For a whole bunch of reasons, I just didn’t set a high enough priority on getting my winter tires on this year. Then came the snow. For those of you out there who don’t experience driving in the snow, it’s an adventure like no other. Walking in the snow is tough and you can slip and fall. You can get pretty badly hurt doing that too, but if you think about it that’s only 100 – 200 pounds you’re losing control of. A car is way heavier and when you lose control, there’s not usually much you can do about it at that point.
The bright side of my white knuckle driving on the freshly snowed upon roads was that I received great praise for my winter driving skills from my passenger. To a Canadian, that’s a very big compliment. On the downside, I had to demonstrate that I could drive in conditions that many people don’t do so well in. That’s not a lot of fun, no matter how good a driver you may think you are.
But on Saturday morning came relief from the gripping fear that is snowy/icy roads on all seasons. I managed to get a fresh set of snow tires on the car. I was floored at the immediate difference. Usually I have them on early-ish and I don’t notice any dramatic change, I just maintain good grip through the seasons. But this time! Wow! Like night and day. I don’t even know what to compare it to. Perhaps the nearest analogy is comparing walking across a skating rink on shoes as compared to getting a good set of skates on your feet and having a pleasant (controlled) skate.
Normally at this point, I would normally offer my vote of encouragement for anyone who doesn’t have snows on yet and lives in a winter climate to get some on now. However, I don’t think that I need to bother because anyone who doesn’t have snows on and is driving in snow is already getting plenty of head’s up from mother nature. I don’t think anything I say will make much of a difference.
Anders // Nov 24, 2008 at 10:26 am
Driving in the snow is indeed an adventure but when I experienced being stuck, I never drive without winter tires anymore. So I guess, investing in good winter tires is essential for safer and easier winter driving.
Igre // Nov 25, 2008 at 8:01 am
Yes investing in good winter tires is essential for safe driving… or not, if you care for yourself.
david wofl // Nov 25, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I am from florida and just recently had my first snow driving experience. I thought “oh yay this will be fun.” I could not have been more wrong. In fact I was $400 in damage wrong. I am staying in florida where winter tires are called aqua treads
Scarpe Hogan Interactive // Nov 27, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Snowy tires are a must where i live. to drive home i have to do a lot of corner that are mostly frozen. So these tires help a lot but i have to drive carefully anyway. Oh , how i love summer!
Ray Johnson | make money on the internet // Nov 28, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Better safe than sorry! winter tires are never a bad idea.
menopause relief // Dec 1, 2008 at 5:15 am
Drive in winter is really very hard, I hate it, even with winter tires, so in winter I always drive very slowly and carefully and it takes a lot of time.
Jessie // Dec 4, 2008 at 7:48 am
No matter how many safety features your vehicle has, it’s the tires that enable you to handle it in the snow and ice. To help maintain control and stability of your vehicle in icy conditions, install winter tires in sets of four is the best idea. Remember that, even with quality winter tires, you must always drive according to the conditions of the roads and maintain more distance from other vehicles.
Jill Hin // Dec 4, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Ya..winter tyres are not so bad. as we say” Prevention better than cure”…lol!!!
Tom // Dec 5, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I’m from the north myself and have been able to see how the winter tyres are some times THE ONLY WAY to stay in live. Invest some money for your own good, folks!
Ling // Dec 6, 2008 at 3:40 am
I’ve never had my car start skidding on ice, and hopefully, never will. Its not an experience you need to have to learn about driving safely.
Gabe G.H. // Dec 15, 2008 at 5:47 am
This is what happened here in Spain too…..all of a sudden it started to snow a few weeks ago. People were stuck on the roads….winter tires do rule and they are bloody vital in a weather like the one we have here in the northern part of Spain.
cars // Dec 15, 2008 at 11:28 am
well i am from india and the place where i live is quite hot i have never seen any snow in my life except on tv but a really nice blogged tip thanks
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LED Eric // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:05 am
I am from Romania and here is snowing much in winter season. So you need a good winter tiers for the car, else you cannot drive it
Winter Tires // Jul 27, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I think that the right type of winter tires is essential for safe driving.