You may not think about your tires much today, but, when the coming McHenry winter arrives, you may hope that your tires have the traction to get you where you're going and safely.

Most of us who have driven McHenry roads in winter before understand that, not only is winter cold, but it’s often rather slippery and the right tires make a big difference. Traction may mean something to drag racers in summer but it means something to all of us in these parts in winter.

Even in summer, a rainy day can prove slippery on a McHenry road. In the fall, fallen leaves can be slippery, all the more so if they’re wet. But nothing compares to winter when it comes to stealing traction from drivers.

In the winter, you’ll have days when you’re trying to drive your vehicle through various depths of snow. You’ll have other days when you’re contending with ice. You may find yourself driving on a day with a freezing rain that is treacherous, to say the least.

Do you remember those winter days when all the branches of the trees sparkle in the sunlight. Beautiful, right? But if you’re familiar with winters in this region, you also know that it’s probably a sign of an ice storm.

With an ice storm, it’s not just the branches on trees that are covered with ice; everything else is covered with ice, too. And that includes the roads. Some of these days are so dangerous that you’re better off staying home, no matter how important your trip is.

Imagine driving on a road like that. You may have experienced it already at some time in your life. Now, imagine driving on that road with bald tires. You may have heard of that song, “Slip-sliding away.” That describes what you’ll be doing on bald tires trying to drive on that road.

Even with good tires, you may not want to take on the challenge of an ice storm. But, on other days and nights in the winter, better tires can make a tremendous difference.

Here are some of the things to consider when it comes to winter traction:

What is the condition of your tires? How much tread do they have left? There’s the old penny test. You hold a penny into the tire tread, the top of Abraham Lincoln’s head first. If the top of his head isn’t below the top of the tread, it’s time to replace the tires. But, is that enough tread for winter?

Do your tires have enough air? Tires that are low on air or flat have less traction even on dry roads. Put those tires on winter roads, with snow, ice or freezing rain, and you’ve got a potential problem. In other words, check that you have the proper air pressure in each tire. The Owners Manual should provide this information.

Can you supercharge your traction with snow tires? In years gone by, this state allowed studded snow tires. Metal studs were installed into provided holes on the surface of the tires. They made a heck of a racket, and were hard on the roads, but they gave significantly improved traction. The prior two distinctions about studs explain why they’re not legal anymore.

Still, snow tires can make a tremendous difference providing traction in winter. You don’t want to overestimate the improved traction they provide – overdriving your tires’ traction is never a good thing – but they can make a world of a difference.

With snow tires, when this McHenry winter passes, you can have your snow tires removed, your all-season tires reinstalled and save the snow tires for next winter.