 

2.  Try to Find Tires That Have Diagonal or Lateral Tread Patterns

While the deep, wide tread is a must for winter tires, it is not enough to make driving easier in wintry weather. Along with the width and depth of the tread, you also need to look at its design pattern.

With normal tires, the read often runs parallel to the tires' sides. If you attempt to drive in snow and slush with this pattern, the precipitation will stay within the travel lane, causing issues with sliding.

However, with winter tires that have a diagonal, lateral, or criss-cross pattern, the snow, ice, and slush is directed away from the tires and the travel lane. This helps to keep the precipitation from building up.

When faced with driving in wintry weather, your car's regular or all-weather tires will probably not be enough to safely cut through the snow, ice, and slush. It needs to have winter tires that have large, wide grooves that are in a diagonal or lateral tread pattern. Contact a representative at a tire sales shop in your area who can assist you in finding ones that match the required specifications as well as are the correct size and style for your vehicle.