A simple way to decide
Answer three questions:
How cold does it get, and for how long? If daytime temperatures stay around 45 degrees or below for weeks at a time, winter tires start to earn their place. This is a widely used rule of thumb, not a precise line.
How often is there snow or ice on the roads you drive? Occasional light snow that clears quickly is within what all-seasons handle. Regular snowfall, packed snow, or icy mornings favor winter tires.
Can you stay home when it is bad? A driver who can wait out a storm has more room to compromise than one who has to get to work at 6:00 AM regardless.
If the answers point mostly toward cold, snow and having to drive, winter tires. If they point toward mild, rare and flexible, all-seasons.
The cost question
A second set of tires sounds like doubling the cost, but it does not quite work that way. While the winter set is on, the all-season set is not wearing. Over several years, each set lasts longer than one set used year-round would.
The real added costs are:
- Buying the second set up front
- Changing over twice a year
- Storing the off-season set
- Optionally, a second set of wheels, which makes changeovers quicker and protects the tires from repeated mounting
Living with winter tires
Change over on time. Fit them before the first cold snap rather than after the first storm, and take them off once spring is settled. Winter compounds wear quickly on warm pavement.
Fit all four. Two winter tires on one axle and two all-seasons on the other gives the vehicle two different levels of grip, which can make it unpredictable. Common guidance is to fit a full set.
Check pressure. Cold weather drops tire pressure. The article on checking tire pressure covers the details.
Store them properly. Clean, dry, out of sunlight, and away from motors and heaters.
Balance at changeover. A changeover is a natural time to have tire and wheel balancing done, especially if the tires are being remounted on wheels.
Studded tires and chains
Some winter tires can be fitted with metal studs, and some drivers carry chains for the worst days. Both add grip on ice. Both are also regulated: states set rules on whether studs are allowed, during which months, and when chains are required on certain roads. Check your state's current rules before buying studded tires or relying on chains, and remember that a vehicle crossing a state line may meet different rules on the other side.
Signs your current tires are not coping
You do not need a test track to know whether your tires are up to your winters. Watch for:
- The vehicle sliding or the stability control light flickering on gentle starts from a stop
- Stopping distances that feel noticeably longer on cold mornings than in fall
- Tires that feel hard to the touch in the cold
- Tread approaching the limit, which costs winter grip faster than summer grip
Any of these is a reason to look at the tires before the season, not during it.
What about all-weather tires?
All-weather tires sit between the two. They carry the mountain snowflake symbol but are designed to stay on year-round. They suit drivers who see real winter weather but do not want two sets. They usually give up some winter grip compared with a dedicated winter tire, and some summer tread life compared with an all-season.
Pickups and SUVs
Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive help a vehicle get moving. They do not help it stop or turn. Stopping and steering depend on the tires, which is why a four-wheel-drive pickup on worn all-seasons can still struggle on ice. For pickups, see light truck tires, and the article on all-terrain tires on a work pickup covers that choice.
Finding them
Purcell carries passenger tires at most of its locations. Stock varies by location, so call ahead and ask what winter and all-season sizes are available for your vehicle. Current tire offers, where a location has any, are on the tire offers page.