Scourge  |   Theft of automobiles and property  |   Purchasing used vehicles
Winter Tires  |   Insurance Fraud

Certification  |   Effectiveness  |   Recommended Use

Winter Tires* - Effectiveness

One of the differences between winter tires and all-season tires is the depth of their respective tread grooves. These must be deeper on a winter tire in order for a vehicle to operate safely in the snow. With deeper treads (about 30% deeper or more) than all-season tires, winter tires allow a vehicle to move forward by compacting the snow into the grooves.

Braking distance increases as the tread groove depth is reduced. The Ministère des Transports recommends that, in the winter, all drivers use tires whose tread is at least 4.8 mm (3/16 in.) deep.

* Information gathered from the following document: Rapport d'évaluation - Comité d'évaluation sur la mise en place de mesures visant à inciter les automobilistes à munir leurs véhicules de pneus d'hiver. For the complete text, click here.