(NAPSI)—In winter, it’s not just about the precipitation on the road. Tires get cold, too, and when they’re cold, all-season tires don’t perform to their full potential. In fact, in temperatures as cool as 45 degrees or below, the rubber in all-season tires gradually hardens, leading to decreased road traction and less grip, causing difficulty with braking and turning. Winter tire safety experts at Discount Tire urge drivers to consider their cold weather climate; if it is regularly below 45 degrees, it’s time for a set of winter tires to keep you and your family safe on the roads this year.

“Too often, motorists associate winter tires with only snow and ice,” said Mark Marrufo of Discount Tire. “At Discount Tire, we take winter tire safety seriously and know it’s important for drivers to realize that all-season tires can suffer performance issues on any driving surface when temperatures drop below 45 degrees, snow or no snow.”

Winter tires use specially engineered tread rubber with enhanced compound to add the extra grip needed in winter driving conditions that helps keep a car safely in motion without skidding off the road. This added grip provides 25 to 50 percent more traction in snow and ice than regular all-season tires. Tread design in winter tires also uses thousands of extra traction edges for exceptional grip in cold weather driving conditions where ice, snow, slush and water may be present. What drivers may not realize is precipitation can actually pack in the larger grooves on all-season tires, leading to dangerous skidding and impaired braking.

Five tire and road safety tips for winter this year:

1. Replace your all-season tires with superior cold traction winter tires if you regularly drive in temperatures of 45 degrees or below. Make sure to replace all four tires to avoid an unsafe traction mismatch.

2. Don’t forget the wheels when switching to winter tires. Having a set of wheels specifically for your set of winter tires will save money in the long run. They pay for themselves by eliminating the cost of changeovers at the beginning and end of the winter season, and by saving your expensive wheels from the wear and tear of ice, slush, snow and salt.

3. Check tire pressure regularly and don’t forget to check the spare. Underinflated or over-inflated tires may result in poor handling, uneven tread wear and poor fuel consumption. For every 10 degrees change in temperature, tire air pressure changes 1 psi!

4. Rotate your tires at least every 6,000 miles or earlier if irregular or uneven wear develops.

5. Make sure your tire shop properly torques the lug nuts to the specifications for your vehicle when changing over to winter tires.

For those drivers unsure whether or not winter tires are necessary for their vehicle, stop by any Discount Tire location for a free safety inspection. To locate a store near you, schedule tire service appointments or search tires and wheels by size, brand and style—or by vehicle year, make and model—visit www.discounttire.com.

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)