Devan Tommasini

Should you drive to Florida with winter tires, then drive around in warm weather on softer rubber, or drive south with all-season tires to suit the warmer climate?

Winter tires are the way to go. No matter how new and innovative your car model is, none of those modern electronics can create traction. They can only maximize whatever traction you have, and all traction is done by the tires. When it comes to those four small patches of rubber holding the car on the road safely, you should make sure you’ve got winter tires on your car when it’s still cold and snowy at your departing location.

The softer rubber and specially-designed treads on winter tires give them better grip and performance on slippery surfaces, and better traction to maneuver and brake at shorter distances. You don’t want to drive over ice without them, trust us.

Tip: Major tire manufacturers recommend that you switch to winter tires once your local temperature is consistently at or less than 7 degrees Celsius or 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why winter tires can still work in the heat (but all-seasons don’t in the cold)

Today’s winter tires are designed to stay flexible when the temperature drops below the freezing mark, but they are also more resistant to wear at higher temperatures than the old “snow” tire of days past. Tires wear very little on the open road – the turnpikes you’ll use heading south. Other than aggressive driving in corners at higher speeds, most tire wear occurs when turning at slow speeds in suburban areas and during parking manoeuvres and when drivers use the power steering to turn the wheels when the tire is standing still, literally scrubbing off rubber.

Most consumers have been oversold about how quickly winter tires will wear when run on hot pavement. Yes, winter tires do wear faster in the heat than all-season tires, but they do not melt off the car. You can help the treads last longer by showing the tire some respect and don’t let them run too hot by braking or accelerating quickly. Extra heat is also caused by under-inflation, so be sure to check your tire pressure regularly.

Are winter tires necessary for an extended stay in Florida?

You’re still making the trip down in wintery conditions. It would be rare for a driver to make it all the way down the interstate to Florida without some form of cold precipitation, whether it be freezing rain or snow. It’s not worth risking the safety of yourself and those along for the ride. Winter tires are a must for the trip down and back.

So, can you drive on winter tires year round? It’s an idea that occurs to many drivers who experience winter weather: “If I have to mount snow tires every year, why don’t I just keep them on my vehicle all the time?” In Quebec where snow tires are mandatory in winter, some people leave them on their car year-round because it’s not required to remove them. If those people knew how to change their own tires, they could easily switch back to all-seasons and wouldn’t have to replace those winter tires as often!

Why not use winter tires all the time?

The softer tread of a winter tire will wear out faster in warmer temperatures. If you keep winter tires on your vehicle after winter has come and gone, you will have to replace them sooner than if you removed them for springtime. However, driving on winter tires in Florida for a number of weeks is still fine when you’re there for shorter period of time than an entire summer. We don’t advise using winter tires year-round. The specialized compounds and tread designs of winter tires are not designed to perform in warm climates.

If it’s the hassle of tire changing that you’re dreading, we have a suggestion for simplifying that process: change them yourself. With the right tools and know-how, it’s absolutely safe to change passenger vehicle tires on your own. Learn how to change a tire with our step-by-step illustrated guide.

Keep your loved ones safe on your journey

You may not think of tires as a safety feature, but they’re one of the most important aspects of driving that help you stay out of harm’s way – even more than experience behind the wheel. If you care about the safety of yourself, your family, and other people on the road, you should make sure you’ve got the right tires on your car. So go ahead and equip your car with a good set of winter tires – store your all-seasons at home and enjoy your vacation.

Whether your car veered off the road or it snowed while your car was parked, it can seem impossible to free yourself without putting a tow truck on speed dial.

TIP: If you’re reading this while stuck on the road, skip ahead to our instructions below!

But there are easy steps anyone can follow to increase your chances for getting out: removing snow from around your car, helping your car gain traction, then carefully driving your car out. Prepare yourself for all kind of wintery driving hazards and you’ll be a DIY snow hero in no time at all!

TIP: When accelerating, try not to spin your tires – this digs deeper holes in the snow and creates ice and slush under the tires, reducing traction and making it harder to move.

Step 1. Dig out your car

If you don’t keep a shovel in your car, now’s the time to go buy one! Our car safety kit includes a compact shovel, along with all the tools and gear you need to stay safe on the road in the event of a car crash or flat tire.

When you find yourself stuck in the snow, get out of the car and use your shovel to dig out all the snow around the tires until you can see them entirely, and you’ve made room in front, behind, and alongside the car so you can get the momentum you need to make your escape. Remove any snow buildup around your car where the weight of the car isn’t on all four tires. Also remove buildup around your tailpipe to ensure it doesn’t get clogged and you don’t risk exhaust buildup in your car.

Step 2. Help your car gain traction

Next, put your car in the lowest gear. The lower gearing ratio will allow your tires to spin slower under the load of the engine and keep you from spinning your tires, so you don’t lose traction and dig yourself deeper into the snow.

Step 3. Straighten your wheels

To make it easier to get your car out of the snow, straighten your wheels as much as possible. You may have to adjust for anything directly in your car’s way, like road signs or fire hydrants, but you want to avoid pointing at too much of an angle since it will be harder to drive out.

Step 4. Drive your car out in a back-and-forth motion

This maneuver should help your car gain traction. Think of it like a rocking chair – back up slowly, stop, move forward slowly, repeat. This is a gentle motion that requires finesse and takes time to build momentum, so be patient and don’t gun your engine! As long as you’re still moving back and forth, you’re making headway. If this technique isn’t working after 10 attempts, stop and proceed to the next step.

Step 5. Still stuck?

If rocking your car was unsuccessful, the ground under your tires is likely still slippery and you’ll need to rough up the surfaces in front, behind, and next to your tires. You can try any of the following rough or gritty substances:

• Salt helps tires gain traction while melting the ice and snow underneath them.
• Sand or even kitty litter can provide grip for your tires to get moving.
• Car mats, doormats, or even carpet squares will cover up snow nicely. Turn them upside down so you don’t leave black tire marks on the surface.

Step 6. STILL stuck?

Sorry, but it’s probably time to call in a tow truck. Even though following the above steps are your best bet for getting unstuck, the snow conditions, tires and driving techniques can vary widely. If your tires are worn down to the end of their treads, or your car is still equipped with all-season tires, all bets are off for getting you unstuck. They simply don’t function well on snow or ice.

There’s no better way to maintain your car’s performance in winter conditions than swapping out your all-season tires for winter tires. According to tests run by Transport Canada and the Rubber Association of Canada, In deep snow, winter tires provide 25% improved traction over all-season tires, which could significantly lower your risk for an accident.

Winter tires in good condition keep your car moving forward in ice, slush, sleet – you name it (that being said, those tires should be in good condition, too.) The increased safety of using the proper tires for the season far outweighs the extra effort involved in owning two sets. Much of the extra spending comes from the service costs associated with switching your tires twice a year, which is why you should change them yourself.

The lifespan of a tire depends on a number of factors: its design, the climate, your driving habits, the road conditions you’re driving on, and how well you care for your tires. While there’s no way to tell exactly how long a tire will last when you buy it, here are three questions you can ask yourself that will help you determine if they need replacing.

1. How old are your tires?

Some tires actually come with a recommended “best before” date from their manufacturers. Even if the treads appear to be in good condition, the rubber components can still break down. This rule also applies to spare tires. If you’re missing your owner’s manual, or you feel you put a lot more wear on your tires than the average driver, here are some guidelines to consider:

Are your tires over five years old? Once your tires have been in use on the road for five years or more, they may be in fine shape, but they may need replacing. You should have them inspected by a professional at least once per year.

Are your tires over (or approaching) ten years old? As a precaution, most tire manufacturers recommend that you replace tires ten years after the manufacture date. At this point, it’s better to replace your tires so you aren’t compromising your safety on the road.

2. How hard are you working your tires?

If something seems “off” while you’re driving – If you’re sliding while breaking on a rainy day, if you lose traction when accelerating if you hear strange noises or feel a pull on the wheel, if you feel a shake – it could be your ball joints or tie-rod ends, or it could just be that your tires are worn or out of balance.

By checking your tires for signs of damage, you’ll have a better idea if they need replacing, before you end up with a flat and find yourself changing tires on the side of the road. If your ride feels rough, and if you notice vibrations in your car, you should reduce your speed, drive extra carefully, and pull over in a safe spot to stop and inspect your tires.

Once a month and before you go on long road trips, check your tires for these signs of damage:

• Cracks
• Bulges
• Small stones, nails, and other troublesome objects
• Damaged valve caps
• Uneven tread wear
• Shallow tread

Your tires’ treads are the points of contact between your car and the road. You don’t want to drive on worn tire treads because the shallow grooves reduce your car’s grip on the road, which affects your car’s responsiveness in poor weather conditions.

Tip: how to check for shallow tread

You don’t need fancy equipment to check if your tires’ treads are in working condition – a quarter will do the trick. Follow this simple test from Michelin to see how (using a Canadian quarter as an example):

3. Are you making these mistakes?

All these mistakes will wear down your tires, meaning you’ll need to replace them sooner:

Don’t: Use your summer or “all-season” tires on snow and ice
Don’t: Mix summer or all-season tire types on your car
Don’t: Use tires on damaged rims
Don’t: Use tire and rim sizes that are not compatible
Don’t: Use tires that have a speed capability and load index lower than recommended by your car manufacturer (check your car’s owner’s manual)
Don’t: Re-inflate a tire that has been run flat or seriously under inflated for an extended period of time
Don’t: Use a spare tire of a different size at speeds higher than 80 km/hour

Do: Check out our 6 upkeep tips for longer-lasting tires here!

Extend the life of your new set of tires

If you enjoyed this article, check out our introductory guide to tire maintenance and learn about all the things you can do increase the lifespan of your tires, so you won’t need to replace them as often.

As a new driver, proper tire maintenance is something you should absolutely know about – your tires are the four points of contact between your car and the road, so it’s crucial that they’re always in good working condition.

While regular inspection plays a big role in maintaining your tires, so does safer driving. Going over the speed limit, jerky steering, hitting curbs, and hard acceleration and braking all put stress on your tires, making them wear down faster.

The following six tips are all things you can do regularly so you won’t need to replace your tires as often. Not only will you save money, but you’ll improve your driving performance and fuel efficiency too – which helps you save on gas and insurance!

1. Rotate your tires regularly.
Tires experience different amounts of stress when in contact with the ground. Left, right, front and rear tires all wear down differently (even on all-wheel-drive cars). Tire rotation means changing where the individual tire is mounted on the car. It’s recommended you rotate your tires once every 10,000 to 12,000 km or 6 months.

2. Get a wheel alignment.
Another way to avoid uneven tread wear on your tires is to align your wheels every year or
20,000 km (15,000 miles). Any form of impact to your wheels, such as road accidents or even driving over uneven surfaces (like hitting curbs or potholes) can displace your tires. You’ll know it’s definitely time to get your wheels aligned if your steering wheel isn’t centered, you feel vibration when steering, or your car drifts to one side while driving.

3. Make sure your tires are balanced.
Every time you change or rotate your tires, you should make sure your tires are balanced to prevent premature tread wear. This is a task you’ll need a mechanic’s help with, as it involves using a balancing machine to equalize the weight of the combined tire and wheel assembly so that it spins smoothly at high speed.

4. Check your tire pressure.
Keeping your tires properly inflated ensures that your car is steering, accelerating, and braking as it should be. As a general rule, tires can lose up to 1 PSI (pounds per square inch) every month, so it’s important to check all tires (including the spare) regularly.

Tip: When the temperature drops, so does tire pressure, so your winter tires should be 3-5 PSI higher than the pressure recommended for all-season tires.

This is a task you can easily learn yourself. Purchase a tire pressure gauge, and check when tires are “cold” (before you head out for a drive). Follow the directions in your gauge’s owner’s manual, and compare the measured PSI to the PSI in your car’s owner’s manual. If your PSI is above the recommended number, let some air out of your tire until it matches. If your PSI is too low, then drive to your local gas station to add air, then check if you’ve reached the proper number.

5. Change your tires according to the season.
As discussed in our previous blog post on using the right tires for the season, the increased safety far outweighs the extra effort involved in owning two sets. The benefit to owning two sets of tires will mean they should last twice as long as one set of all-season tires.

6. Store your tires properly.
So you changed your tires, now what? Proper storage keeps your off-season tires in working condition when they aren’t being used. Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to store your tires at home and save yourself some cash.

When is it time to replace your tires?

It depends on a number of factors, some of which are completely out of your control (such as weather conditions). Check with your tire manufacturer if they have a recommended “best before” date.

Your tires will need replacing eventually, so once a month and before you go on long road trips, check your tires for these signs of damage:

• Cracks
• Bulges
• Small stones, nails, and other troublesome objects
• Damaged valve caps
• Uneven tread wear
• Shallow tread

Tip: Don’t mix and match tires. While it may seem more cost effective to replace one or two tires at a time, having mismatched tires can lead to rapid and uneven tread wear, or even mechanical issues.

In the end, it doesn’t cost any more to equip yourself with the right tires, and the right tools will help get more life out of your tires and performance out of your car. When it’s time to change your tires, learn how to do it yourself with our step-by-step illustrated guide.