Toronto, Ontario – If you can see your breath, it’s time for winter tires, according to the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC). To educate drivers about winter tires and winter driving, Canada’s tire makers have released a comprehensive winter tire and driving brochure available free from participating tire retailers.

“The latest generation of winter tires offer motorists an important driving performance advantage in all winter driving conditions, including dry road surfaces,” said Glenn Maidment, president of RAC. “All tire rubber will begin to stiffen as the weather gets colder, but today’s winter tires maintain their elasticity even at extremely low temperatures approaching minus 30 degrees Celsius. The result is superior traction and handling, whether the roadway is snowy, icy, slush-covered or dry.”

Traditionally, many drivers, particularly those who live in cities or towns where the streets are regularly cleared, have opted for all-season tires to avoid the cost and inconvenience of regular winter tire changeover. Even though all-season tires can provide safe all-weather performance, the RAC warns that drivers need to know that the efficiency of winter tires greatly surpasses them once temperatures fall below 7C. Most modern winter tires offer up to 50 per cent more winter traction than all-season tires, which can mean shorter stopping distances, and better vehicle cornering and control.

“The cold-weather traction advantage offered by today’s winter tires is considerable,” Maidment said. “Motorists should stop thinking of winter tires as ’snow tires’, and start thinking of them as ‘cold weather’ tires.”

Drivers can learn more about winter tires by visiting the Rubber Association’s website at RAC.