Options if you don’t have winter tires as the next snow storm approaches

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – They may be clear now but come tomorrow, the major routes around Metro Vancouver could be a lot harder to navigate during your morning and afternoon commute. As you likely noticed earlier this week, a lot of drivers were unprepared when the snow hit.

On Monday, the majority of calls to BCAA in the region were from drivers without winter tires or chains. But come tomorrow, don’t even bother putting the key in the ignition if you don’t have the right kind of tires on.

“You can always try, doesn’t mean it’s right. We’re here to make sure you’re safe, that’s the most important thing,” says Trevor Delaney with OK Tire in Langley, who breaks people down into three categories. “There are the people that are doing the Coquihalla all the time, they’re up in the winter regions, for them, four snow tires on the car with their extra wheels is probably the right way to go.”

But if you’re not straying far from Metro Vancouver, you don’t need to go quite as far. “The people in the Lower Mainland that maybe aren’t doing [numerous highway trips] but still want a tire that can do the occasional trip, then the all-weather tire is perfect because that has your snowflake [winter rating] and your M+S [which is mud and snow],” says Delaney.

Having an M+S rating is the law in most places during the snow and especially on those major highways like the Coquihalla or Sea to Sky.
“If you are stopped [with those tires] in any foreseeable problems with the police, you would be able to keep going,” adds Delaney.

And in case you’re wondering, most of us can’t get away with just two new tires. “Many, many years ago when we had rear-wheel drive, yes you could, no problem,” explains Delaney.

“But the problem now is, when you put two tires on a front-wheel drive, and you’re on the highway, and you’re on black ice or packed snow, and you’re going around the corner and you have to hit those brakes really quick, that front end will bite because of the softer rubber compound of the [winter] tires. And the back end will just swing right around. It is not safe and most good tire shops will not put two (snow tires) on a front-wheel drive. It’s not for more sales, it’s for safety.”

One alternative you can look at are chains for your tires. In some cases they can be cheaper, depending on doze and type. However, Niela Melanio with BCAA says don’t buy them and wait until the last minute to put them on.

“Really, they are fairly simple to put on but BCAA does recommend you do practice putting them on before you run into a challenging situation. That’s probably a common problem that people have is, by the time they need to use their chains they’re already finding themselves in a challenging situation. Before that even happens, test them out to make sure they are the right size.”

And double-check you have the right size. “When it comes to winter tire chains, when you purchase them, make sure you do test them out and make sure that they actually do fit your tires,” says Melanio.

“BC does highlight the areas where winter tires and chains are required so it’s important for drivers to be on the lookout for those signs. In cities, they’re generally not required but it’s safest to check with your municipality,” she adds.

 

That’s equally true for places where chains are against the law. Vancouver Police say the city doesn’t have any specific rules around using chains in the city. “We suggest that chains are only used as needed,” points out Constable Jason Doucette.

Melanio urges drivers not to get behind the wheel if they’re not 100 per cent prepared do drive in poor conditions. “One option is to not drive and to find another way to get around such as transit or taxis that do have winter tires,” she says. “Another option is to make arrangements to stay at home and indoors and stay safe.”

Remember, NEWS 1130 will have you covered when this latest round of snow hits. We’ll be live updating our storm centre page and we’ll have a team of reporters bringing you the latest information. We’ll have the latest forecasts from Meteorologist Russ Lacate and we’ll get you where you need to go with updates in Traffic every 10 minutes on the ones.