Benefits of Snow Tires in Michigan

When taking a side-by-side look at a snow tire and an all-season tire, you'll notice the tread pattern of the winter tire is more aggressive and rigid. The typical all-season tire comes with four lines of tread all the way around the tire with evenly spaced channels, called sipes, that lead from the main treads to the outer edges of the tires, which whisk water away from the tire's road surface. Meanwhile, snow tires have a more aggressive tread pattern. Instead of running in a straight line around the whole tire, the main tread has rigid edges to grab onto the snow and push it away from the tread through additional sipes. This provides added confidence and traction even driving on snow-covered roads.

On average, here in Rochester Hills, we get an average of more than 38 inches of snow each year. This alone is enough to make snow tires a good choice for drivers here. However, there are more benefits to owning a set of winter tires. The first benefit is the tread compound. While the tread compound of all-season tires will begin to harden at temperatures 45 degrees or lower, it is designed to remain flexible at temperatures well below 45 degrees on snow tires. And, let's face it, how often does it get above 45 degrees here in the winter? With more flexibility in the tire's tread, they can maintain a better grip on the road even in slick conditions. Another reason snow tires are a sound investment is that they help extend the tread life of both sets of tires. Of course, the less you use a tire, the longer it will last. So when you swap from all-season to winter tires, you're preserving the tread life on the set of tires you're taking off, helping both sets last longer.

There are four types of snow tires, and the difference is pretty easy to understand. There are studless, studdable, studded, and winter-biased all-season tires. Studded snow tires come with hard rubber or metal studs on the tire's surface to dig in and grip ice and snow, providing additional traction and winter-driving confidence. Meanwhile, studdable snow tires are regular snow tires that come with holes where you can install studs if you want them. As you probably assume, studless snow tires come without studs and without holes to provide the option to add studs. Lastly, tire manufacturers created winter-biased all-season tires in recent years to stand up to warm weather in the summertime while performing like a snow tire in the wintertime as well. This provides year-round confidence without needing to swap tires.

Wintertime is tough here in Michigan, but with a good set of snow tires, you can make your winter drives easier, no matter the weather. If you're interested in getting a set of snow tires for your vehicle, the service center here at Rochester Hills Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram can help. Come see the team in our service center to speak about the best options for your car. When you're ready, schedule a service appointment with us here on our website. We hope to hear from you soon!