The 3 Car Types That Demand Winter Tires
0The 3 Car Types That Demand Winter Tires.
You still need winter tires in the northern half of the US. That’s true even though nine in 10 cars sold here today are either front-drive or all-wheel-drive/four-wheel-drive. Even those can be challenged by snow, ice, or nothing more than below-freezing weather.
The best solution is to fit a set of four winter tires, which is another name for snow tires, on all four wheels, during the four to six coldest months of the year. Take a look at our slideshow of the car types and why they could use winter tires, starting with cars with high-performance tires. The first three really need winter tires.
“Snow tire” means a tire for use in snow. You kind of figure such a tire is good in ice and slush (correct.) But there’s a need for snow tires in winter even on clear pavement, which is why the industry is rebranding snow tires as winter tires.
An increasing number of cars are sold with low-profile summer or performance tires, often with larger, costlier, and more easily damaged alloy wheels. The rubber compound on those tires gets hard around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Traction, cornering, and braking become compromised even on snow-free roads.