The snow and ice causes havoc on the highways and most days you can see cars and trucks in the ditch. In the cities you can see cars sliding through stop signs and intersections. Those who know about driving in this province know the importance of winter tires, but when do you make the switch from your winter tires to all seasons?
Rule of 7
There are many things that we are supposed to do twice a year. There is the spring and fall cleaning and changing the batteries in the smoke detectors. But, when do we change the tires on our cars? Many people know that the winter tires go on when the temperature drops below 7◦ Celsius. Most places will put a sticker on the windshield that turns blue it is time to change up the tires. However, because of the inconsistency in the weather, there is no definite date when this occurs; it could be late February, or it could be early June.
The exceptions
Like many other rules there are exceptions. Spring has a way of fooling us. Even the groundhogs all seem to differ on the length of winter that we are going to have because predicting spring seems to be a betting man’s losing game! There are times when we think that spring is here and then a winter storm comes flying back again. When deciding to change your tires to all seasons, look ahead and decide if there is a risk of snow and ice returning. Changing your tires in January or February when it first warms up may not be the right choice. Knowing that the temperatures dip drastically at night is another indicator that it is not time to change your tires yet.
From winter tires to all season
There are many options of tires when it comes to changing over. All seasons are tested even in winter conditions to ensure the best results. These tires are great if you change your tires too early, as they increase the safety of driving and stopping during a freak winter storm.
Many of us cannot wait until spring comes because we know that it means summer is right around the corner. Don’t rush to put the all season tires on your vehicle until the temperature maintains at least 7◦ degrees and there is no forecast of snow or ice. Changing them too early can create, for you, unsafe driving conditions.
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