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<\/a><\/p>\nSince 2008, motorists in the Montreal region and elsewhere in Quebec must equip their vehicles with winter tires between December 15th<\/sup> and March 15th<\/sup>. These tires are designed specifically for the winter season and feature the pictogram of a mountain with a snowflake in the center. This removes some questions as to which tires we should put on our vehicle when winter arrives.<\/p>\n That said, several myths about winter tires remain. Here are the top five which are explained in order to help you see more clearly across all the information you receive.<\/p>\n Winter tires are not needed since all-season tires offer the same traction and safety in winter.<\/strong><\/p>\n FALSE. Winter tires are specially designed to perform on ice and in deep snow. Their treads are better suited and deeper to better evacuate the snow while their sipes operate like small studs in order to better grip the ice. Their braking distance will be shorter by about 50 percent compared to an all-season tire, a statistic that says it all.<\/p>\n But the biggest difference between a winter tire and an all-season tire can be found in the rubber used in the design of the tire. A winter tire\u2019s compound is able to remain soft and flexible even in extremely cold temperatures while an all-season tire hardens when the temperature drops to below seven degrees. In such cases, the all-season tire becomes firmer and will tend to be jumpier on the road, thereby reducing traction.<\/p>\n I have a car with all-wheel drive, so I do not need to worry about the quality of my winter tires<\/strong><\/p>\n FALSE. The advantage of a vehicle with all-wheel drive is particularly felt on a snowy road or when you have to climb a steep slope. In such cases, having four wheels that work for you is an undeniable asset. This is also the case when turning as an all-wheel drive vehicle will usually be sturdier and will have better stability. That said, in most situations, especially on ice, having a four-wheel drive vehicle or a two-wheel drive vehicles makes no difference. That\u2019s when your tires become very important.<\/p>\n This makes sense when you think about it. Your tires are the only contact point between your vehicle and the road. In addition, when braking, all-wheel drive doesn\u2019t help and does not affect your stopping distance. So when you brake, what counts is the grip of the tires which is not impacted by your vehicle\u2019s drivetrain. At best, you can expect that an all-wheel drive vehicle will be more enjoyable in winter with good tires, but be sure to slow down regardless and adopt good driving practices when the road is icy.<\/p>\n Winter tires are very expensive<\/strong><\/p>\n FALSE. There are quality winter tires for all budgets. Moreover, at present, promotions <\/u><\/a>on winter tires are widely available. It is true that the purchase of a winter tire is an additional expense, but making sure that we choose quality tires allows us to avoid other more important costs related to an accident, for example. If you need to balance your budget, the quality of your winter tires is not the first place to cut your spending.<\/p>\n We must opt for a winter tire that is smaller than our summer tire<\/strong><\/p>\n PARTLY FALSE. If you’ve ever watched a rally car on a snowy road, you may have noticed that the tires are very slim. The reality is that in the snow, we want to reduce the contact area to maximize our grip. So it is true that a smaller winter size will be more effective on snow. That said, we are not on a rally course.<\/p>\n We can therefore opt for a winter tire that is smaller by an inch compared to our summer tires, and that will be fine. If we go any smaller than that, we can affect our car\u2019s behavior that is optimized based on the size of the factory tires. Also, changing the size of the tires requires the purchase of winter wheels which adds more cost. So unless you have towering summer rims (say, more than 19 inches), you can choose winter tires that are the same size as your summer tires. Winter tires over 19 inches will be thinner which reduces their winter performance compared to tires with smaller dimensions.<\/p>\n We can remove our winter tires on March 15th<\/sup> without any problems<\/strong><\/p>\n Motorists in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec know that our winters do not end in March. In reality, they persist until April and sometimes even longer. In addition, the law requires that winter tires be installed before December 15th<\/sup>, but the cooler temperatures of autumn mean that our summer tires are much less effective starting in October, generally. So even though the law does not require it, having your winter tires on your vehicle from mid-October to mid-April is often wiser.<\/p>\n This article was written in collaboration with Pneus Touchette<\/span><\/a> and TireLand<\/span><\/a>. Come and have a chat with one of their specialists in one of the five locations in the greater Montreal area to discover the winter tire that best suits your needs and fits your budget. Find out more about their promotions on winter tires today<\/u><\/a>, as well as their storage packages.<\/p>\n