That's a good tire that will take a bite out of the road this McHenry winter. You want to make sure you've got a good set of tires on your car, too, before winter arrives.

Imagine trying to take a bite out of an apple without teeth. That’s a fair comparison of trying to drive on slippery winter roads in McHenry without a proper set of tires on your car, truck or SUV.

The word is “traction.” You need some traction for your teeth to break through the skin of an apple. And you need traction for your tires to pull you through the snow on a McHenry road after a snow storm.

Winter in these parts throws conditions at our tires where only the strong will survive. And, if your tires are not up to the challenge, the results could be catastrophic. 

It’s not just that your tires may not get you going on slippery roads; it’s also that your tires may not help you stop in critical situations on slick winter roads. When your tires won’t stop your car, truck or SUV, the question is, “What will?”

Unless you have a long and unimpeded surface ahead of you to use up your momentum, the only thing that will stop you is something hard. For instance, a tree can stop you. A fence can stop you. A building or a ditch can stop you. Or a car can stop you.

On the way to that stop, objects that aren’t as solid, or fixed to the ground, may get in your way. For instance, you may cross paths with a dog or a deer. Then again, and hopefully this is never the case, a pedestrian can get in the way.

The dog, the deer or a person will probably not do much to slow your rate of travel. The problem is what you’ll do to the dog, deer or person. That is not pleasant to think about.

Traction also helps you to steer your car, truck or SUV on ice-covered, snow-covered, or ice-and-snow-covered roads. In other words, if you’ve lost traction, and you’re careening toward something, or someone, you don’t want to hit, you may not have the ability to steer around it, or them.

The solution to reduce the risks of such terrible situations is to ensure that you have tires that will give you the best chance to avoid accidents on slippery roads. Good quality all-season tires are a good start. Some people prefer to put snow tires on their car, truck or SUV. In the McHenry area, with winter upon us, that’s actually a great idea.