‘Tis nearly the season, have you made the switch to winter tires?
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Installing winter tires is one of the most important things drivers living in winter regions can do to stay safe. Yet only 28% of U.S. Drivers who live in these winter regions take this step, according to a new survey from Bridgestone Americas.
Most cars are equipped with all-season tires, which are designed with both winter and summer performance in mind—but they don’t offer maximum performance in either season.
Wet winter road surfaces in the day can quickly become slick icy surfaces as evening approaches and temperatures drop. That’s why it’s important for drivers living in cold climates with frequent winter weather like Colorado to switch to winter tires early in the season.
So when is it time to make the switch? Well, now. As a general rule of thumb, if you can see your breath, you know it’s time to switch to winter tires.
Rich Michie, Area Manager with Firestone Complete Auto Care said, “For your all-season tires which are generally on vehicles, you want to have as much tread on there as possible. Close to new down to about halfway worn should still give you reasonable traction. With a winter tire, you can wear them down even more. They are built and designed to give you that traction and stopping power even when they are worn.”
Other things to keep in mind in addition to installing winter tires, there are three Bs to remember to make sure your car is ready to face winter weather: blades, brakes, and battery. Replace worn-out wiper blades to better increase visibility; and no matter how good your tires are, they can’t help you if your brakes go out, so make sure you get them checked as well.
