Are Your Tires Ready For More Snow in Omaha?
December 29, 2009 at 4:50 pm
With the adoption of front-wheel drive as the mainstream power delivery system of choice, the semi-annual ritual of swapping snow tires has largely disappeared for most Americans. In many northern areas, all-wheel drive has become an increasingly popular choice when offered as an option. But as much help as putting power through all four wheels can be, it simply can’t substitute for a good set of snow tires.
Ultimately, grip comes down to four patches of rubber and if they’re unable to make solid contact, the number of drive wheels becomes irrelevant.
On dry pavement all-wheel drive can be a major boon by splitting the tractive workload and leaving the front wheels to take handle steering. In snowy conditions like Omaha has been experiencing, it can also help claw its way through the snow. However, most cars can put out more drive torque than the tires can transmit. That means it’s not at hard to spin up all four wheels when accelerating, at least until the traction control kicks in.
Lack of grip is a fundamental problem with all season rubber and all-wheel drive won’t help you get around an icy corner or halt forward progress at a stop sign. Without traction, your car will still have trouble turning and its pretty easy to get sideways before stability management kicks in.
The only solution is to fit tires that maximize grip in these conditions. All the major tire manufacturers produce winter tires and are highly recommended to anyone living in areas subject to snowy winters no matter how many wheels are driven. The easiest thing to do is just buy an extra set of rims and have the tires mounted. When winter arrives, put on the snows and stack the summer tires in the corner of the garage or basement, then reverse the process in the spring. Its money well spent and certainly cheaper than body repairs and hiked up insurance premiums.
Contact our service department HERE to learn more about snow tires!
