Do You Need Winter Tires In Prince Edward Island?

Winter tire mandates are not part of the government of Prince Edward Island’s highway traffic act. However, winter in PEI is cold enough to necessitate winter tires, snowy enough to require winter tires, and definitely long enough to make winter tires a must.

TEMPERATURE

Cold temperatures, even if snow never fell, are an important aspect of winter tire installation. Just as the rubber compounds in winter tires mean they’re not suitable for spring and summer, the rubber compounds in performance and all-season tires aren’t designed for truly cold temperatures.

The tires you have on your vehicle between April and October become harder as temperatures fall below 7°C, which decreases grip and your connection with the road. And below -10°C, tires not designed for winter are so hard they're just not safely gripping the road. This isn’t just a safety issue – it means your all-season tires will wear much, much faster in winter than dedicated winter tires. The opposite is true, as well.

In Prince Edward Island, the average daily high temperature at the beginning of October is 15°C. But by the end of the month, the average daily high is only 9°C, and the average daily low is 3°C. By the end of November, the average daily high is 4°C and the average daily low is below freezing.

PRECIPITATION

Beyond material usage, winter tires are also designed with specific tread designs to be able to spit out slush and snow, find grip on slippery surfaces, and translate that grip into useful acceleration and safe stopping distances.

There are thousands of sipes that bite into snow and ice. The tread pattern of a winter tire is intended to reduce snow buildup and expel snow and slush. Using all-season tires all year long would be like wearing running shoes for all scenarios – there comes a point at which you must put on your boots.

In Prince Edward Island, the first snowfall in the winter of 2019/2020 came on November 8. More than a year before, much of western PEI saw heavy snowfall on October 25, 2018.

“Everybody was caught off guard,” said PEI’s maintenance superintendent for Prince County, Mike Berrigan. “Not too many vehicles with winter tires and (not) expecting that much snow this early.”

HOW LONG IS WINTER?

Of course, the first snowfall is only the beginning of a long winter.

On average, Alberton sees 267 centimetres of snow per year, which is actually on the low end for Prince County. Summerside’s average annual snowfall is 278 centimetres, O’Leary gets 289 centimetres, and Tignish averages 304 centimetres of snow per year. Charlottetown’s average annual snowfall is 290 centimetres, but New Glasgow sees even more: 314 centimetres of snow per year.

In eastern Prince Edward Island, Bangor’s 320-centimetre average annual snowfall takes the cake.

And what if it’s not an average year? In the winter of 2014-2015, PEI’s snowfall measured 550 centimetres. That’s 18 feet of snow during a winter in which there were eight individual storms with more than 25 centimetres of snow.

Winter is on its way. It almost always arrives suddenly. Cold and snow and ice are all reasons to make sure your vehicle is ready.

So, do you need winter tires in Prince Edward Island? Watch the video below, in which summer tires required 45 feet to stop from a speed of only 16 kilometres per hour. All-season tires were better, but they still required 36 feet. Winter tires stopped in only 18 feet, half the distance of the all-season tires.

Tires are the most important part on your vehicle – they’re the only four parts that actually make contact with the road. Let’s keep it that way. Visit a Centennial Auto Group location for your winter tire selection or call your Centennial dealer for a winter tire quote.