Although Waterloo Region saw a warm start to the week, some drivers are making sure their vehicles are winter-ready. “We do have a good chunk of our clientele putting [winter] tires on,” Chris Tsegas, owner of Fowler Tire in Kitchener, said. “Others are getting upset, thinking it’s too early, but what’s going to happen is the first day of snow, they won’t be able to get in anywhere,” he explained. While some people wait until temperatures consistently stay under seven degrees Celsius before booking their appointments, Tsegas said driving on winter tires in warmer weather won’t do as much potential damage as driving in snow without them. “We were at 35 degree weather yesterday and we’re supposed to hit minus two by the weekend. So, you’ve got to be the judge,” he said. One driver told CTV News he’s not taking any chances with the weather’s unpredictability. “In late fall, you never know what you’re going to run into. So the first week of November, me and my brother put them on together,” he said. Depending on mileage, an average set of winter tires can last roughly five to six years before they need to be replaced. “There are some good Chinese tires that they have these days, probably about $800 installed. Whereas, your better-quality ones like Bridgestone and Michelin, they’re probably going to be up to the [$15,00] to $1,800 mark,” Tsegas said. In some cases, putting winter tires on before Nov. 1 could save drivers money through discounts offered by insurance companies. “If you tell them you’ve got your winter tires on and you get into a car accident and you don’t. I think that’s where the liability could be troublesome,” Tsegas warned. Tsegas explained that all-season and all-weather tires are made differently. “A winter tire, the compounds are a lot softer, the siping, the treads, they’re all geared to snow and ice,” he said.
