Winter weather means its time to switch to winter tires

By Sagardeep Dhammu

BELLEVILLE – As the winter hits the Quinte region, many people are switching from summer tires to winter tires. Not many realize just how important winter tires really are.

Research suggests that winter tires have a much better snow traction index and provide a lot better grip at a lower temperature than most all-season tires do at a higher temperature. They add an extra level of safety to every drive.

Sukhwinder Singh – owner of Gorilla Tire Service

Sukhwinder Singh is the owner of Gorilla Tire Service, a mobile tire change service in Quinte region that specializes in changing wheels and tires.

“Winter tires, especially in the winter are really really helpful. As you can see there are so many cars on the highway, on the streets, sometimes they skid, drift, so it’s really important to get the winter tires done as soon as possible before winter. I think last week, we saw two major accidents, one occurred in Quinte West, the other was on the highway between Kingston and Napanee,” said Singh.

“You cannot compare your all weather tires with winter tires because they have a different tread, different pattern or different chemical in it, so they work in a different condition or temperature,” he said.

“The main thing is some people think that all season tires are going to work in heavy snowfall or winter, but it doesn’t seem to work like a winter tire, because they can work on normal days nut if it’s a snow storm or black ice then definitely go with the winter tires. Always follow your manufacturer instructions and keep your PSI (unit of pressure) which they recommend in your tires. Check your tires before every drive and always drive safely and respect other drivers,” Singh said,.

Kartik Verma is a resident of Belleville who will be driving in for the first time in snow, this winter.

“I passed my G2 driving test a couple months ago and got myself a used car. I have been driving around a lot but as the snow is here, I am very skeptical about my driving as road conditions are getting worse because of snow. To be on the safe side, I had bought winter tires a couple days after I got my car. This was a couple months ago. As soon as it started snowing I put them on as I don’t want to risk anything. I believe those tires are very useful as I can feel my car being more grippy than before on the road,” sad Verma.

Navneet Malhotra – resident of Belleville

Navneet Malhotra is an experienced driver with lots of years of experience and a 4-star G driver’s license.

“Every year without failure, I put winter tires on my car. I believe it is better to be safe than sorry and I always prefer my safety over everything else. I think everyone should put winter tires on their cars in snow conditions. I’m saying this because I have avoided many accidents using them. I think people think tires don’t play a major role when there’s a lot of snow but even a little bit of grip can save you from a fatal accident. I always tell people to think like this – if spending a few hundred dollars on some tires save your life, will you do it, and I think everyone says yes,” said Malhotra.