What to Consider
Of course, you want to consider the weather. Snow tires aren’t really meant to be on your vehicle for long periods of time when there isn’t snow on the ground. They’re built to handle the chill, the snow, and in some cases, even help make the ice a little less dangerous. Obviously, with that little snowflake on the map for Thursday, now would be a good time. But it’s also worth considering whether or not that snow will stay. Is it the first snow of a long Winter season, or the first snow that will give way to an Indian summer or a few more weeks of fall before snow becomes a consistent part of our lives again?
When to Change
When the temperatures are consistently chilly and snow is in the forecast is an excellent time to swap them out. After a few chilly weeks, it’s reasonably safe to assume that winter is on the horizon and plan accordingly. If you’re not sure whether or not you accidentally forgot to swap your winter tires out last year, check for a snowflake on the tire. That will give you your answer! Aim to change them when the weather starts to get worse, but be cautious about waiting too long. You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of a blizzard without the right tires to help you drive safely through it.
How to Change
First things first, we recommend using a different set of rims with your winter tires if you can make that work. This will save tons of time when it comes time to swap them out. However, if you’re not able to go that far, we would recommend taking them to a place that swaps tires out professionally. Getting a set of tires onto pre-existing rims isn’t exactly the easiest task to take on if you’re not already familiar with the process.
What to Check
There are a number of things you should check once you have those winter tires on and ready to roll. You’ll want to check the rims and make sure everything is fitting well. Check for that snowflake, you know, just in case. Make sure it’s on all four. Check the air pressure and fill where needed. Because the tread is one of the most important parts of a winter tire, checking the tread is extremely important. Is it thick enough to handle another season? If it’s thinning out, you may want to consider buying a new set. A threadbare tire is dangerous in any season and can be downright deadly on snowy streets.
Not sure where to start with changing your vehicle’s tires over to the winter-ready ones? Give us a call and we can help!
