!44: How to Buy Cheap Winter Tires Or Snow Tires That Work

!±8± How to Buy Cheap Winter Tires Or Snow Tires That Work

For those of us who are lucky enough to live in the snow bound areas such as the Northeast in states like Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine we all know that without good snow tires we might as well stay home and hibernate for the winter. The question is do I have to pay big bucks for the top brand so that I get the best traction?

Well first let's look at another question and that is how do I know it is a true winter tire? Well the answer is very simple. In 1999, The U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110. During the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. The new standard helps ensure that drivers can easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction. A mountain/snowflake symbol branded on the tire's sidewall identifies tires that met the required performance in snow testing.

So now we go tire shopping for winter tires. We already know that in order for a tire to be considered a snow tire it must have the mountain snowflake symbol. Now we will get into our question and that is to I have to pay big bucks? The answer is no you do not. The truth of the matter is that many of the cheap snow tires perform as well or sometimes better then the more expensive tires.An example of this would be one of the cheapest snow tires you will find and that is the Winterforce made by Firestone. This tire has seemed to perform very well in the snow and most people are getting atleast 2 seasons out of it. (remember snow tires wear quickly because they have soft compound). The Winterforce winter tire has a nice design that does not pack with snow like some others. Another popular tire for winter expecially in The Northeast is the Cooper Weathermaster st/2 and the Cooper Discoverer M&S for trucks. Cooper tires have been a proven winner here in Vermont with outstanding performance in both snow and on ice. Finally our third pick for cheap winter tires is more of a mid price range but another proven snow tire and that is the Nokian Hakkepelita snow tire. The Nokian Hakkepelita has been around for quite some time and is a favorite among many Vermonter's.

Okay so now we know what to look for to make sure a tire is a winter tire. We have also learned of a few brands that will save us some money. Now it is time to do some tire shopping. Good Luck.