If you've read our article "Are Winter Tires Really Necessary?", then you know that we are firm believers in mounting a full set of them as soon as the white stuff threatens. If you're ready to do the same, there is more to this than just ordering up some tires in the same size as your existing rubber and having a local tire shop mount and balance them for you. Allow us to walk you through the process which will give you the best results. Read on to learn about our "tips" when buying winter tires.
Tip #1: Always mount winter tires in sets of 4
Tip #2: Mount the winter tires on a dedicated set of wheels
Tip #3: Count the savings from not driving on your regular tires
Tip #4: Don't forget the TPMS sensors
Tip #5: Investigate smaller (less expensive) winter wheel and tire sizes
Tip #6: Wheel & tire packages are all-inclusive, saving you time, money and aggravation
Tip #1: Always mount winter tires in sets of 4
This is not a play to get you to spend more money. As residents of the Northeast, we always replace all four of our regular tires with four winter tires. It doesn't matter if the drivetrain is front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, or all-wheel-drive. No matter which, it's the FRONT tires which do the steering and most of the braking; it's the REAR tires which power the vehicle for RWD and AWD platforms; and of course, it's ALL FOUR tires which provide the handling. Going with only one pair of winter tires is false economy, and will not maximize your safety on the road in winter weather.
Here is another factor to consider: modern cars and trucks with ABS (anti-lock braking systems), traction control, stability control, and other electronic driving aids are very dependent on measuring tire rotation and slippage at EACH of the four corners. Failure to use four tires of equal dimensions and with equal grip could confuse these electronic assistance features, and not allow the car to provide ultimate control when the going gets tough. In other words, a modern vehicle with modern electronics needs equivalent traction at each wheel as provided by similar tires.
Tip #2: Mount the winter tires on a dedicated set of wheels
You're again saying to yourself, "this is only adding to my cash outlay and provides no return benefit". Does the purchase of a 2nd set of wheels make for a greater initial expenditure? It certainly does. However, we need to look at the complete picture before making the final calculations.
If you purchase a set of four winter tires without wheels, intending to mount them on your existing wheels to save money, do the math first. Twice a year, you will need to pay a tire shop to dismount one set of tires, and mount and balance a 2nd set of tires, while putting your car up on a lift to remove and reinstall all four wheel & tire assemblies. This also means driving your car or truck to the repair facility, possibly requiring an appointment, and causing you to either wait while it's done, or arrange for a ride to pick up the vehicle after it's done. This would be done twice a year, every spring and fall.
By contrast, while the initial cost of wheels may seem high, a dedicated set of snows mounted on their own wheels allows most of us to perform our own semi-annual tire swaps in our driveways. In other words, you eliminate the need to pay someone for all the dismounting, remounting, and balancing. If your vehicle currently has alloy wheels, the winter wheels can be similar alloys, or to reduce costs, consider a set of steel wheels for winter use.
Tip #3: Count the savings from not driving on your regular tires
Still not convinced? Here's a factor which often gets overlooked: while you're driving on your dedicated set of four winter tires, your "regular" tires are stored in your garage or shed, and are having NO mileage put on them.
Let's say you drive 12,000 miles a year, which is 1,000 miles a month, and you put all that mileage on your OE tires. If they last 60,000 miles, you will be replacing them in 5 years. But if you're driving on winter tires for 5 months a year, you're driving on the regular tires for 7,000 miles annually, and they'll last for 8 1/2 years. That's an additional 3 1/2 years from your regular tires.
Meanwhile, in the above example, your winter tires are being used for 5 months of the year, and at the same average of 1,000 miles/month, which adds up to 5,000 miles/year. Winter tires lose much of their effectiveness once they are more than halfway worn, but even if they're good for 30,000 total miles, that's 6 years of use. Yes, the initial expense is higher. But you are greatly extending the service life of your regular tires, and are still getting about 6 years from your winter tires.
Tip #4: Don't forget the TPMS sensors
If your vehicle is a 2008 or newer model year, it has a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) as standard equipment. Many older vehicles may have the system too, as the industry phased it in during the earlier part of that decade. TPMS is there to help keep you safe, by alerting the driver if one or more tires has a significant drop in air pressure. A tire too low on air could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
For most vehicles, TPMS works through a sensor installed inside each of the 4 wheel/tire assemblies. (Some vehicles operate TPMS indirectly via existing wheel speed or ABS sensors, so the following may not apply to you.) If you decide to purchase snow tires already mounted on wheels, they would need TPMS sensors for the warning system to correctly operate. You could remove the sensors from the OE wheels and swap them over, but doing so requires dismounting the regular tires, and negates much of the savings when buying dedicated wheels for the winter tires. The sensors themselves can be sensitive, and some industry professionals state that they should be handled as little as possible.
Consider making the one-time purchase of a set of TPMS sensors, which can then remain mounted inside the winter wheels. You do NOT want to drive in the winter without TPMS; not only would the dashboard warning light be constantly staring at you, you would also be disabling a safety system which frankly is worth having.
Tip #5: Investigate smaller (less expensive) winter wheel and tire sizes
Let's acknowledge that the cost of a set of four winter tires, four dedicated wheels, and four TPMS sensors is starting to add up. Here is another suggestion which could save you some money: look into smaller-diameter wheels and narrower tires which will still fit on your vehicle.
There's no rule, written or unwritten, stating that you MUST use the exact same size wheels and tires as on your vehicle now for your winter choices. First, for the wheels, you must determine if a smaller wheel will fit! Brakes and suspension must fit within any chosen wheel size. One way to do this is to explore if the vehicle manufacturer offered smaller wheels as an option. Another path to follow is to call the vehicle manufacturer (our Wheels Team may also have this information). For example, if your truck is currently running 18's and you discover that 17" wheels will fit without interference, you'll definitely save some coin by going with the 17's.
Above, we mentioned "narrower" tires. Some customers have wrongly presumed that a wider winter tire offers more "bite" to the snow for better traction. Actually, the opposite is true. A narrower tire has an easier time carving a path through the white fluffy stuff, as there is less snow to move out of the way. There are some cost savings: everything else being equal, a narrower tire is less expensive than a wider tire. Again, do your homework to ensure that your new wheel/tire combo is as close as possible in overall diameter to your original setup.
Tip #6: Wheel & tire packages are all-inclusive, saving you time, money and aggravation
You can purchase your winter tires, wheels, and accessories almost anywhere these days: at a new car dealer, a tire shop, a big-box chain store, or online. Just be sure to weigh the total cost including your own time and effort. Should you decide to buy from CARiD, we want to remind you that we offer tires and wheels which are already mounted and balanced, and are shipped to you ready to be bolted up. Our Wheels & Tire Team is here 7 days a week to handle any questions you may have. Whether you buy your winter treads from us or not, we hope you found this article helpful, because we want you to be safe in the snow.