How to Put Snow Tires on your Car
Every fall, it's the same old ritual. Take off the all-season tires. Put on the snow tires. Mechanics in the Great White North are so used to it that they do it for cheap. Change to winter tires at the same time as your scheduled wheel rotation and you might as well be getting it for free.
If your brand new snow tires need to be mounted on your rims, that's probably a job for a mechanic unless you've already got the equipment on hand. They'll also charge you extra for that. However, if you buy your snow tires premounted, that's as easy as changing a wheel when you get a flat tire. The only thing that's different is that you've got to do all four wheels instead of just one, but you'll still be tackling them one at a time.
How to do it
First, find a flat, level place, so that your car won't be able to roll off the jack. Your garage is perfect. You'll also want to put on your parking brake and put blocks under the three wheels you're not currently working on, just in case.
Next, take the hub cap off the wheel you're working on. Loosen the nuts on that wheel by a couple of turns, but don't go farther than that yet. You'll need a wrench to do it.
Now, jack up the car until the wheel isn't touching the ground. If you don't have enough space to take it off easily, jack it just a little higher.
Now you can take off the nuts entirely, but don't do it all at once. Go around the rim, giving each nut a turn as you go, until all of them are loose. Put the nuts in the hubcap, so you don't lose them. With the nuts off, the tire should come free easily.
Now all you've got to do is put on the snow tire. It's exactly the same process in reverse. Remember to go around the rim as you tighten the nuts a little at a time. You're doing it this way to make the force as even as you can around the rim. At the same time, you don't want to be forcing them on until the car's down from the jack. That kind of forcing could unbalance the car on the jack, or even make it slip off. Don't forget to put the hubcap back on!
Now repeat with the other three tires, one at a time. It takes a little patience, but with premounted snow tires, it really is as easy as that.
Why to do it
Snow tireshave heavy open treads which bite into snow and ice. They're also designed to shed snow and icy water, so that the tire is constantly getting rid of slush buildup. That gives you traction in snow and icy muck.
Always use snow tires in sets of four. On the drive wheels, you'll need snow tires to get going and to stop. On the steering wheels, snow tires will help the car to go in the direction you want it to go. Putting snow tires only on your rear driving wheels is a sure recipe for a spinout.
Remember, even snow tires aren't a substitute forsafe winter driving. Always keep the other driver's traction in mind as well as your own. Drive safely, and arrive alive.
