Discount Tire Advises Motorists To Switch To Winter Season Tires For Driving In Temperatures Below 45 Degrees

Avoid the rush - prepare vehicles in advance of winter road conditions

Scottsdale, Ariz. (PRWEB) November 18, 2008 -- The fall and winter seasons usually usher in thoughts of chilly air, snowy-white landscapes and the holidays. However, the severe winter weather makes for dangerous driving conditions in many parts of the country. Discount Tire, America's largest independent tire retailer, reminds motorists to prepare their vehicles for the winter season by replacing their all-season tires with winter season tires before the mercury drops to 45 degrees. Winter tires will help ensure motorists have added road safety and performance.

All-season tires are not designed for severe winter weather. Their tread designs are less effective at helping drivers maintain control in winter conditions because they can accumulate material like snow and ice in the treads and they lose their flexibility in temperatures below 45 F. These factors negatively affect tire traction, vehicle handling and braking distance.

According to Discount Tire, it's best to use tires that are specifically designed for the road and weather conditions motorists will be driving in. Today's winter season tires are much more technologically advanced and safer than "snow" tires of the past. Their chemical compounds help them maintain flexibility in temperatures below 45 degrees and their tread designs channel away materials to keep more rubber connected to the road. Winter season tires deliver much better traction as well as improve handling and control in cold temperatures making them the best choice for winter driving.

Winter season tires can deliver 25 - 50 percent more traction than all-season tires under severe winter road conditions, a vital difference that allows a vehicle to stop safely and avoid accidents. This improved stopping power is due in part to hundreds of "tire sipes" in every tread block that bite and grip the road.

Discount Tire also recommends installing four winter season tires for optimum safety and handling as opposed to paring winter season tires with all-season tires, an application that creates a traction mismatch which leads to difficult road handling.

Why Use Winter Tires?

Better flexibility. Winter tires maintain flexibility in cold weather below 45 degrees to help you grip the road.

- Winter tires stay soft and flexible in cold weather. That keeps more tire rubber gripping the road. All-season tires turn stiff like a brick! That reduces traction and control.

- Tread compound of a standard all-season tire progressively loses their flexibility and road adherence when temperatures drop below 45º F.

Better control. Winter tire treads are designed to reduce skidding and improve braking in temps below 45 degrees.

- Handling is improved during emergency maneuvers in cold weather, partly due to hundreds of tire sipes cut into tread blocks that bite into the road.

- Winter tire braking distance is shorter and safer. The braking distance of a winter tire can be as much as 10% shorter or two car lengths, than that of all-season tires.

Better traction. Winter tire tread patterns clean out winter material to improve rubber-to-road contact and traction.

- Winter tire treads are deeper and designed to channel out material during driving.

- All-season tires tend to pack up snow, ice and slush in tread channels which reduces traction.

About Discount Tire

Discount Tire, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer. Also known as America's Tire in Oregon and some parts of California, Discount Tire currently operates more than 725 stores across the country. At tires.com, customers can research, order and make an appointment for service. For more information about Discount Tire and America's Tire, or for career opportunities, visit www.tires.com.

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