Taking Care of Your Winter Tires

When winter comes, it is time to take out your winter tire set from storage. However, you need to make sure your old tires are still up for the fight in winter weather conditions.

We have created a simple checklist that you can follow to make sure your tires are still safe to be used in the harsh winter situations.

Table of Contents

Inspect Your Old Tires

When bring your old set out of exile, make sure you check them thoroughly. Any cracks, chipping on the tread area or bulges along the entire tire can be signs that your old set is not up to the challenge anymore. These might seem like small issues, but they can easily and quickly develop into defects that may hinder the vehicle’s performance.

Another important factor to look at before mounting your winter tires is the tread depth of your old set. Most states allow 2/32 of an inch of tread to be the minimum on the tires. The problem is that winter tires need deeper tread to ensure a safer traction. Most manufacturers recommend changing your winter tires when they reach the 4/32 inch tread depth.

If you are unsure whether your tires are still in usable condition, ask for your mechanic’s opinion. They should be able to tell you if the tires you want to get mounted will last the winter or if they will cause you issues halfway through the season.

Frequently Check Your Tires After Mounting Them

Inspecting your tires often will allow you to follow the tread wear rate and manner of the tires. By checking your tires, you will be able to prevent potential issues before they occur.

The most important part of this is to check the tires’ air pressure. In colder temperatures, the tires’ air pressure can drastically drop below recommended levels. Winter temperatures can cause significant air pressure loss. Underinflated tires are not recommended. They lose their traction and larger surface contact increases the rolling resistance, which dampens the vehicle’s performing ability and fuel efficiency greatly.

When driving on snow-covered road surfaces, snow will pack between the tread elements. It is important to clean these tires and to check to make sure debris and rocks are not lodged between the tread elements. Debris can easily damage the tire by drilling into the casing and causing stone retention, which causes downtime and shortens the tire’s usability.

Storing Your Winter Tires

There are general guidelines to tire storing. Tires can get damaged in storage too, especially if the storing conditions are not ideal for them.

Winter tires need to be stored in moderate temperatures, in places where the air is dry. Direct sunlight and moisture in the air can easily damage them and decrease their service life. Tires also need to stored laid down on their sidewalls. Storing them ‘standing up’ on their tread will lead to flat spots, which decrease the tire’s grip on the road surface and can lead to damage and tire failure.

Buying a New Winter Tire Set

If you have taken your tires out of storage and their condition is not ideal, consider purchasing a new set. Buying a new tire set can be costly, but the new tires will keep you safe on the winter weather roads.

It is recommended to purchase winter tires in sets of four. Purchasing different tires can lead to versatile tread wear rates and manners, that can cause harm to your vehicle in the long run.

Priority Tire offers a wide range of winter tires for sale for passenger vehicles, SUVs and light trucks. If you are interested, you can check out our lineup here.