Winter and Snow Tires

A winter tire is not just a tire with aggressive tread. The thing that makes it work is the rubber compound, which is formulated to stay soft and pliable at temperatures where all-season rubber turns hard and glassy. A tire that stays flexible can conform to the microscopic texture of cold pavement and ice, and that mechanical interlock is most of your winter grip. This is why a winter tire outperforms an all-season on cold dry pavement, not just in snow.The second element is siping: the thousands of small slits cut into the tread blocks. Each sipe edge acts as an additional biting edge on snow and ice, and the sipes also let the blocks flex open to wipe water off the surface. Deep tread voids handle the snow evacuation.Choosing between the winter tire types:Studless winter tires: the mainstream choice, excellent on snow and very good on ice, legal everywhere, no noise penalty from studsStuddable winter tires: accept metal studs for maximum ice traction, but studs are restricted or seasonally regulated in many jurisdictionsPerformance winter tires: for sports cars and heavier vehicles, retain more dry handling and speed rating, give up some deep snow abilityInstall winter tires in complete sets of four. Fitting two winter tires to one axle creates a large grip imbalance front to rear and makes the vehicle far more likely to spin or plow than it would be on four matched all-seasons. Mount them once daytime highs settle below 45F and remove them when spring temperatures return, because the soft compound wears quickly in heat.