Now's time to check tire tread
Although the cold and snow are not yet here to stay, now is the time to start making sure your tires are ready and safe.
One thing to consider is the tread on your tires, said Rick McKivigan, owner of Butler Tires for Less on Pittsburgh Road.
To pass state inspection, tires need 2/32 of an inch of tread — which is not all that much.
“I would advise replacement well before that if you’re going to have decent traction in winter,” McKivigan said.
Although good all-season tires can go a long way in the winter, snow tires can improve traction and safety during those times when the roads are covered in the white stuff.
“Snow tires certainly are going to give you a better quality of traction,” McKivigan said, saying he recommends snow tires for this region’s climate.
Snow tires are made of softer rubber and have deeper, “more aggressive” tread. McKivigan said they can help you drive through the snow and can improve stopping distance. Although they improve safety, McKivigan still said that caution and common sense need to be exercised when driving in the snow with these tires.
For front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, McKivigan said drivers should get four snow tires. He said this increases the stability on these vehicles.
For rear-wheel drive, he said drivers probably could get by with having snow tires only on the rear wheels.
When looking for snow tires, McKivigan said shopping for name brands is OK, but said that just about any brand has a good quality snow tire these days.
Individual snow tires can range in price from around $75 to $200.
“There’s quite a variance,” McKivigan said.
Generally, snow tires are installed in November or December, and taken off in April.
McKivigan said it is best to take the tires off during the warmer months to make them last, since the softer rubber does not fare as well in heat.
“They would wear rapidly,” McKivigan said.
Some people also opt for putting metal studs on their tires, although McKivigan said that has diminished over the years, with rubber composition in tires improving. Still, he said some people want the ultimate in traction and go for studs.
“They’re still valuable on ice,” McKivigan said.
Cold weather makes the air pressure in tires drop, and underinflated tires decrease traction and fuel efficiency.
“You want to keep your air pressure up in the winter,” McKivigan said, although he cautioned against overinflating tires — which also decreases traction.
