How to make winter tires last longer

While the City of Edmonton puts down calcium chloride on roadways, drivers are bracing for all the snow and icy conditions. Though snow means fun when you’re not driving through it, it also signifies that you have to be more careful once you finally hit the road for work, school or a weekend journey with your buds. We want to help you out with winter driving, so today, we invite you to join our Sherwood Ford team as we show you some tips on how to make winter tires last longer! 

Methods to Make Winter Tires Last Longer

The operation of snow tires is a double-edged sword; their deeper tread depths and winter-ready construction means that maneuvering through snow is much easier than, say, an all-season tire, but you’ll want to be aware that tread can wear much faster when the temperature is frigid and driving conditions drastically change.

For this reason, we recommend taking your trips much more slowly and cautiously whenever snow, sleet and ice starts to build up. It takes between 25 and 33 metres to come to a halt on ice from a 30 kilometre per hour start, so you’ll also want to be sure that you’re leaving plenty of room between you and the driver in front of you, in case sudden changes in traffic happen that you need to account for. Of course, these are fundamental rules for winter driving in the first place, but they can also work wonders for keeping your tires healthy for cornering and stopping.

Keep in mind too that cold winter temperatures cause the pressure in tires to drop along with the falling mercury. Maintaining the correct air pressure might seem like something that will keep your snow tires in good condition for longer, but it’s one of the simplest and most important ways to avoid unnecessary wear and make winter tires last longer.

Another easy way to keep your winter tires in excellent shape is to ensure you’re undertaking regular seasonal maintenance including tire rotations, alignments and balancing. To make winter tires last longer, we recommend you Book a service appointment online.

How to know when your winter tires should be replaced

Unlike all-season and summer-specific tires, winter tires are unique in that they need to be replaced much sooner. In most provinces, it’s law to to get your tires replaced when your tread depth reaches a level of 4/32 inches, or about 3.2 millimetres.

For a do-it-yourself check, our Sherwood team recommends that you place a Toonie in between your snow tires’ treads. If you can see “CANADA” or “DOLLARS’ visibly, that means that it’s time to come see us for tire replacement.

Read More: What are the best winter tires for 2018 in Canada?

Get the Ford Winter Performance Package at Sherwood Ford

The reason we bring this up is that between now and the end of November, you’re more than welcome to come see us and get our Ford Winter Performance Package (which includes winter tires, steel rims and high-tech sensors) installed on your new Ford purchase for no extra charge on most new models. Contact us today to schedule a service appointment, and we’ll be happy to get you set up with a fresh new set!