We all hate driving in snow when we have places to go. You just never know what lies around the next bend, whether if its black ice, an uncontrolled car or a steep grade you need to stop on. Winter is the most challenging time to drive. While talking to our Jim Shorey Kia Vice President Jim Jenkins about snow, he mentioned that with snow tires a forward drive is better in snow than an all-wheel drive without snow tires. Jim made a great point and here at Jim Shorkey Kia we will give you some clarity about driving with different tires and vehicles.
Do tires really matter?
The reality is your average conventional performance tires are accustom to causing fiction on the road. Tires are designed to perform well in dry and warm weather. They are designed to take the heat of the road and the friction between the road and the tire. Most tires are designed to reduce heat and give extra traction. These tires car even handle up to 200 degrees before they tear. In the winter, these tires have issues doing their job. The designs are to narrow and the pavement is not as dry. No matter what type of vehicle you drive you are at a disadvantage when you are not driving with snow tires in the snow. These tires give you additional grip on the road that effect stopping and acceleration. Snow tires are wider and care less about heat and more about moisture. Tires are a lot like shoes. You wouldn’t wear sandals in the winter, why would you expect a car to give its best without its winter proofing.
All Wheel drivers
All-new 2016 Sorento 3.3-liter V6 SXL
Many drivers of All Wheel and Four by Four vehicles don’t think they need snow tires. According to a Consumer Report, 54,295 subscribers(from there Magazine) who drove AWD or 4WD vehicles were surveyed. Less than 15 percent equipped their vehicles with winter tires. The rest kept rolling on their all-season tires and took their chances. An AWD and a 4WD will help give you power to the right wheels, but it will not help you slow down. In a study a sedan with snow tires slowed down on snowy pavement to a stop at 150 feet. A CRV AWD on snowy pavement slowed down to stop at 600 ft. The sedan stopped 4X as quick. The truth is that the AWD is great in snow because the car knows when to put power to the tires and a 4X4 is great for the raw power, but both still need time to use friction and break. Traction is everything in winter driving.
The most idea situation in bad winter weather is an AWD with snow tires like a Kia Sorento. But if you had to choose you would be wise to pick the Forward wheel drive like a Kia Forte with snow tires. You could contact our service department and they could give you the best advice on winter tires. Or talk to our sales teams about features that can help your during the cold season.
Jim Shorkey Kia 