IN THE CITY
by Gerry James
Are tires and traction related? You bet they are! Having the right tires for your area’s driving conditions is essential.
Severe weather makes driving treacherous. Snow, ice, freezing rain, fog and mist will make winter driving difficult and dangerous. But with a little knowledge and planning, driving this winter can be easier for you.
Do you really need winter tires? In northern Maine, my answer is yes, winter tires are needed. If you live on the edge of the snow belt where it snows several inches then warms up and melts, all season tires may be ok. All season tires are a compromise between summer and winter tires. They are designed to provide better traction than summer tires, but with less road noise than winter tires.
If you think winter tires are expensive, think how much a fender bender will cost you. Your insurance deductible alone would probably pay for a set of four winter tires for your car. Add in the downtime, rental car, the inconvenience of it all and the fact that winter tires increase traction and control which may have helped you avoid the accident, and it makes good sense to buy winter tires, adding ice studs to these tires is also a very good idea. Once you’ve decided to buy winter tires, you’ll probably have to “bite the bullet” and buy four.
Today’s automobiles are finely tuned and balanced machines. They handle best when conditions are equal. If you put just two winter tires on the drive axle, the other axle will have reduced traction, which may cause your vehicle to slip and slide. Think of it as a split personality for your car. Your vehicle’s anti-lock braking system and electronic traction control don’t provide more traction. They only help prevent you from over braking or over powering your tires available traction. Installing better tires with studs will increase traction
Having the proper tires on your vehicle will make the roads safer for you and your family and for everyone sharing the road with you. At the Public Works Department our crews are on the roads in the very worst conditions that winter has to offer. Our plows are equipped with deep lug studded traction tires that are designed for winter use.
Please, check your vehicle’s tires and help ensure that you will make it safely through the winter.
Gerry James is Director of Presque Isle’s Public Works Department. He can be reached at 764-2560 or via e-mail at gerryjames@mfx.net.
