Tire 101 Archives - Hometown Tire Pros & Service Center

Monday – Friday: 7:00AM – 6:00PM | Saturday: 8:00AM – 2:00PM; Sunday: Closed

Winter tires versus all-season tires…which is the right choice for you?

The two designs are quite different and deliver different levels of performance and winter-weather traction, so let’s discuss.
•All-season tires are designed as an all-around compromise. They feature a tread pattern that evacuates water from the tire’s contact patch to prevent hydroplaning, with plenty of small, textured slits (sipes) to add extra biting edges for traction in wet or slushy conditions.
•All-season tires are designed with a harder tread compound that can deliver a long service life and long wear.
•All-season tires can deliver the same sort of low noise, comfortable ride and good handling as most touring or grand-touring tires. They offer straight-line stability, good road manners and good road feel on asphalt.
Now, let’s compare-and-contrast all-season tires with winter tires…
•Winter tires use a softer tread compound that’s designed to stay flexible at low temperatures. Below 15-20 degrees, all-season tires can stiffen and lose traction, while the flexible rubber of winter tires can conform more easily and continue to grip in the cold and snow.
•Winter tires use a more aggressive tread pattern with deeper grooves and a denser sipe pattern to push away slush and dig into soft or packed snow. Many all-season tires come pre-drilled to accept metal studs for traction on ice.
•On dry pavement, winter tires tend to be noisier and rougher-riding than all-season tires, with less-precise handling. That may not be a concern in winter conditions, though, since handling is going to be sloppy and treacherous on snow anyway.
•The soft tread compound of winter tires makes them fragile. At temperatures above freezing, winter tires will soon start to wear prematurely; it’s important to change them as soon as the weather starts to warm up.
So which will it be? All-season tires may be great for most weather conditions, but the truth is that in more than an inch or two of snow, they’re not so great. Winter tires are the only tires that can deliver real traction and performance in harsh winter conditions…and it’s important to remember that just because your vehicle has AWD or 4WD, that’s no guarantee that it will perform well without the right tires.
If you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, or in an area that might see a couple of inches of snow that melts a few days later, chances are you’re going to be just fine with all-season tires year-round. If you live in, say, the upper Midwest, New England or the mountains, where snow is measured in feet rather than inches and temperatures might stay in the 20s or lower for days on end, winter tires are almost a necessity. If you’re in need of tires before winter sets in, whether you choose all-season or winter tires…call us and let us help you out!

Winter Tires? Or All-Season Tires?

Winter tires versus all-season tires…which is the right choice for you? The two designs are quite different and deliver different levels of performance and winter-weather traction, so let’s discuss. •All-season tires are designed as an all-around compromise. They feature a tread pattern that evacuates water from the tire’s contact patch to prevent hydroplaning, with plenty Read More

Are All-Season Tires Really All-Season?

We frequently get questions about all-season tires when consumers are trying to make the right purchasing decision for a set of new tires. As the title of the blog asks…”are all-season tires really all-season?” The answer is: it that depends on what part of the country you’re living in. All-season tires are a compromise from Read More

Do Your Homework on Tire Safety

We see it all the time…people tend to not think about their tires until something goes wrong. Sometimes, this can mean sitting on the side of the road waiting for help, and other times it can mean more serious consequences. Here are a few things to remember for tire safety as the summer winds down Read More

Seven Things You Need To Know About Tires

We often see customers who are a little overwhelmed by the tire buying process. There are so many types of tires for different vehicles and different driving styles, all at different price points. Here are a few things every driver needs to know about tires: · A tire is constructed from the inside out, starting Read More

What Makes All-Season Tires So Great?

So your closet has a pair of flip-flops for the summer, a pair of heavy boots for the winter, and a comfortable pair of sneakers for most of the rest of the year. If you live in a climate that doesn’t have harsh winters, you might just be able to wear those sneakers year-round…and all-season Read More

Get Ready for Summer Road Trips with New Tires

Summer’s going to be here before you know it, and that means time for family road trips! We know there’s a lot to think about when you’re planning a vacation…money, accommodations, scheduling, keeping the kids occupied in the car…but one thing you definitely should not neglect in those plans is your tires. Summer road trips Read More

Don’t Let Tire Problems Put the Brakes on Your Valentine’s Date

Don’t let tire problems get in the way this Valentine’s day. How is your tire pressure? Do my tires need to be rotated? Is it time for an alignment? Do I need new tires? While these questions can seem daunting, with the help of tire professionals and various routine self-checks, any driver can maintain proper Read More

Website Launch Announcement: Hometown Tire Pros Launches New Site

We are excited to announce the launch of our new website. The site features a fresh look, easy navigation and more focus on what the customer needs. The new site offers inventory listings with pictures and specs. You can search a variety of ways including by vehicle and size. With the addition of our blog, Read More

Self-Inflating Tires…Soon To Be A Reality?

Driving around on underinflated tires is just a bad idea all the way around. Underinflated tires increase a car’s rolling resistance, meaning a drop in fuel efficiency since it takes more energy to move the vehicle down the road. A single tire that’s down by ten pounds of air means a 3.3 percent drop in Read More

Mixing Tires – Bad Idea

In a perfect world, all four tires would wear out at the same time. In the same perfect world, everyone would be able to afford a whole set of tires all at once. Unfortunately, things often just do not work out that way. Sometimes you may just have to replace tires as you can afford Read More

1 2 3 7