‘Should they stay or should they go?’: Inconsistent weather sparks winter tire debate

Should they stay or should they go? It’s a question being posed by some drivers when it comes to winter tires.

It’s ironic that there’s been spring-like weather for most of March and now that it’s actually spring, it looks and feels a lot like winter.

The sudden shift is leading to frustrations for certain motorists who already did the tire switchover for the season.

Lyssa Da Costa is director of marketing with Tire Discounter Group. She said while there’s no ‘set date’ on the calendar for when you should take your winters off, there is a general ‘rule of thumb’ in the industry.

“Once temperatures are above 7 degrees, consistently, then you are safe to switch off your winter tires and put on your all-seasons or your summers,” said Da Costa.

Da Costa said while it can be difficult to make the decision given the warm spell over the last few weeks, you want to be certain that wintry weather is truly in the rearview mirror before making the switch.

It’s also a delicate balance as you don’t want to take your winters off too early, but you also shouldn’t keep them on for too long either.

“So in winter tires, the rubber is much softer — so it grips the snow and the ice. All-seasons and summers have a completely different compound,” explained Da Costa. “So if you’re driving in your winter tires in the middle of summer, you’re going to lose the longevity of your winter tires and most importantly, it’s a safety concern.”

Da Costa said when you’re driving in warm weather with softer rubber tires, like winters, you could lose performance and control, and you won’t have the same stopping distance.

“So there’s many factors and reasons why it’s a good idea to just monitor the weather and switchover when you’re sitting above 7 degrees consistently.”

Da Costa said generally, the rush for tire swaps starts in mid-April.