Winter driving safety means different things for different people, depending on climate, road conditions, and frequency spent behind the wheel. Your tires are a major part of your safety on the road, though, so you want to make sure you have the right ones on your car once the season changes. The following guide can help you choose.

All-season tires

These tires have a tread pattern that helps them perform adequately on both wet and dry roads. This ensures decent traction in most mild weather conditions. Generally, all-season tires work best in areas where rain and light snow are the worst of the winter weather conditions. They do not provide good traction in heavy snow nor will that stop you from sliding in icy conditions. If these conditions are rare in your area, then these are a cost-effective option. They may also be sufficient in more severe winter areas if you rarely drive or only drive on maintained and plowed roads.

Winter tires

If regular snowfall is a common occurrence in your area, then winter tires are almost a necessity unless you spend very little time on the road. These tires have a deeper tread depth, which means they still get traction even in deep snow. They also have a biting edge built into the rubber, which helps them grip snowy roads better. Finally, the rubber of these tires is made to withstand winter cold without cracking.

Snow tires

The final option for winter tires are full snow tires. These have the deeper tread and biting edges of winter tires, but the rubber is also equipped with metal studs that dig into snow and ice. Snow tires are generally for areas where heavy snowfall or unplowed roads are common, or in areas where icy conditions can prevail for days or weeks. Keep in mind that not all states or municipalities allow studded tires, due to the damage they can cause to roadways. There are also often rules governing the dates that these tires can be placed on a car. For this reason, it may be better to use basic winter tires and keep a set of tire chains in your car for those rare instances when heavy traction may be necessary.

Talk to a tire shop in your area. They can help you pick out the best winter tires for sale for your specific needs. They may even offer free tire storage and seasonal tires changes if you purchase tires from them.