Melfort OK Tire owner Scott Romaniuk works on a tire rim. (Cam Lee/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Winter Tires

Snowy weather leads to increase in winter tire installations

Oct 30, 2019 | 8:57 AM

It’s a busy time for tire shops across the province, as residents scramble to get winter tires on their vehicles.

Scott Romaniuk of OK Tire in Melfort told northeastNOW their phone has been ringing off the hook in recent days, especially since the snow began to fall.

Romaniuk said many vehicles are usually equipped with all-season radials, but an ice radial offers better traction which helps improve stopping and acceleration.

An all-season tire will lose grip around the freezing mark, Romaniuk said, but there are other options.

“You can go to an all-weather if you don’t want to change tires in the spring and fall you can run them year-round. Those will start to lose traction around -14 Celsius,” Romaniuk said. “Then you can go to an ice radial and that will run you until about -30 C.”

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Romaniuk said you don’t want to go for a top-of-the-line winter tire you can choose an entry level winter tire, which would still offer a lot more traction than an all-season option.

He has one more recommendation.

“If you have a front-wheel drive [vehicle], do not put two grips on the front and run your all-seasons on the back,” Romaniuk said. “The reason for that is when you step on the brakes in a situation [when] you need to step on them hard, your back end will kick out on you and it’s very dangerous.”

If you choose to opt for a tire change with the arrival of the cold weather, it’s also important to come into your tire shop for a re-torque within 50 to 100 km.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974