Winter Tires?
This page addresses common questions about winter tires, explaining why switching from all-season or summer tires to winter-specific tires greatly improves cold-weather performance. It covers how AWD, FWD, and ABS systems still rely on tire traction to function safely.
- Winter tire compounds are designed to perform better in cold temperatures, and their siping and tread patterns provide far better grip on ice, slush, and snow. ABS braking helps pump brakes faster but does not replace the need for proper tire traction.
- FWD places over 50% of a car's weight over the drive wheels, but handling in slippery corners is still limited by the tires underneath. AWD traction in wet or icy conditions is greatly improved when paired with winter tires at all four corners.
- Around Denver, Colorado, there are two long seasons - summer and winter - making winter tires a practical choice. Using tires matched to local conditions maximizes enjoyment of vehicles like Porsche, Audi, BMW, VW, Mini, or Rover.
Winter tires are made from a specialized rubber compound that performs better in cold temperatures, while their unique siping and tread patterns provide dramatically improved traction on ice, slush, and snow. Drivers using older all-season or summer tires can see a significant boost in safety and handling by switching to winter-specific tires.
“Should I put winter tires on my car?”
“I have AWD, isn’t that enough?”
If you are driving on older all seasons or UHP summer tires, you will vastly improve your car’s performance in the winter with a change to winter-specific tires. The compound of a winter tire is specifically designed to improve in colder temps. The siping and tread patterns provide dramatically better traction on ice, slush,and snow.
ABS braking doesn’t improve traction. It will help you “pump your brakes” faster, but your car is still dependant on the tires’ tread, compound,and siping to stop.
FWD puts more than 50% of your car’s weight over the drive wheels, but you are still limited to the traction properties of the tires underneath. FWD doesn’t improve your handling in slippery corners.
AWD does provide power to all corners of the vehicle,and traction in wet, slushy or icy conditions is dramatically magnified with a specific winter tire at each corner.
Our cars are built for performance, comfort,and safety. Around Denver, we seem to have 2 long seasons, Summer and Winter with 2 short seasons of fall and spring. Putting tires that are specifically designed for the weather conditions we face here in Colorado makes a lot of sense and will only maximize your enjoyment of your Porsche, Audi, BMW, VW, Mini or Rover!