With the last couple of days’ snowfalls, we can safely say that winter has arrived in Quebec. Ideally, you should already have swapped your all season tires for winter tires. If you haven’t bought your winter tires yet, we suggest that you do it sooner than later because your car needs to have them on by December 15th. However, with the various models available on the market, it may be difficult for you to choose the right set of tires for your car. In this article, we will provide you information that you need to consider when buying winter tires in Quebec.
In Order to Help You Choose Your New Set of Winter Tires, You Need to Answer a Few Questions
When you visit a tire retailer to purchase winter tires, the salesperson there should ask you a series of questions that will help him or her to understand your needs and driving habits in order to suggest you the best tires possible for your car. If these questions aren’t asked to you during your visit, here they are for you to read and answer them :
On what type of surface do you want your tire to have the best performances : snow or ice?
What are you looking for? Great performance on asphalt or improved traction on slippery surfaces?
Are you ready to deal with noisier tires that will give you better grip?
Do you frequently drive in rural areas, hilly terrain or less maintained roads? If so, you may need studded tires.
How would you describe your driving style?
What distance do you usually drive in the winter and on what type of surface do you do most of your driving (asphalt, snow, etc.)?
Is your vehicle used to pull a snowmobile trailer?
The Pictograph Becomes Mandatory This Year on Winter Tires in Quebec
Beginning this year, winter tires installed on cars in Quebec must have a pictograph of the snowflake inside a mountain on them. While the majority of winter tires sold in Quebec has this pictograph on them, you should still verify their presence before making a purchase to avoid the disappointment of spending money on illegal tires.
Different Tread Design Produce Different Results
Winter tires tread design allows them to benefit from great adherence in order to drive well on all kinds of surface and to disperse as much snow and slush under the car as possible. Nowadays, most tire treads have small strips that allow winter tires to retain their flexibility while ensuring very good adhesion. Also, each tire manufacturer has made their own experiments in tread design over the years to try to outperform their competitors. For example, V shaped treads keep the grooves snow and slush free and zig zag shaped treads improve slush dispersion.
To conclude, we think it is very important to remind you that any winter tire is made of compromises. Indeed, it is impossible to find a tire that is the most adherent on every surface while also being the most durable and the less noisy. The bottom line is that you will need to make compromises when choosing your next winter tires, but by discussing the matter with a tire expert and by asking yourself the right questions, you will be able to find the best winter tires for your car to tackle Quebec’s winter.