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Today not the day to change your snow tires, but you should do it soon

'People are not as much of a rush to change tires in the spring as they are in the fall'
20180404tiresstudded
You need to take your studded tires off by May 31st. April 4th is not a good day to take studded or winter tires off. Photo by Chris Dawson.

Generally Easter weekend is the start of a busy season for tire companies in North Bay. 

However, Raoul Ranger, owner of Independent Tire in North Bay, says they told many of their customers to hold off on a tire change due to the nasty storm that arrived late Tuesday night.   

“We have called a lot of our customers who had appointments, a lot of people just delayed it,” said Ranger.  

He says the key to figuring out when to change your tires depends on the temperature of the asphalt you are driving on.    

“So we want to have an asphalt temperature of seven degrees or more and that is when it is ideal to start removing snow tires,” said Ranger. 

“You will get premature wear by leaving your tires on because the compound into the winter tires are a softer compound so there is more natural rubber built into the product so it is stickier on ice when it is cold and that is why it is important to take the tires off in the spring so you do not get premature irregular wear on your tires.” 

Ranger says drivers tend to be less concerned about the spring switch compared to the urgency that comes with putting winter tires on in the fall once the snow flies.  

“People are not as much of a rush to change tires in the spring as they are in the fall,” he said.  

“In the fall people panic when they see the snow and in the spring they make it more adaptable to their schedule.  But in the fall it doesn’t matter what is going on, hockey tournaments and more things are on for kids, so the safety of the vehicle is a priority and in the fall it is an urgency whereas in the spring it is not so much an urgency everything kind dies down as far as the kids activities and that so.”  

The delay in changing our studded tires causes damage too.  You have until May 31st to get them switched out.   

“Same thing the tires in the warmer weather will get softer, therefore the studs will have a tendency to pull out, they are not held in as tight because of the tire, it expands more because of the heat so a stud loss is a big thing,” noted Ranger.  


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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