PA residents preparing for snow and icy conditions

“We’ve been installing winter tires now for almost two weeks straight and the busy season hit about three, three and a half weeks early,” he said. “We don’t usually start booking until either the first snowfall or towards the end of October, beginning of November for snow tires but we’ve already been installing for two weeks already.”

Fraser said the “rule of thumb” when it comes to putting on winter tires is to start thinking about it when the temperatures hit 7 C.

“That’s when the rubber compound in the tire starts to get hard and you lose traction. You won’t have the proper traction you need out of your all season tires, winter tires are a soft rubber compound so that gives you added traction.”

He said 7 C is a good time to put them on in the winter time and 7 C is a good time to take them off in the spring.

Safety is a big reason why many auto and tire services recommend putting on winter tires.

Fraser said you never know what kind of conditions you’ll run into so it’s important to have winter tires because they are a safety feature that gives you added traction and keeps you out of those situations that could potentially be an accident,” he said.

OK Tire and Auto Service takes appointments by phone at 306-763-4999 and is located at 1610 1st Ave. W.

Kal Tire in Prince Albert has also seen an influx of people coming in early to get their winter tires put on.

Rick Erickson, store manager, said they’ve been putting on tires for about two weeks now.

Erickson said winter tires add extra traction and stability when it comes to winter driving.

“The design of a winter tire is designed in such a way that it stays soft in colder weather and that’s what maintains your traction and stability. Most all seasons by 7 they start to freeze, as an all season tire freezes it becomes less and less affective at doing its job.”

Erickson said their appointments are first come, first serve and over the past two weeks they’ve arrived to people waiting at the door before they were even open.

“I had eight people standing at my door [Monday] morning. The majority of people wait until the snow hits but a lot of our long term customers are starting to understand the advantages of getting it done early so they are ready to go once the snow hits and not have to wait another day to get it done.”

Kal Tire is located at 300 – 38th St. E.

Winter Prep Kit

There’s another aspect of winterizing your car that many people might overlook.

Lyle Karasiuk, director of public affairs for Parkland Ambulance, said not only is it important to have winter tires for your vehicle, it’s also important to think about winter preparations.

“Maybe by chance we’ll be in a collision or stopped due to bad weather, you need to pack along a few simple little things to keep you, your friends and family safe while you’re driving.”

The first would be extra blankets.

“Two, don’t forget your cellphone and make sure it’s fully charged. Three, have a first aid kit. You can visit one of our local stores and purchase any number of winter survival kits but you can easily build one yourself.”

Karasiuk said tea lights are another good item to have in the vehicle because it can help keep you warm.

Other important items are high energy snacks like granola bars and protein bars, bottles of water and a shovel as a shovel can help dig out a stuck vehicle.

“Often when we go somewhere … we think it’s not going to happen to me. We often unbutton our coat or pack only a light coat, make sure you come dressed for the weather, boots, toques, scarfs, winter coats, you never know when you’re going to need it.”

swallace@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahthesquid

by Sarah Wallace

PA residents preparing for snow and icy conditions

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