Last week, a couple Hard Working Trucks readers shared some tire insight and advice after reading the article, “Bridgestone debunks four winter driving myths.”
Reader bmccull, in response to the first myth, “You don’t need winter tires unless it’s snowing” added:
“We are constantly told that the rubber compound on a normal tire loses adhesion below 7° C (45° F). As anyone with a ‘hard working truck’ knows, the ambient temperature can be significantly below freezing and the tire is still warm. What does this mean? Presumably we still have traction as long as the tire is working.”
Kyle Stan, a regular reader and active commenter, addressed the second myth: “If you have all-wheel drive, you’re good to go in the snow.”
“Reason this ‘myth’ gets started is because of poor understanding of drive systems. AWD and 4WD are two different types of motive traction, both have different tire requirements,” he says. “Does not matter what the drive wheels are doing , if they have no traction to move and stop.”
“The traction to move is totally different for stopping. You will see trucks with chains when it is not snowing, because they provide the braking traction required on ice. (Smart drivers also drive slower with chains, which is a requirement of driving with chains.)
