Tire Tips From Your Napa Autopro Merritt Tire Professional

When it’s time for new tires, the choices can be overwhelming for Merritt drivers. Let’s look at some common tire categories.

One category at Napa Autopro Merritt is known as “summer tires”. Summer tires are designed to be driven on BC roads when temperatures are generally above 7 degrees. Their tread design is optimized for traction on dry Merritt roads and they’re also able to effectively displace water on rainy roads.

The rubber compound gets a little hard and stiff as temperatures drop below 7 degrees. And the tread which handles dry roads so well, can get packed with snow and mud, which provides very little traction for Merritt drivers in those BC conditions.

If you live where its summer all year round, these tires will work well for you. If you like maximum performance in warm Merritt weather, but still live in BC where it gets cold and snowy, you’ll want to change your summer tires for winter tires as the weather starts to change.

Winter tires are designed to work very well in snow and ice. Their tread is designed with many channels and grooves that throw the snow out of the tread as the wheel turns. This means the tire is always be able to bite into the snow.

The rubber compound used in winter tires is specially formulated to be flexible at temperatures below 7 degrees. This maximizes cold weather traction for Merritt drivers. When it gets warmer, the softer rubber will wear faster on warm dry pavement than summer tires, so change them out once the Merritt weather has turned. For many Merritt drivers, an all-season tire is the answer. You will give up some of the performance at the extreme ends of the summer tire/ winter tire spectrum, but you will find a long wearing tire that gives both good BC expressway performance and winter traction.

Outside of these three main categories, some Merritt drivers with trucks and SUVs like a tire that is designed for both on-highway and off-highway use. They can handle the rocks and bumps off-road, but still work well on BC streets. Again, many options depending on the relative emphasis on on-road verses off-road.

Talk with your Napa Autopro Merritt tire professional and let him help you find the tire that’s right for the way you drive in Merritt.

Stop by or give us a call.

Napa Autopro Merritt
Po Box 2255
Merritt, BC V1K 1B8
250-378-4821

At Napa Autopro Merritt we install quality NAPA replacement parts.