Everything that needs to be known about winter tires

Last winter, you felt it. As soon as there was just a little bit of snow and ice on the road, your car would struggle to find grip. It was also getting increasingly difficult to get up those pesky hills and out of your parking spot. You feel like your winter tires may be done, but are they?

Well, first things first, if your tires were beginning to slip and slide, there is a good chance that they may need to be replaced. On the other hand, it may also only be your imagination. So, you need to check if they are still in good condition by measure their thread depth. Use a special tool that will only cost a few dollars and will quickly tell you if your tires are still in good condition.

By law, your tires’ thread needs to be no less than 2/32”. However, if thread depth is less than 6/32”, you will probably need to replace your winter tires as the season rolls along. It’s therefore a good idea to replace them should your depth be hovering around that number.

You can also use your tire’s wear markings as a guide to know if you need to replace them. Or, there is always the good old quarter that you can use.

Once you know if you need to replace your tires or not, the next step is figuring out when you should install them. According to most experts, your tires need to be replaced as soon as the weather dips below 7 degrees on a regular basis. Below that threshold, your tire’s rubber hardens and it has a lot more difficulty finding any kind of adequate grip.

Therefore, November, as a rule of thumb, is a good time to make sure your winter tires are on your vehicle. You also do not want to wait too long as tire centers tend to get very crowded at this time of year.

Thanks to King Mazda for their help with this article.