Friday, March 13, 2015

Winter Tires Are Just No Good For Summer Driving

Imagine this. You're about to start a new running routine in an attempt to get in shape for summer. You go out to the store and buy a brand new pair of running shoes that fit your feet perfectly. You're ready to go. Fast forward six months. The temperature begins to drop as the fall season approaches, but you don't have enough money to afford new dress shoes for work AND snow boots for the fast approaching ski season. In an attempt to keep what money you do have, you decide to wear your running shoes to work, and on the mountain side. I don't think I need to explain the implications here, but to sum it up, you're going to have a tough time getting around.

Tires are nothing more than shoes for the vehicle, but wearing the right shoe in the wrong conditions will do you no favors. In fact, there's a great chance that you will wear your shoes down so quickly that you will have to spend even more money on new running shoes (and you still won't have dress shoes for work or snow boots for winter).

Now let me say that I know that tires are far more expensive than shoes, and because of this it can be easy to justify leaving your winter tires on your vehicle all year long. While I can appreciate simple solutions to big problems, you're not solving anything by driving on your winter tires during the summer season. You will actually spend more money in the long run and your vehicle's performance will eventually begin to suffer. How will it suffer you ask? Read on and I'll explain.


All winter tires are designed to maintain optimal traction in extreme winter conditions. The rubber is softer thus making it more flexible and adaptable to frozen and snow-covered roads. A specialized tread design and deeper tread depth help winter tires to stay firmly planted to the road, giving you more control and helping to keep you safe.

When winter fades to spring and the snow begins to melt, you won't need the deep tread depth and biting edges of the winter tire. You simply don't require that kind of traction in warm weather. The softer and more flexible winter tire rubber which allows for enhanced traction during the winter season will end up costing you during the summer months in the form of  expedited tread wear. This is where your wallet begins to cry. Summer and all-season tires can not compare to the traction of winter tires in winter and winter tires can't touch the performance of summer or all-season tires during the warmer months.

You've effectively dug yourself into a hole where you have nothing but worn out winter tires. This situation could have been easily avoided by driving on winter tires in the winter and summer (or even all-season) tires during the snow-free months. There's a reason why tire manufacturers offer different types of tires, and this is it.

If you think it's finally time to purchase the right tires for the right driving seasons then Town Fair Tire is the next place you're going. With the largest selection of tires at the lowest prices around, there's no better place to shop for tires.