As the weather gets colder and the streets get slicker, it’s important to understand your winter tires so you stay safe on the road! Check out these helpful tips on how winter tires work!

Identification

Winter Tires, also known as snow tires, are easily identified by their identification symbol the 3PMSF (3-Peak Mountain Snow Flake)

Optimization

Winter tires are designed and optimized for driving in the snow and ice at temperatures below 7°F. Snow tires work on mud, snow, ice as well as wet and dry pavement.

Characteristics

Snow tires have deep treads, shoulder blocks and sometimes contain metal or ceramic studs to increase traction. The tire is made out of Hydrophilic rubber to give increased friction on wet surfaces.

How it works

Snow penetrates the deep treading on the tires and compacts together to create increased friction. Studs on the tire are meant to pierce through hard compacted snow and ice to increase traction.