Should You Buy Winter Tires for Your Luxury Car?

If you live close to our luxury car dealership near Denver, you know that snowy winters are just a fact of life. Driving in the snow can be downright treacherous at times, but there are plenty of things you can do to mitigate the risk.

One major way to make driving in the snow safer is to buy a set of winter tires. These tires are specifically designed for maximum traction in snowy and icy conditions, and many people swear by them. But are winter tires worth the cost?

If you’re debating whether you should buy winter tires, here’s what to know.

What Are Winter Tires?

It’s commonly believed that winter tires are simply designed to perform better on snow, but this isn’t entirely correct. Indeed, they do much better in snow and ice than your average all-season tire, but winter tires are meant to perform well in all cold weather conditions, whether it’s wet or dry.

All-season tires are made with a rubber compound that hardens below a certain temperature, which reduces their ability to brake effectively. Winter tires are made of rubber that stays pliable in below-freezing temperatures, which gives them better traction and a much shorter stopping distance, even if there’s no snow on the ground. However, because of the softer material they’re made of, they’ll wear out very quickly if driven above a certain temperature. That’s why it’s not recommended to run winter tires year-round.

They also have a unique tread pattern that’s designed to throw snow and ice away from the tires. They’re also characterized by a lot of sipes, which are small grooves cut into the tread blocks that further help with traction.

Not all winter tires are created equal. For instance, some are made more for wet snowy conditions, while others are designed for drier climates. Some may be better on ice, while others may be better in snow. There are also some all-season tires that have winter tire traits, although these aren’t quite as effective as true winter tires.

Do Winter Tires Work?

Obviously, the climate you live in will dictate whether winter tires are a worthwhile investment.

Generally speaking, if you’re in a place where the temperature regularly falls below 40 degrees for more than a month in a row, you should probably at least consider having a set of winter tires installed.

Some people think this is just a gimmick, but winter tires routinely perform much better than all-seasons in cold weather road tests. One writer for MotorTrend found that, in their test of stopping distance at 12 miles per hour, their vehicle stopped in just 34 feet with winter tires equipped. The exact same car took 57 feet to stop with a set of all-seasons. That’s a significant gap, and an extra 23 feet could very well be the difference between avoiding a collision.

Can I Buy Two Winter Tires?

Winter tires are typically around the same price as a regular set of all-seasons. Still, the cost of buying the tires and having them mounted deters some people from buying a whole set, and some folks ask us if they can get away with having just two winter tires.

We don’t recommend this, because it can actually make your car less safe. If the front or back tires have winter tires and the other two are rocking all-seasons, you create a situation where half of the car has more traction than the other half, which can lead to understeering or oversteering.

The good news is that buying winter tires can save you money in the long run. When you have a set of winter tires, you prolong the life of your regular tires because you won’t be using them for a few months out of the year. Aside from that, you could be saving yourself a major headache and thousands of dollars in repair costs by avoiding a crash because of icy roads.

Mercedes-Benz of Littleton also offers service specials and coupons, which can save you tons of money on buying a new set of winter tires or swapping your all-season tires out.

How to Choose the Right Winter Tires for Sale Near Aurora, CO

If you decide to buy winter tires for your Mercedes, our expert parts department is here to help you find the right fit for your exact make and model. You can browse our tire center online, or simply stop by our dealership located at 8070 S. Broadway, Littleton, CO 80122. We have a vast selection of some of the top tire brands, and we have the knowledge to set you up with your perfect match.

If you have any more questions about winter tires, contact us online or call our parts center at (720) 647-9477.