Dust off your winter tires at the same time as Halloween costumes, experts say

By Samantha Reed and Taylor Broderick 

BELLEVILLE – “Once you see the jack-o-lanterns come out for Halloween it’s time to put your snow tires on,” advises Kevin Empey, owner of Belleville’s Empey Tire Services.

Empey, who refers himself and his associates as “tire experts,” stresses the importance of driving with winter tires instead of all-season tires in colder temperatures.

“As soon as the temperature reaches a certain degree your asphalt gets cold and the all-season tires are a harder rubber compound tire and will not stick to asphalt nearly as good as a snow tire will.”

Snow tires are made of a softer rubber, which allows for them to stick better to the asphalt through the snow and rain, Empey explained.

Loyalist College student Amy Batarla learned first-hand the dangers of driving without winter tires. Batarla got into a car accident on Hamilton Road the Monday after the first snowfall while driving to her co-operative placement at Pathways to Independence.

“A bus was coming on the opposite lane and I was moving a little bit to the right … I was on a steep turn, and I guess I moved a little too far to the right and I ended up hitting some either black ice or slush and my car started weaving in and out and it started going towards traffic. So I managed getting my car towards a field and got stuck in a field.”

Batarla did not have winter tires on her car at the time of the accident, but got them put on her car the same day it happened.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada says that only 56 per cent of Ontario drivers use winter tires and that 63 per cent say they believe that all-season tires are “good enough” for winter driving.

Empey disagrees. “A snow tire will make it 100-per-cent better on stopping, turning and handling your car in the snow. There’s no comparison (between) a snow tire (and) an all-season.”

Winter tires should be taken off at the end of March or first of April, says the longtime business owner. Winter tires are not meant for the summer heat, and last only four winter seasons.

Since the first snowfall of the season this past week, drivers have been rushing to get  their winter tires put on, he said.

“It’s been crazy. We’re a week and a half behind in our bookings right now – it’s just crazy. I don’t know where everybody’s coming from but we’re selling lots of tires.”

Putting on your winter tires near Halloween is ideal, because the weather is cool enough that the tires won’t wear and you will beat the rush after the first snowfall, he said.