Third Coast Auto Group Official Blog
Would a set of snow tires be helpful next winter? Probably, but read this first
By Product Expert | Posted in FAQs, Texas, Tips and Tricks on Monday, February 22nd, 2021 at 8:41 pm
Is it a good idea to get snow tires in Texas?
After the last week of very un-Texas-like weather, there are probably a lot of people out there wondering, ‘Is it a good idea to get snow tires in Texas?’ Believe it or not, that has actually also been a very popular topic of conversation in and around all of the Third Coast Auto Group locations. Since our team believes in being as helpful as possible, we had a few of our teammates do a little research to come up with the best answers we could find. The bottom line is, snow tires might be a little overkill, but those aren’t the only options available. Most vehicles come with all-season tires and those might be the best possible solution. Let’s take a closer look at a few things you might want to know before the next major snowfall – which is hopefully a long way away.
READ MORE: Do I need to warm up my car in the cold?
What exactly are snow tires?
As the name implies, snow tires are specifically built to give a driver better handling and traction in the snow. This is done by using a special rubber compound to make the tire, combined with a more aggressive tread pattern someone might find on a summer tire. Like just about anything else, rubber behaves differently at different temperatures. A tire that is built for the snow and the cold will remain soft and pliable when the temperature gets frigid. This is key to maintaining traction.
Summer tires are formulated to offer low-rolling resistance on warm roads to improve fuel economy and other aspects of driving. Many people in Texas found out last week that having these tires on a vehicle is worse than useless for driving on snow-covered roads.
Why are all-season tires a good idea?
Again, as the name implies, all-season tires are designed to adequately perform across a wide range of conditions. While this isn’t going to be the last time we’ll see snow and ice accumulate in Texas, it will hopefully be quite some time before we deal with it again. With that in mind, if you are looking to be more prepared for winter weather driving conditions, we think a good set of all-season tires would fit the bill.
If you want to upgrade your entire vehicular situation to something better suited for dealing with winter weather, make an appointment to speak with a Third Coast Auto Group product expert today.
