Winter Tires and Rims at Trail Tire

Winter Tires and Rims at Trail Tire

Winter tires and rims are specifically created with certain tread depths, tread patterns, and sidewall designs to provide the best performance on snow- and ice-covered roads. While many of the benefits of winter tires are due to the design and manufacture of the rubber itself, other factors, such as tire and rim size, can help enhance performance and reduce costs.

Winter-specific wheels and tires are made for wintery conditions.

Having the proper tires and wheels is crucial when driving during the winter. From heavy snowfall to black ice, winter driving conditions may be incredibly unexpected. The winter season is more difficult for tires to provide traction than any other. Winter tires and rims best handle chilly temperatures, snow, and ice. They have been specifically designed to work in cold weather.

• The Tread Rubber: an all-season or summer tire’s tread compound stiffens and loses some traction-giving ability in extremely cold weather. Winter tire tread rubber compositions are made to be flexible to mitigate this and improve tire traction.
• The Tread Depth and Patterns: Winter tires have broader tread depths and distinctive tread patterns. In the ice, deeper tread depths improve traction while reducing snow accumulation. Winter tires have tread designs that channel slush and ice while expelling water.
• Biting Edges: Winter tires also come with more biting edges and sipes, the dozens of tiny gaps in the tread that give traction on snow.

What Qualifies a Tire as a Winter Tire?

Contradictory information about winter tires is widely spread, such as the notion that they are not required. Winter tires are very necessary. All-season tires don’t have winter tires. All-season tires can be used for winter driving. Indeed, most people do not understand the necessity of switching from all-season to winter tires when the temperature falls below 7°C. Even some people think it’s acceptable to have winter tires on constantly. Here is a comprehensive overview of winter tires.

• The malleable rubber used to create winter tires is made to maintain its flexibility at low temperatures (below 7°C). All-season tires will stiffen in cold weather, making it harder for you to stop and accelerate.
• Winter tires have a special tread pattern designed to keep your tires clear of snow and ice. Different tread patterns are employed on all-season tires for wet, warm weather and dry, icy roads.
• Installation of winter tires must always be done in sets of four. Tire wear may be uneven if two all-season tires and just two winter tires are installed. This entirely negates the advantages of having winter tires because it will make it harder for you to brake and accelerate in slippery conditions.
• Investing in a pair of winter rims will help you spend less on tire replacement. This will reduce the time it takes your local Trail tire store to replace your tires, saving you money when you do so.
• Tires should be stored on a shelf at room temperature when not mounted on a vehicle. To keep them from degrading more quickly than the others, you can keep them stacked on top of one another, but you must rotate them once a month. Additionally, you must ensure that your tires stay dry while being stored. You can keep your tires at the Trail Tire store for the safest possible storage.

Winter tires are a wise purchase for the colder months.

• Smaller size, big savings: At least three distinct wheel/tire sizes are frequently offered as factory options for a given car. For instance, based on trim options, the same model vehicle may come with 15-inch rims and 195/65 tires, 16-inch alloy rims, 205/55 tires, or 17-inch rims. You can get minus-sized if you replace either of the alloys with the standard rims and tire size.

People frequently believe that a larger tire/wheel combination will offer better grip and performance in icy conditions. However, a rim with a smaller diameter, a tire with a higher profile, and a narrower circumference slice through snow more efficiently. Your tires are slicing through the ice more effectively rather than “plowing” it when the load of the automobile is pressed against a more concentrated (smaller) collection of contact patches. The term “minus-sizing” is frequently used to describe this.

• Go for grit: Winter rims are more about intent than style. Winter wheels will inevitably become soiled, wet, and frozen over time and time again. When choosing winter rims, keep things straightforward to save money. They should turn corners instead of turning heads. Additionally, switching to winter rims can shield your factory-installed (or aftermarket) rims from the corrosive effects of the winter weather, extending their lifespan and maintaining their aesthetic appeal.
• Storage: A set of winter-specific wheels won’t require more storage capacity if you’ve previously invested in winter tires.

Why winter tires are more efficient when the temperature drops

The tread pattern, the sipes, and the tire compound make an excellent winter tire what it is. These tires are equipped to handle the weather when it gets chilly, and there is ice on the roadways.

Winter tires are designed with a specific tread pattern for better traction on icy, snowy, and wet surfaces. The wheel’s rotation will force the snow into the wider grooves, increasing traction. The tread has sipes or minuscule slots that let the tread blocks bend and drill down into the snow or ice. These sipes give extra traction.

The tire mix also has a higher proportion of natural rubber, which keeps it pliable and soft even in subfreezing temperatures if the tire composition isn’t intended to function in cold weather, as it is with summer tires.

The Bottom Line

Are you looking to, or have you recently purchased a set of winter tires and rims? Trail Tire has great wheel and tire packages. Looking for a tire installation or other automotive service? Book an appointment at your local Trail Tire Auto Center today.