Selecting The Right Car
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Selecting The Right Car

A few years back, it occurred to me that we had to do something about our vehicle. It was old, outdated, and incredibly unreliable. We were never sure if it would live longer than our next road trip, so we started doing what we could to make some changes. We went through, decided to replace some of the parts, and then focused on avoiding problems during our daily drives. Within a few weeks, the vehicle was running better, and we knew that we had protected the engine. This website is all about choosing the right car and knowing how to streamline problems.

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Selecting The Right Car

Is Winter Driving Harder On Your Tires Than Summer Driving?

Edith Cook

Frigid temperatures, rough roadways, and ice—it's only natural to wonder if the tires on your vehicle will be able to stand up to winter driving. If your tires are looking a little bad before the winter season sets in, it may be best to go ahead and have them replaced. The truth is, there are a lot of things that can be problematic for your car tires in the winter, so yes, winter driving can be a bit harder on your tires than driving in the summer. Take a look at some of the reasons why the winter season can be really hard on your vehicle's tires. 

The cold temperatures make the rubber less flexible. 

Rubber is really resilient, but it also changes in pliability when the temperatures get really cold, even when it comes to the tires on your vehicle. What does this mean? It means that if you were to run over a sharp rock in the summer, when the temperatures are high, the rubber would probably be flexible enough to take the blow without puncturing. In the winter, however, the rubber is much less flexible, and the same kind of situation could result in having a punctured tire. 

There can be jagged ice pieces on the roadways. 

Most ice will disintegrate when a heavy vehicle rolls over it, but not all of it. If you get out on the roads in the freezing temperatures and hear your tires crunching over those hard chunks of ice, it is a surefire sign that your tires are taking a lot of stress. If your tires are not in the best shape, maybe with low tread or weak spots, those jagged hard ice pieces can be enough to cause your tires to get damaged. 

The de-icing agents on the roadways can be corrosive. 

Even the stuff that they use to melt away snow and ice on the roads in the winter season can be hard on your car tires. De-icing agents are known to have corrosive properties if the stuff is not removed from the body of your vehicle, but it can also be harmful to your tires if the stuff is allowed to hang out on the rubber for long periods of time. As soon as the snow and ice clear, it is always best to wash away de-icing agents that may be hanging out on any area of your vehicle, including the tires. It is only proper tire maintenance.


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