Winter Tire Benefits

Winter Tires in Alberta

Let’s face it, if you haven’t already accepted it, you can at least acknowledge that living in Alberta signs us up for a long winter. Cold seasons mean looking forward to a lot of driving in snowy, slippery conditions.

Now let’s step back and talk about all the driving that takes place during the winter season. The combination of snow and ice can impact braking distance and speed, and this can lead to dangerous driving situations. Extra caution is necessary in these less than ideal driving conditions that winter brings.

This blog isn’t to warn you about winter weather, we all are very familiar with that! It is to provide you with guidance on winter tires and their benefits over all season tires. In cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and their surrounding areas, putting winter tires on your vehicle is not a precaution in case it snows, it’s a matter of fact that it will snow and with that comes slippery roads. Winter tires in Alberta can be highly valuable when it comes to keeping yourself and other drivers safe on the roads.

When living in a cold climate like Alberta seeing snow and ice as early as Halloween is the norm. Swapping your all season tires for winter tires is a beneficial way to help ensure safety while driving. All-Season tires commonly come with vehicles from factory and are relatively quiet with good fuel economy, but their tread is not meant to stand up to our freezing road conditions. The difference between winter tires and all season tires is that winter tires are going to have a better tread depth and pattern. Their rubber is able to remain more flexible in cold temperatures, while the deeper tread reduces the amount of compacted snow providing more grip. Winter tires also offer more traction on ice than all season tires.

Even if your vehicle has all-wheel drive or traction control systems and ABS, these can assist with vehicle control but will not fully make up for the difference that winter tires make. While all-wheel or four-wheel drive can benefit traction by sending power to all four wheels during acceleration, it cannot assist when braking becomes a factor. ABS can help prevent your brakes from locking, however if you begin to slide on ice this is where winter tires will perform better than all season.

When you are debating on whether or not to get winter tires in Alberta, consider that Alberta has long winters each year that include snow and ice. Though winter can be hazardous when it comes to driving, taking the proper steps to safe driving by installing winter tires on your vehicle is beneficial. 

Learn more about Leibel’s Alberta Auto Insurance options:

• Edmonton

• Calgary