By KAREN ROCHESTER
The wheels on your car go round and round. And as they do they wear down.
The transition of winter and summer months mean tires need to be changed — or do they?
Dennis Squire, salesman at Big O Tires in Provo, said the use of snow tires is dependant upon the individual drivers and the car they drive. But the best thing to do is use snow tires.
Snow tires provide better traction in the snow than summer tires and studs are the best tires for snow, Squire said. Studs provide 236 percent better traction than summer tires and are 226 percent better than snow tires, he said.
Winter tires have a deeper tread which causes less rubber to touch the road, Squire said. The deeper tread allows the slush to channel out from under the tires in winter months.
“Winter studded tires don’t wear as well as summer tires,” Squire said.
Squire said studded tires are better for stopping on ice than starting on the ice or on a hill.
Summer tires do not have the same amount of tread, which causes the tires to wear longer, Squire said.
Brain Hansen, store manager of Maxi Auto Center of Provo said there is no set time as to when snow tires must go on or come off, but the season is usually considered to be between October 15 and April 15.
“Snow tires are the safest method for traffic other than chains for icy road conditions,” Hansen said.
With the increased use of all-season tires, snow tires are not the big sellers they once were, he said.
Most people do not change the tires on Sports Utility Vehicles, and it is not needed, Squire said.
“I stress good judgement in icy conditions,” Hansen said.
The best way to drive on icy roads is to not use excessive speed and avoid breaking hard, he said.
“Front wheel drive vehicles are better than back wheel drive for driving in icy conditions,” Squire said.
Richard Chan, assistant manager of Discount Tires in Orem, said there is an indicator on tires to tell when the tires are worn. The indicator is a square bar located across the tire, and when it blends in with the tire tread, the tire is worn.
Chan suggests three ways to keep tires from wearing as fast: rotate tires regularly, control the air pressure and sipping.
“It is suggested to rotate tires every four to five thousand miles,” he said.
Sipping a tire is when the tire is cut and cool air is let in the tire to make for less friction, Chan said. This sipping process also provides a softer ride, he said.
The life of the tire is dependant on the type of tire bought, Chan said. Tires range from 35,000 miles to six-month unlimited mileage tires, he said.
