Keeping Your Car Winter Weather Ready

One way to help prevent having issues on the road is to make sure your vehicle is prepared for this winter weather.

Discount Tire store manager Luke Anderson joined News 9 to talk about what you should do to keep your vehicle maintained for this weather.

“So definitely the most important thing is having good tires,” Anderson said. “So at Discount Tire we offer a lot of different tires, but for weather like we're having today, absolutely the winter tire would be recommended.”

At 45 degrees, all-season tires start to lose their gripping capabilities, which can be dangerous in winter weather, according to Discount Tire.

When the weather gets colder, tires lose pressure.

“As temperatures drop, your tire pressure is going to drop as well,” Anderson said. “So we definitely recommend having your tire pressure checked at least once a month. Or even if you're going on a trip.”

Winter tires can deliver as much as a 50% increase in traction over all-season tires, which could be enough traction to save locals from disaster.

At cold temperatures, the rubber of all-season tires can stiffen causing traction to become less effective on snow and ice. 

“We also have tread depth gauges,” Anderson said. “We use these to measure your tread in the store. We actually have a digital tread depth gauge, which is pretty cool, a little more accurate. And then also for people at home there's the penny. How the penny works is if you put your your penny in the in the tread, as you can see Lincoln's head you it's time to replace the tires

Check your tire tread depth at home by using a penny, or have an expert at Discount Tire do it.

News 9’s Addie Crawford also recommends having an emergency bag, just in case.

“If I'm stranded on the side of the road I might need a blanket. I have some gloves and some jumper cables, and ice scraper for my windshield, and of course a bottle of water just in case my car breaks down. Maybe I get in an accident, hopefully not, just in case,” Crawford said.