Standard car tires are very often unable to cope with wintry conditions. The design and tread of these tires means that they are not able to gain traction when the road surface is icy or covered in snow, which can result in an accident or a complete lack of mobility.

Travelers who frequently drive in these conditions are increasingly turning to snow tires to help their vehicles cope with ice and snow on the road. Some manufacturers will now supply vehicles with all-season tires, which offer some additional traction in the event of snow or ice on roads. However, all-season tires are not designed for use in very thick snow or ice. They are designed to provide suitability in a range of different driving conditions. What that means is that they simply cannot cope with very extreme weather conditions.

Prior to 1998, there was no suitable standard to denote that tires were suitably modified to be considered proper winter tires. After this date, the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the Rubber Association of Canada introduced a new standard for snow tires, called the Severe Weather Traction Standard. This symbol (denoting a mountain with a snowflake superimposed on it) denotes that the tire meets the standard required to be considered a winter or snow tire. As such, you should always look for this symbol when buying snow tires.

You can buy either studded or unstudded snow tires. In some states, studded snow tires are now illegal and you may therefore only be permitted to drive on the unstudded version. Studded tires grip particularly well on very compact, thick ice or snow, but they have less traction on a dry road than a normal tire. This makes them unsuitable for the highway, where there is also a lot of road noise. This aside, studded tires work most effectively on ice. The more studs, the better the performance.

Your choice of snow tire design will largely come down to the sort of terrain and snow that you expect to encounter. To drive through deep, heavy snow your tires require large tread blocks and openings so that the tire can dig into the snow without getting clogged. Truck tires normally feature this sort of design, which also drives well through mud. These tires work well at low speeds, in very difficult conditions.

Other snow tires are designed for driving at higher speeds through light snow, as you might expect on a highway or city road. These tires have smaller tread blocks, which are closer together and are often cut with small grooves. These tires rely on centrifugal force to throw the snow out of the tire and, as such, they don't work well at low speeds.

Some manufacturers have started to introduce unstudded tires that are designed to work on ice. The trade-off here is that while they work well on ice, they do not perform well on snow or snow-covered ice. They do, however, run without the road noise that you can expect from studded tires.

Ideally, you should purchase four snow tires, regardless of whether your vehicle is all-wheel or front-wheel drive. This maximizes performance and ensures even wear. If you decide only to purchase two, then always fit them to the rear of the car. Always buy the same brand of tire for every wheel. The tires may look the same, but will perform very differently.

The size of your snow tire also makes a difference. Narrow tires are most effective at cutting through deep snow. Conversely, wider tires improve front-to-back traction on your vehicle, so you may need to find a reasonable compromise. Some drivers opt to have several sets of snow tires, which can be replaced according to the driving conditions.

In any case, before investing in snow tires, you may be advised to consult the service department at your local dealership. Here, you can get specialist, manufacturer advice and, you can identify which tires may be most suited to the make and model of your car. Investing in snow tires can greatly improve the safety of your driving but you should ensure that you understand all the options that are available to you.