One thing we know: Island drivers should definitely equip their vehicles with winter tires.
Winter tires are the best safety feature on your vehicle. Tests show that winter tires can stop in half the distance of an all-season tire even from a slow speed of 16 kmh. Winter tires wear more slowly in the winter, provide better cold-temperature performance than all-season tires that begin to lose their effectiveness at 7°C, and provide way better traction when accelerating in snow and slush.
So, now that we know you need winter tires, when should you put them on? Take into account three factors: temperature, precipitation, and marketplace trends.
TEMPERATURE
First, the the average daily high temperature in Prince Edward Island at the beginning of October is a balmy 15°C. Yet at the end of October, the average daily high has already fallen to just 9°C, and the average daily low is 3°C. One month later, the average temperature doesn’t rise past 4°C and the average low is below zero. Based on cool weather, a late-October tire change sounds wise.
SNOW
In the winter of 2019-2020, PEI encountered our first snowfall on November 8. It wasn’t a lot, but it was certainly enough to make roads slushy. In the winter of 2018-2019, however, much of western Prince Edward Island received a fairly significant snowfall on October 25, 2018. Making matters worse, forecasts didn’t suggest the temperature would be cool enough for snow to really accumulate, so the quantity of snow was simply unexpected.
BUSINESS
But is any weather event ever 100% unexpected in PEI? No, of course not. And because of that, winter tires are in high demand every fall, and that demand spikes when meteorologists first start talking about flurries and accumulating snow. That rising demand means it can take longer to book your appointment.
So don’t wait until the last minute. Winter tires in Prince Edward Island should definitely be on your vehicle before November.
Visit Centennial Kia or call our parts and service department at 1-902-724-4542 to book your winter tire appointment.
