If you live anywhere that gets a good amount of snow or ice during winter months, then you know it is essential to have a good set of snow tires for your vehicle.  Cold, slush, ice, and freezing rain can all make the roads hazardous and even impossible to drive on without a good winter snow tire.  Regular all season tires can hold up in rain and light snow, but for ice it is best to drive on a good winter tire.  Snow tires are made of a different type of rubber compound and have a more complex tread design, which allow them to maintain traction in icy conditions.

The first thing to realize is that you will need to buy four tires.  Some people try to get by with only changing their front tires with winter tires, but to get the best results you should equip your car with four of the same snow tires.  Changing just the front tires can be dangerous in some cases.  When choosing your winter tires, look for a snowflake symbol on the side of the tire.  This symbols means that the tires have passed the strict Severe Winter Traction Standard.  Some all season tires are rated for mud and snow (M + S), but these still do not do best in the toughest winter conditions.

Next check the owner's manual of your car to determine the correct size of tires.  People often get in trouble by choosing the wrong size tires for their vehicle.  Many stores such as Auto Zone or any other chain auto star will allow you to look up the correct tire size in their database for free.  Once the correct tire size has been chosen, your should look for a tire with tread depth of at least 6/32 inch of more.  Some states also allow metal studded tires, which perform best on ice.  But check to make sure they are legal in your state before purchasing metal studded tires.

Shop around.  Many of the best deals on winter snow tires can be found online and some sites will even ship for free if you find the right deal.  Once the tires have been purchased and delivered, take them to a local shop and have them installed.  You can now drive safely in the winter snow.  Be careful!

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