# Do you change tires for the season? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860 "2013-01-02T18:52:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/1 "2013-01-02T18:52:13Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=676350). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/2 "2013-01-02T18:54:35Z")
Oh sure, I have a whole closet of different tires, just like women have shoes and dresses. No whitewalls after Labor Day, dears. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/3 "2013-01-02T18:58:04Z")
You betcha. My city doesn’t clear the roads of snow and ice, and we need the best tires we can get to try and stay on the roads all winter. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/4 "2013-01-02T19:03:41Z")
Yes. I never used to, but snow tires of today really do make a difference. It really doesn’t cost more in the long run anyway; instead of driving on four tires for 12 months, you’re driving on four tires for 6 months at a time and then swapping out. Eight tires can last a long time. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/5 "2013-01-02T19:05:56Z")
yes. Here, typically only main roads are cleared, and not always right away. proper winter tires make a world of difference in braking performance on snowy roads, and that enough is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/6 "2013-01-02T19:06:16Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You betcha. My city doesn’t clear the roads of snow and ice, and we need the best tires we can get to try and stay on the roads all winter. This seems really weird. Is it because eventually a chinook will be along to clear things out naturally? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/7 "2013-01-02T19:08:13Z")
I said “no” because I don’ t live in a place that gets much snow and ice. When I did, I had snow tires (with studs). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/8 "2013-01-02T19:09:38Z")
Yes. “All season” is a misnomer in Ontario. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/9 "2013-01-02T19:10:00Z")
AHAHAHA. No. I live in South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/10 "2013-01-02T19:11:04Z")
No. In Spain the requirement is to carry chains (which I do), and snow tires are forbidden (even the country’s snowiest areas don’t get enough snow and for long enough to justify those over chains). ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/11 "2013-01-02T19:21:38Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yes. I never used to, but snow tires of today really do make a difference. Took the words out of my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/12 "2013-01-02T19:35:10Z")
Not anymore. When I lived in Maine I sure did! Studded snow tires were a godsend. Here in TN there’s no point, good all weather tires do just fine. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/13 "2013-01-02T19:54:07Z")
Yes. Pretty much have to up here. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/14 "2013-01-02T19:58:30Z")
I’ve never had an issue getting around in the snow (and we can get a lot of it) using regular tires. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/15 "2013-01-02T20:00:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > This seems really weird. Is it because eventually a chinook will be along to clear things out naturally? I think that’s a big part of it. I shouldn’t say they don’t clear the roads; they do shove the snow around a bit, and they sand/salt the major roads, but a great example is last week - we had snow and then very cold temperatures, and every road except the major ones were a skating rink with some gravel sprinkled on it, and that lasted until the temperatures came up above zero again. My husband spent some time in Kitchener, ON, and he tells me all the time how Kitchener clears all the roads of snow within 24 hours of a snowfall; that sounds like a mythical fairy story to me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/16 "2013-01-02T20:02:07Z")
30 northern wisconsin winters and have never had snow tires. Even my dad who has been driving since 1954 quit buying snow tires back in the seventies. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/17 "2013-01-02T20:08:17Z")
Nope, never have. We might get enough snow to stick to the roads once a year, and that’s usually just for a day. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/18 "2013-01-02T20:08:35Z")
Yes. When I had a car, it came with two sets of tires. Snow tires went on in the fall and came off in the spring. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/19 "2013-01-02T20:11:48Z")
No, because I don’t live in an area where it’s necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860/20 "2013-01-02T20:32:21Z")
No, but I have an AWD vehicle, get good all season tires, and replace worn tires in the late fall if I think there’s a chance they aren’t good enough to get me through the winter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-change-tires-for-the-season/645860.md?page=2)